The kids can play some golf in Chester County and you need no further proof than the state championship trophies that the Conestoga girls and the Unionville boys brought back with them from Penn State Wednesday.
You could see this coming for the Conestoga girls if you were at Day 1 of the District One Class AAA Championship at Raven’s Claw Golf Club when the Pioneers rolled to a 25-shot victory over perennial district power Mount St. Joseph.
Three Conestoga players, all of them underclassmen by the way, qualified for the PIAA Class AAA Championship as individuals and that trio was solid in lifting the Pioneers to a four-shot advantage over two-time defending champion Peters Township and the state Class AAA crown with a 12-over-par 228 total.
Junior Jill Burks carded a solid 2-over 74 at Penn State’s Blue Course and classmate Corinne McReynolds backed up Burks with a 3-over 75. Sophomore Nicolette Bottos was the final counter in the five-score-three format with a 79.
Burks and McReynolds had finished in a tie for 15th place in the Class AAA individual competition, which wrapped up Tuesday, and Bottos ended up 24th.
Rounding out the lineup for Conestoga in Wednesday’s team competition were a pair of seniors in Alex Myers, who tallied an 82, and Suri Ahn, who posted a 90.
Burks, McReynolds, Bottos and Ahn were in the lineup a year ago when Conestoga, the District One runnerup to Downingtown West, finished in fourth place.
Conestoga is the second Central League girls team to capture a state team championship. Radnor, behind its unquestioned senior leader Jamie Susanin and a talented freshman named Brynn Walker, captured a PIAA Class AAA girls crown in 2012.
Peters Township didn’t go down without a fight, earning runnerup honors with a 16-over 232 tota
Much like last year when District One runnerup Conestoga was awarded a wild-card bid into the state Class AAA field, Mount St. Joe’s received a spot in this year’s field and validated that decision by finishing in a tie for third place with Hollidaysburg and Fox Chapel, each ending up 21 shots behind Peters Township with a 253 total.
The Mount was led by a trio of seniors as Michaela Ianieri posted a 5-over 77, with a little help from a hole-in-one at the Blue Course’s 132-yard ninth hole, and Amelia Nace and Daria Yohe each signed for an 88.
Rounding out the Mount St. Joseph lineup were sophomore Annie Corrigan, who recorded a 92, and junior Katie Collins, who registered a 97.
West Middlesex, behind two members of Team Sowers, captured the PIAA Class AA girls crown with a 21-over 237 total at Penn State’s White Course.
Senior Kate Sowers led the way for West Middlesex, out of District Ten, as she matched par with a 72. Paige Sowers, a freshman, backed up Kate Sowers with a solid 3-over 75. Kate Sowers was coming off a runnerup finish in the state Class AA individual competition.
The final counter for West Middlesex was delivered by Reagan Diaz, who carded a 90.
Rounding out the lineup for West Middlesex were Kylie Kimpan with a 93 and Lila Kimmel with a 101.
Defending champion Fairview finished five shots behind West Middlesex in second place with a 242 total.
Trinity took third place with a 247 total, Shady Side Academy was fourth at 256 and Westmont Hilltop was fifth at 261.
Catholic League representative Nazareth Academy, behind junior Adriana Seravalli, finished in eighth-place in the nine-team field with a 281 total.
Seravalli, who finished in a tie for 13th place in the Class AA individual competition, led the way for Nazareth Academy with a 4-over 76.
Nazareth Academy only had three players competing, so there was no margin for error.
Senior Anna Woltjen backed up Seravalli with a 95 and sophomore Madeline Ingulli added a 110.
On the boys side, senior Charlie Barrickman led the way with a sparkling 5-under 67 as Unionville captured the second PIAA Class AAA crown in program history with a 2-under 286 total.
The Longhorns of the Bennink twins, Connor and Will, and Richie Kline, claimed a state Class AAA title in 2017 and came back with a runnerup finish in 2018. Unionville was also the state Class AAA runnerup in the pandemic year of 2020.
District One Class AAA runnerup Radnor was awarded a wild-card spot in the field and validated that decision as the Raptors finished a shot behind Unionville in a tie for second place with State College, each posting a 1-under 287.
Radnor won its second PIAA Class AAA Championship a decade ago in the aforementioned Brynn Walker’s senior season.
Backing up Barrickman, who finished in third place in the state Class AAA individual competition, were junior Mike McGinty with a 1-under 71 and senior Cole Donnelly, who matched par with a 72.
Unionville could take its pick from the 4-over 76s posted by senior Nicolas Gaughan and sophomore Harris Stanislawczyk for its final counter in the five-score-four format.
Radnor was led by its seniors as Lannon Boyd tallied a solid 2-under 70 and Brad McDermott and Elayna Fanelli each recorded a 1-under 71.
Boyd had finished in a tie for ninth place in the Class AAA boys individual competition and Fanelli finished in a tie for fifth in the Class AAA girls individual competition.
Freshman Sebastian Leone accounted for the final counter for the Central League champion Raptors with a 3-over 75. Rounding out the Radnor lineup was another freshman, Gavin Reger, who registered a 5-over 77.
South Fayette finished nine shots behind Radnor and State College in fourth place with an 8-over 296 total.
Catholic League power La Salle was a shot behind South Fayette in fifth place with a 297 total.
The balanced Explorers were led by junior Liam Littleton, who tallied a 1-over 73 and senior John Gavaghan and junior Ben Robbins, both of whom carded a 2-over 74. Junior Ethan Starkey’s 4-over 76 was the final counter for La Salle.
Rounding out the La Salle lineup was senior Tristan Smith, who registered an 83.
Scranton Prep repeated as the PIAA Class AA team champion with an eight-shot victory over Erie Cathedral Prep.
Behind a sparkling 4-under 68 by sophomore Brenden Bell and a 2-under 70 from sophomore Cole Powell, who was crowned the PIAA Class AA individual champion a day earlier, Scranton Prep put together a 6-under 282 total at Penn State’s White Course.
Senior Ben Boyanoski added a 1-under 71 and Guy Rothery was Scranton Prep’s final counter with a 1-over 73. Rounding out the Scranton Prep lineup was Bobby Stott, who posted a 5-over 77.
Erie Cathedral Prep earned runnerup honors with a 2-over 290 total.
Catholic League representative Devon Prep was another six shots behind Erie Cathedral Prep in third place with an 8-over 296 total.
Devon Prep was led by its two standout underclassmen as sophomore Scott Cunningham and freshman Logan Turner each matched par at the White Course with a 72.
Senior Andrew Carroccio added a 3-over 75 for the Tide and Patrick Mannion was Devon Prep’s final counter with a 5-over 77. Rounding out the Devon Prep lineup was senior Chris Pullano, who posted an 80.
Pullano flashed his ability when he captured the Catholic League’s individual title with a 71 last month at Jeffersonville Golf Club.
Defending state Class AA champion Fairview finished in fourth place with a 298 total and Elizabeth Forward was fifth at 304.
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