Central Catholic, Sewickley Academy Take Home WPIAL Boys’ Golf Team Championships

Friday, October 14, 2022

Belle Vernon, Pa. – The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) crowned its boys’ golf team champions in the 2A and 3A classifications on Thursday at the Cedarbrook Golf Course in Belle Vernon. In 3A, Central Catholic broke through for the first time in four seasons and captured its fifth title, and in 2A, Sewickley Academy won in a one-hole playoff to earn its ninth crown in 10 seasons and 12th overall.

Central Catholic previously won in 2012, 2016, 2017, and 2018, and were runners-up by a single stroke in last year’s 3A championships. Sewickley Academy saw its eight-year run on top of 2A snapped last year by North Catholic, but took home the championship this year to add to its cabinet with the 2006, 2007, 2008, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 trophies.

The boys’ titles were contested on the par-72, 6,450-yard Gold Course. Teams played six golfers with their top five accounting for the team’s score, and they qualified for today’s championships by finishing inside the top three of their semifinal round earlier in the week.

With their wins, Central Catholic and Sewickley Academy qualify for the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Boys’ Golf Team Championships, set to be held on Wednesday, October 19 at Penn State Golf Courses.

3A RECAP [Results]
Two strokes were the difference between 3A semifinal victors Central Catholic and Peters Township, but the Vikings were able to capture to their fifth championship in 11 seasons by carding a 389 to the Indians’ 391. The two were followed by Mars (408), Upper St. Clair (411), Moon (418), and Plum (418) on the leaderboard.

The classification’s individual champion, Central Catholic senior Rocco Salvitti, was the lone boys’ golfer at or below par, claiming medalist honors with a 71 (-1). Classmate and individual co-runner-up Connor Walker carded a 77 (+5) to share seventh, while seniors Dan Donahue (79, +7) and Aidan Burchianti (81, +9), and sophomore Regan Logan (81, +9) also scored for the Vikings.

Peters Township was led by senior Austin Malley, who posted a 75 (+3) to place fourth. Sophomores Colton Lusk (76, +4) and Griffin Hansberry (76, +4) shared fifth, with senior Nick Wetzel (82, +10) and sophomore Ben Miller (82, +10) completing the Indians’ five scorers.

Also finishing inside the top 10 individually include Mars senior Blake Bertolo (73, +1) in second, Plum sophomore Tim Pease (74, +2) in third, Plum sophomore Wes Lorish (77, +5) and Mars sophomore Will Campbell (77, +5) sharing seventh, and Upper St. Clair junior Neil Joon (78, +6) placing 10th. Moon junior Zack Ross was his team’s low scorer with a 79 (+7).

Central Catholic previously captured PIAA championships in 2016 and 2018.

2A RECAP [Results]
It took a one-hole playoff to decide the 2A champion, as Sewickley Academy’s four golfers carded a 21 on the par-five 10th hole to edge Belle Vernon’s 22, giving the Panthers their 12th boys’ golf team championship. Sewickley Academy and Belle Vernon both finished their rounds with scores of 411, with Quaker Valley (412), Derry (431), Mohawk (438), and South Park (453).

Sewickley Academy was led by senior Nick Straka and sophomore Severin Harmon, who both carded team low scores of 80 (+8) and finished in a three-way tie for seventh individually. Seniors Joey Mucci and Leon Jiao came in at 82 (+10) and 83 (+11), respectively, while sophomore Karan Kad (86, +14) also contributed to the team’s final tally.

Belle Vernon had the individual low scorer in 2A with junior Rogan Maloney, who posted a 75 (+3) to lead the field. Senior Patrick Bush was tied for second with a 77 (+5), with freshman Jordan Mocello (83, +11), sophomore Seth Tomalski (86, +14), and freshman Jack Edwards (90, +18) rounding out the scoring.

The 2A individual champion, Derry senior Hunter Jurica, shared second with Bush after carding a 77 (+5). Quaker Valley had two of the three golfers tied for fourth in senior Eva Bulger and sophomore Nolan Wagoner, with South Park junior JP Tusai joining the duo following a round of 79 (+7). Jurica’s classmate Ashton Beighley also posted an 80 (+8) to tie for seventh.

Sewickley Academy previously won PIAA titles in 2015, 2017, and 2019.

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