BOYS TEAM GOLF ROUNDUP: Cavaliers win state title; Comets finish fourth in 3A
Ben Boyanoski shot 1-under-par, 71 on the Penn State Blue Course Oct. 23 to lead the way as Scranton Prep captured the Class 2A boys title at the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Team Golf Championships.
Scranton Prep led by just a stroke over eventual third-place finisher Devon Prep at the turn, but pulled away to win by nine strokes over Erie Cathedral Prep.
Brendan Bell and Cole Powell each shot 74s while Jack Pavuk added a 77 for Scranton Prep's team score of 296 in the format, which takes the top four scores out of a five-player lineup. Ben Walsh shot an 83.
The title was the second for the Cavaliers, who also won in 2020. They were second four times between 2014 and 2019 and third a year ago.
Boyanoski's finished tied for the third-best score among the 40 players in the field.
The Cavaliers were the only team to manage four scores in the 70s.
Devon Prep shot 310 and the remaining five teams finished between 313 and 323.
Subregional Class 2A
Scranton Prep rolled over Mifflinburg 324-363 in the District 2-4 Subregional Oct. 10 at Fox Hill Country Club.
Bell led the way with a 76, breaking 40 on both sides when no other player in the match was able to do it once.
Walsh had a pair of 40s for 80. Boyanoski shot 40 on the back for an 83 and Powell had 40 on the front for an 85. Pavuk also posted an 85, which was the best score any Mifflinburg player could manage.
District 2 Class 2A
EXETER – Scranton Prep won a meeting of unbeaten conference champions 304-33 over Wyoming Seminary in the District 2 championship match Oct. 4 at Fox Hill Country Club.
Scranton Prep's Powell shot the day's only even-par round, with a 71. He was 2-under on the back, including birdies on 15 and 17 and seven pars.
Powell got back to even par by bending in a 15-foot, left-to-right putt on 17, the course's most difficult green.
"I felt pretty good," Powell said. "On the front, I was struggling with putting, but on the back, I feel I did that pretty well. I got a lot of putts to fall."
Bell added a 74, Pavuk 79, Walsh 80 and Ben Boyanoski 82.
District Class 2A girls champion Anna Zapletova led Wyoming Seminary with a 73. Nick Werner, the two-time state Class 2A boys individual champion, added a 76.
PIAA Class 3A boys
Robby Lucas and Cade Kelleher each broke par on the back nine to finish at even-par, 72 as Abington Heights improved one place on its finish from a year ago, taking fourth in the eight-team field on the Penn State White Course.
North Allegheny, the only team to break par, won with a 286.
South Fayette (290), State College (291), Abington Heights (294), West Chester Rustin (297) and Central York (297) were in a tight pack from second through sixth place out of eight teams.
Luke Swank had a 74 and Robert Munley a 76 to complete the Abington Heights team score. Robert Bingham shot an 82.
Lucas shot 35 on the back nine. Kelleher had four back-nine birdies for the second straight day after also doing so in individually play and came in with a 33.
Ravi Desai shot 68 to lead North Allegheny to the win. Sam Bishop from South Fayette birdied half the holes to finish at 8-under, 64.
Subregional Class 3A boys
Lucas shot a 74 at Fox Hill Country Club Oct. 10 when Abington Heights routed Athens 318-357 in a District 2-4 Subregional match with a state berth on the line.
Lucas, who later that night was named Homecoming king during ceremonies at the football game, shot an even-par, 35 on the front nine. He finished 3-over-par for the day.
Munley had the team's best back-nine score with a 38 to finish with 77.
Kelleher added an 80 and Swank an 87.
Athens was led by Dylan Saxon with an 80, but no one else broke 90.
District 2 Class 2A
EXETER – Pittston Area's home-course advantage did not matter as Abington Heights captured the District 2 championship Oct. 5 with a 305-335 victory over the Patriots at Fox Hill.
Kelleher, the district individual champion, led the way with a 73 and Rob Munley added a 74. Kelleher was even on the front, then Munley was even on the back as the only players to accomplish that in the 3A match.
"Cade today told me his ball-striking was not where it was (recently), but his short game was on point, so he had a lot going for him there," Comets coach Frank Summa said.
Luke Swank and Robby Lucas had 79s for Abington Heights.
