Conestoga's Lofland, Wissahickon's Beek claim Class AAA East Regional titles at Golden Oaks

   Conestoga junior Morgan Lofland had a score to settle with the Golden Oaks Golf Club layout in Fleetwood, Berks County and Monday in the Class AAA East Regional he got the job done.

   On the girls side, consider the rivalry on between a couple of District One freshmen as Wissahickon’s Elizabeth Beek turned the tables on Lower Merion’s Sydney Yermish, who captured the Class AAA district title in convincing fashion last week at Turtle Creek Golf Club, as Beek fired a brilliant 6-under-par 66 to capture the regional title.

   Lofland burst onto the scholastic scene by making it to the PIAA Class AAA Championship as a freshman two years ago. He was poised to return to the Heritage Hills Golf Resort in Springettsbury Township, York County for a second straight year when he failed to advance out of the regional.

   The regional is just one round on one day and all it takes is one bad day to derail any player’s hopes for a trip to the state tournament.

   Lofland, who had earned a share of the Central League individual title for the second straight year, had to sweat it out on Day 1 of last week’s District One Championship at the Turtle, but made the cut on the number. He rallied on Day 2 to easily punch his ticket to Golden Oaks.

   And he’s headed back to Heritage Hills with an emphatic 5-under 67 over the 6,648-yard, par-72 Golden Oaks layout that gave Lofland the Class AAA East Regional individual title.

   For the first time in several years, I didn’t make it up to Golden Oaks. There was a loop to be had at Stonewall. So, I’m not certain where anybody started in the shotgun start utilized for the regional. But I do know the weather was perfect, although the wind kicked up a little later in the day at Stonewall. It was probably a little calmer in Fleetwood for the start of the regional.

   Lofland unleashed a 5-under-par burst in a six-hole stretch on the front nine at Golden Oaks. Again, not sure if he played them in this order, but he made birdies at the first and second holes, an eagle at the 484-yard, par-5 fifth hole and a birdie at the sixth hole.

   Lofland offset his lone bogey of the day at the par-3 15^th hole with a birdie at the short par-3 13^th hole to go even on the incoming nine as he claimed a one-shot victory over a pair of District Three standouts, Spring Grove junior Karl Frisk and Dallas sophomore Logan Paczewski, both of whom carded a solid 4-under 68.

   Paczewski, who booked a return trip to the PIAA Class AAA Championship, was coming off a Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour victory Saturday as he fired a 4-under 67 at Heritage Hills, where next week’s state tournament will be staged.

   Lofland headed a group of seven District One golfers who are headed for Heritage Hills, including Norristown junior Josh Ryan, who earned a third straight PIAA berth by matching par with a 72 Monday that left him among a trio of players tied for 10^th place. Ryan, who claimed the District One crown last week at the Turtle, made four birdies to offset two bogeys and a double bogey at the par-4 17^th hole.

   Boyertown sophomore John Engle booked a trip to the state tournament with a 1-over 73 that left him alone in 10^th place.

   Harriton senior Andrew Wallace earned a return trip to Heritage Hills with a 2-over 74 that left him in a tie for 11^th place. Unionville senior Jack Cooley, Plymouth-Whitemarsh junior Dylan Gooneratne and Radnor senior Jack Hamilton all landed in a bulky group of nine players tied for 14^th place at 3-over 75.

   Cumberland Valley sophomore Brady Davidson carded a solid 2-under 70 to finish alone in fourth place, two shots behind Frisk and Paczewski. Davidson fired a 76 Saturday in the Junior Tour stop at Heritage Hills to win the younger 13-to-15 division.

   Defending Class AAA East Regional champion Carson Bacha, a senior at Central York, finished in a tie for fifth place with Emmaus sophomore Matt Zerfass at 1-under 71. Bacha, who will join the Auburn program next summer, might be the top pure talent in the state. Zerfass booked a second straight trip to Heritage Hills.

   Sharing seventh place with Norristown’s Ryan at even-par were Waynesboro junior Devin Smith and Bacha’s Central York teammate Alex Gekas, a junior.

   Cumberland Valley senior Reese Watson matched the 74 posted by Harriton’s Wallace to join him in the tie for 11^th place.

   Joining the District One trio of Cooley, Gooneratne and Hamilton in the tie for 14^th place at 3-over 75 were Susquehannock senior Andrew Roberts, Governor Mifflin senior Christian Strohl, Berks Catholic junior Michael Fiorvante, Liberty freshman Matt Vital, Carlisle junior John Peters and Daniel Boone junior Colton Yenser.

   Vital made a big splash last spring when the won the 12-13 Boys division in the Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals at Augusta National Golf Club the Sunday of Masters week.

   Rounding out a pretty strong showing by the Berks County contingent, Muhlenberg senior Tyler Kipp and Berks Catholic senior Henry Pilliod were two of the players who grabbed the final three tickets to Heritage Hills as each carded a 4-over 76.

   Four players landed at 76 and Kipp, Pilliod and Manheim Township junior Connor Strine emerged from a playoff with those coveted spots in next week’s state tournament. La Salle senior Matt Lafond was eliminated in the playoff.

   On the girls side, followers of junior golf knew Beek and Yermish were two of the most talented freshmen to arrive on the scholastic scene in quite some time.

   Last week, Yermish, who plays out of Rolling Green Golf Club, made a big statement with a five-shot victory in the District One Class AAA Championship, highlighted by a sparkling 6-under 65 in the first round at Raven’s Claw Golf Club. Beek settled for third place, six shots behind Yermish’s sizzling pace.

