Temple survives tough conditions at Galloway National to claim City 6 team crown

   The picture on the Temple website of the Owls’ post-round celebration after they captured the City 6 Championship Saturday offers evidence of the cold-weather gear that was an absolute necessity as the wind gusted out of the north to 40 mph, turning temperatures in the low 40s into wind-chills in the low 30s at Galloway National Golf Club in Galloway Township, N.J.

   But the smiles on the faces of the Temple players and coaches offer evidence that despite the tough conditions, the Owls survived it all. Pretty sure they were happy they were off the golf course, too.

   For some reason, the City 6 turned into the City 5 when Penn did not show up. Maybe those Ivy League guys are the smart ones after all. But into the life of every competitive golfer some nasty weather is going to rear its head. Maybe Saturday at Galloway National will be the worst any of the 30 players from the five city schools will ever play in. But now they know they can survive the worst.

   Maybe not thrive, but survive.

   Temple was led by two of the four players who shared medalist honors at 5-over-par 76 over the 6,804-yard, par-71 Galloway National layout.

   That would be senior Sam Soeth, whose scholastic career at Marple Newtown I chronicled at the Delaware County Daily Times, and John Barone, a redshirt senior out of Dunmore.

   They led the way as the Owls put together a 28-over 312 total that was six shots better than defending champion Drexel and Saint Joseph’s, both of which finished in a tie for second at 318. Villanova, which was the host team, was two shots behind Drexel and St. Joe’s in fourth at 320 and La Salle finished fifth at 337.

   It was a one-day shootout with four players scoring from six-man teams. It’s a small tournament compared to the 54-hole 15- to 19-team extravaganzas these teams normally play. But the city schools, all of which play in different conferences, should get together, even if it’s just for one day.

   The fact that there’s so many great golf courses in the Philadelphia area on which to stage the event is reason enough to have the tournament. Drexel edged the Owls a year ago at the Union League Golf Club at Torresdale and Temple beat Villanova in a playoff two years ago at Huntingdon Valley Country Club.

   And Galloway National, tough in tranquil weather, was a beast in Saturday’s high winds and bitter wind chills.

   “I know overall these were the worst conditions we faced as a program since I have been here, especially since this golf course is so demanding,” Temple coach Brian Quinn, a big backer of the City 6 Championship, told the Temple website. “We played in 40 mile-an-hour wind gusts and 43-degree temperatures which felt like 32.

   “I am really proud of our kids, just to be out there for five to six hours in this weather is a long day. Our kids really hung in there.”

   Backing up Soeth and Barone were redshirt junior Erik Reisner, a two-time Central League champion at Harriton, and Trey Wren, a senior from Suffolk, Va., both of whom finished in the group tied for ninth at 80 to round out the scoring for the Owls.

   Wren, who has been so consistent for four years for Quinn, had come into the City 6 with a Temple record five straight rounds in the 60s. He figured out pretty quickly that that streak wasn’t going to be extended, but he battled to get a counting number for the Owls.

   Senior Gary McCabe, a scholastic standout at La Salle from Collegeville, and sophomore Dawson Anders, a Souderton product, each carded an 81 and finished in the group tied for 11^th. Six scores at 81 or better in those conditions is pretty good team golf.

   The win capped a nice fall run, fueled by Wren’s hot streak, for the Owls, who captured the team title in the Bucknell Invitational and finished third in the Phoenix Invitational hosted by Elon in an eight-day stretch in October.

   It was a strong showing for Saint Joseph’s, which accounted for the other two co-medalists as Michael O’Brien, a junior from West Chester, Ohio, and junior Tommy Lewis, a Central Bucks East product, each carded a 5-over 76, to join Temple’s Soeth and Barone, as co-champions.

   Freshman J.T. Spina, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier in each of his last two seasons at Pope John Paul II, joined the group tied for 11^th with an 81.

   The Hawks could take their pick for their fourth counter as senior Ross Pilliod, a former Berks Catholic standout, and junior Richard Riva, a Lancaster Catholic product, each posted an 85 to finish among the group tied for 22^nd. Rounding out the St. Joe’s lineup was Chuck Briggs, a senior from McLean, Va. who struggled to a 91 in the tough conditions and finished in a tie for 28^th.

   Freshman Ben Pochet, a two-time District One Class AAA champion at Spring-Ford, and Jeffrey Cunningham, a sophomore from West Palm Beach, Fla., led the way for Drexel as each carded a 78 to finish among the group tied for fifth. It was a solid showing for Pochet, the 2017 Golf Association of Philadelphia’s Junior Player of the Year.

   The Dragons’ final two counters came from among three players who finished among the large group of players tied for 11^th at 81, including sophomore Stephen Cerbara, the 2015 PIAA Class AAA champion as a senior at Holy Ghost Prep, junior Alex Butler, a member of the 2014 PIAA Class AAA team champion as a junior at St. Joseph’s Prep, and Angelo Giantsopoulos, a sophomore from Canada. It was so cold that not even being Canadian was an advantage.

   Rounding out the Drexel lineup was junior Connor Schmidt, a Peters Township product who finished among the group tied for 19^th with an 83. Schmidt won the Pennsylvania Amateur at Sunnehanna Golf Club last summer and has been solid this fall, but even he had a tough time at Galloway National on this day.

   Leading the way for Villanova were Connor Daly, a junior from Bronxville, N.Y., and Reb Banas, a sophomore from Winnetka, Ill., both of whom were among the group tied for fifth at 78. Mark Benevento, a redshirt junior playing not far from his home base in Ocean City, N.J., was in the group tied for 11^th at 81.

   The final counter for the Wildcats was Jack O’Hara, a freshman from Loudonville, N.Y. who was in the group tied for 19^th with an 83.

   Villanova coach Jim Wilkes, whose Wildcats have had a decent fall, filled out his lineup with two other freshmen, Denny Dougherty, a Tower Hill product, and former Malvern Prep standout Matt Davis and both struggled in the tough conditions. Dougherty’s 91 left him in a tie for 28^th and Davis’ 94 left him in 30^th place.

   Leading the way for La Salle was Matt Werner, a freshman from West Linn, Ore. who finished alone in 18^th place with an 82. Ron Fischang, a sophomore from McKinney, Texas, finished alone in 21^st place with an 84.

   Freshman Parker Wine, a former Unionville standout, finished among the group tied for 22^nd with an 85 and Dragon Theam, a freshman from Jacksonville, Fla., was the final counter for the Explorers with an 86 that left him alone in 25^th place. Theam flashed his potential earlier this fall when he captured the individual title at the Bucknell Invitational with a program record total for a 36-hole event.

   Sophomore David Kim, an Upper Dublin product, and Zaffar Sikkander, a sophomore from Sri Lanka, rounded out the La Salle lineup as each carded an 88 to finish tied for 26^th.