Downingtown West’s precocious freshman, Nick Gross, fired a sparkling 3-under-par 69 to grab a one-shot lead following the opening round of the District One Class AAA Championship Monday at Turtle Creek Golf Club.
As impressive as Gross’ debut round at districts was, the district tournament was as much about who was there as who was not. The culprit? In 2020, what else could it be but the coronavirus pandemic.
Defending champion Josh Ryan didn’t get a chance to play out the postseason of his senior season. Ryan is home-schooled by Commonwealth Connections Academy, but represents Norristown High on the golf course. The Eagles are members of the Pioneer Athletic Conference, which did put together a league championship last week, but Norristown did not allow its players to participate.
Josh Ryan’s mother Michelle did announce on Twitter that he and older brother Caleb Ryan, a three-time PIAA qualifier himself, will battle it out in the 36-hole final for the club championship at Jeffersonville Golf Club Wednesday, but it’s a shame that Josh Ryan won’t get the opportunity this month to reach the PIAA Championship for a fourth time, a true rarity for a District One golfer.
Also, the District One Championship went off Monday without any golfers from the Central League, including defending Class AAA girls champion Sydney Yermish of Lower Merion. Conestoga senior Morgan Lofland, the Class AAA East Regional champion a year ago who was bidding for a third trip to the state tournament, was also unable to tee it up.
It seemed like the Central League was going to try to throw together a league championship last week in an attempt to get its players into the PIAA postseason, but apparently the majority of the powers-that-be in the league prevailed with their opinion that it wasn’t safe to play tournament golf.
Anybody who follows junior golf, though, is aware that junior tournaments have been being staged safely since early June.
Gross, for one, put together an ambitious schedule of American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) events and other junior tournaments this summer. His experience was evident in his opening-round tour of the 6,375-yard, par-72 Turtle Creek layout.
After making pars on the first five holes at the Turtle, Gross, who won the Ches-Mont League individual title by four shots last week at Applecross Country Club, bogeyed the sixth hole.
He responded to the lone blemish on his scorecard like he was mad at somebody. Gross birdied the seventh hole to get back to even-par for his round and then made eagle at the par-5 eighth hole to get it to 2-under. Birdies at the short par-4 10th and the par-5 13th holes got Gross to 4-under before he closed with a bogey at the risk-reward par-5 finishing hole at the Turtle.
Unionville’s Roy Anderson was just a shot behind Gross in second place with a solid 2-under 70. Holy Ghost Prep junior Calen Sanderson, who finished in a tie for second behind Josh Ryan a year ago, and Central Bucks West senior Milo Jezzeny also bettered par and were a shot behind Anderson in a tie for third place, each carding a 1-under 71.
Wissahickon junior Christian Matt matched par with a 72 and was alone in fifth place. Plymouth-Whitemarsh senior Dylan Gooneratne, who shared second place with Sanderson a year ago, headed a group of three players tied for sixth place at 1-over 73. Gooneratne was joined at 1-over by Matt’s Wissahickon teammate, senior Jackson Tappen, and West Chester Rustin junior Ryan D’Ariano.
Downingtown East’s Dylan Gute and West Chester Henderson’s Dylan Kochis rounded out the top 10 as each signed for a 2-over 74 to end up in a tie for ninth place.
Four players – Bishop Shanahan sophomore Ben Saggers, Unionville sophomore Win Thomas, and the Central Bucks West duo of juniors John Lee and Kevin Lydon – landed in a tie for 11th place as each posted a 3-over 75.
The cut fell at 7-over 79 with Round 2 scheduled for Tuesday. The top finishers advance to next week’s Class AAA East Regional at Golden Oaks Golf Club in Fleetwood.
A couple of New Hope sophomores, Nate Wiseman and Evan Menz, were 1-2, respectively, in the boys Class AA competition. Wiseman carded an 85 with Menz a shot behind his teammate in second place with an 86.
Not sure why defending Class AA champion, Pope John Paul II’s Paul Brady, is not in the field, but it seems likely it’s related to the pandemic.
The District One Championship for girls opened Monday at nearby Raven’s Claw Golf Club and Downingtown East junior Ava O’Sullivan and Mount St. Joseph’s senior Clare Gimpel shared the opening-round lead as each carded a 1-over 72.
O’Sullivan, the medalist in the Ches-Mont League girls competition last week at Applecross, parred the first eight holes at Raven’s Claw before making a triple bogey at the ninth hole. She responded with birdies at the 10th and 12th holes and parred the final six holes to get in at 1-over.
Gimpel, who has advanced out of the district championship in each of her first three seasons, had a lone birdie on her scorecard at the eighth hole while making bogeys at the fifth and 12th holes.
Unionville senior Charlotte Scully, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier two years ago as a sophomore, was alone in third place, two shots behind O’Sullivan and Gimpel.
West Chester East junior Victoria Kim, who lost in a playoff involving Yermish and Wissahickon’s Elizabeth Beek, who won the state title, in last year’s PIAA Class AAA Championship, shared fourth place with Pennsbury senior Jade Gu, each posting a 4-over 75. I’ve heard through the grapevine that Beek has taken her talents to Florida and the IMG Academy in Bradenton.
Scully’s Unionville teammate, sophomore Mary Dunigan, who finished fifth in the PIAA Class AAA Championship a year ago, was tied for sixth place with Central Bucks West sophomore Abigail Lynn, each registering a 5-over 76.
Owen J. Roberts sophomore Stefania Fedun, who had the lowest score, boy or girl, in last week’s PAC Championship at Gilbertsville Golf Club, was alone in eighth place with a 77. Central Bucks South sophomore Emma Reilly was in ninth place with a 79 and Pennridge sophomore Ashley Ea rounded out the top 10 as she carded an 80 that left her alone in 10th place.
The survivors of the cut, which fell at 83, will head down Ridge Pike for Round 2 Tuesday at Turtle Creek. The top finishers after Tuesday’s second round will advance to the Class AAA East Regional next week at Golden Oaks.
Probably the biggest story of the day among the girls was a changing of the guard in the District One Class AAA team competition.
Led by Scully’s 74 and Dunigan’s 76, Unionville ended Mount St. Joseph’s seven-year reign as the district champion with a 237 total. Mount St. Joe’s, with Gimpel playing a key role, went on to capture the PIAA Class AAA team crown a year ago.
The Mount had to settle for a third-place finish this year as Unionville’s Ches-Mont League rival, Downingtown East, was the runnerup, four shots behind Unionville with a 241 total. Mount St. Joe’s was another six shots behind the Vikings in third place with a 247 total.
The crucial third counter for Unionville came from Molly Evanko, who posted an 87. Unionville threw out an 89 by Kaitlyn Ferrer and a 96 by Morgan Santaguida.
Mollie Young of Springfield (Montco) led the way in the Class AA competition with a 99. Jenkintown’s Katie McGrath was in second place with a 107.
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