   But Monday’s East Regional belonged to Beek as she ripped off seven birdies against one bogey to beat Yermish by six shots for the Class AAA regional title. I’ve been to Golden Oaks almost every year since the regional layer was added to the postseason schedule and I’m not sure I remember a round as good as the one Beek put together Monday.

   Pretty sure the girls play somewhere between the 5,502-yard senior white tees and the 6,204-yard middle tees on the Golden Oaks card.

   Beek had birdies at the fourth, fifth, sixth, eighth, 11^th, 14^th and 17^th holes and made her only bogey at the par-4 16^th hole. Again, I’m not sure where Beek started, so I’m not even certain if those birdies at the fourth, fifth and sixth holes came consecutively, but she was a birdie machine at Golden Oaks Monday. I’m quite certain of that.

   Yermish accomplished her most important goal: Moving on to the state tournament. Yermish offset three bogeys with three birdies, including what might have been back-to-back birdies at the par-4 17^th and par-5 18^th holes.

   District One had dominated the PIAA Class AAA Championship from 2008 when Kennett’s Christine Shimel won the title – there was only one girls champion crowned then -- through the second of Radnor standout Brynn Walker’s back-to-back state crowns in 2015. But western Pennsylvania has accounted for the last three titles with victories by Mia Kness of Peters Township, Lauren Freyvogel of Pine Richland and Caroline Wrigley of North Allegheny, all of whom are on Division I rosters, Kness at Seton Hall, Freyvogel at Penn State and Wrigley at Furman.

   Yermish or Beek might be poised to put District One back on top next week.

   Yet another freshman out of District One, Unionville’s Mary Dunigan, shared third place at Golden Oaks Monday with Cocalico junior Ammala Moua as each carded a 1-over 73, a shot behind Yermish.

   Three more District One players, led by West Chester East sophomore Victoria Kim, who finished alone in fifth place with a 2-over 74, earned tickets to Heritage Hills.

   Downingtown East sophomore Ava O’Sullivan was a shot behind Kim in a tie for sixth place with a 3-over 75. Rounding out the District One contingent to the PIAA Class AAA Championship was Strath Haven sophomore Grace Smith, who was one of two players to survive a playoff after four players finished in a tie for 12^th place at 8-over 80.

   One of the casualties of that playoff was defending Class AAA East Regional winner Jade Gu, a junior at Pennsbury who was the runnerup to Yermish in last week’s district tournament.

   Sharing sixth place at 3-over 75 with Downingtown East’s O’Sullivan was Hershey junior Abby Han. Dallastown sophomore Makensy Knaub finished alone in eighth place with a 4-over 76.

   Emmaus junior Michelle Cox, the runnerup to Wrigley in the Pennsylvania Junior Girls’ Championship at Hershey Country Club’s East Course this past summer, shared ninth place with Archbishop Wood sophomore Chaela Barnett, each posting a 5-over 77. Not certain of this, but Barnett might be the first District 12 girl to qualify for the state tournament.

   Hershey junior Amanda Gerrish finished alone in 11^th place with a 6-over 78.

   The other survivor of the playoff for the final two state berths along with Strath Haven’s Smith was Cumberland Valley sophomore Emily McAninch.

   The other casualty of the playoff beside Gu was Red Land senior McKylie Boreman.

   Haverford’s Riley Quartermain was denied a return trip to the state tournament as her 82 left her two shots out of the playoff. Quartermain, Yermish and Smith were the co-medalists in the Central League Championship two weeks ago at Turtle Creek.

   District One Class AA champion Paul Brady, a sophomore at Pope John Paul II, advanced to the state tournament as he was among three players who finished tied for third in Class AA with a 4-over 76. Brady’s three birdies offset five bogeys and a double bogey.

   Devon Prep junior Ryan McCabe will make his third trip to Heritage Hills in as many years as he carded a 6-over 78 to join three other players tied for ninth place. McCabe finished in a tie for second in last year’s PIAA Class AA Championship.

   The Class AA East Regional title went to Scranton Prep sophomore Thomas Lynch, who fired a 1-over 73. Austin Outman, a senior at Cowenesque Valley, finished a shot behind Lynch in second place. It was the second straight year that Outman was the runnerup in Class AA at Golden Oaks.

   Sharing third place with PJP’s Brady at 4-over 76 were Lancaster Mennonite senior Gavin Baer and Trinity sophomore James Ulsh.

   Brandywine Heights junior Elijah Ruppert and Scranton Prep senior M.J. Stivala each earned a second straight trip to Heritage Hills as they finished in a tie for sixth place with Pequea Valley senior Josiah Nissly at 5-over 77.

   Joining Devon Prep’s McCabe in the tie for ninth place at 78 were Northern Lebanon junior Luke Spangler, Lake Lehman senior Bobby Lugiano and Wellsboro junior Ty Morral.

   Grabbing the final two tickets to the state tournament in Class AA were Notre Dame Green Pond sophomore Ben Ortwein and Palmerton freshman Tyler Hager, both of whom carded an 81 to finish in a tie for 13^th place.

   The other District One entry in Class AA, New Hope Solebury junior Evan Menz failed to advance to the state tournament with an 84.

   Camp Hill sophomore Paige Richter and Elk Lake sophomore Chloe Sipe shared the Class AA East Regional girls crown as each posted a 7-over 79.

   Boiling Springs freshman Brook Graham finished third with an 80, Hanover Area sophomore Kyleen McCance was fourth with an 81, Moravian Academy junior Grace Sanborn was fifth with an 83 and Trinity junior Olivia Maddox was sixth with an 89.

   Lewisburg sophomore Ava Markunas earned the final berth to the state tournament in a playoff with Lancaster Mennonite senior Madison Bailey after each carded a 90.