Sewickley hoping pattern holds true
Sewickley Academy has developed a pattern at the PIAA Class 2A team golf finals.
Every other year, the Panthers bring home the state title.
It started with the school’s first title in 2015 and, after a second-place finish to Lancaster Catholic in 2016, the team rebounded for a victory in 2017.
Now, Sewickley Academy comes into the state championship on the heels of a third-place finish in 2018. And that performance has been at the forefront of the team’s preparation throughout the season.
“Last year, we finished third and didn’t play to our best ability, so that’s been a motivating factor all year,” Sewickley Academy coach Win Palmer said. “Not that we finished third, but that we didn’t play well.”
Sewickley Academy will be making its seventh consecutive trip out to Heritage Hills in York after extending its record WPIAL Class 2A streak to seven consecutive team titles at Cedarbrook. Because the PIAA format is different from the WPIAL — the state finals only allow for five players with four scores that count toward the team total rather than the six and five used by the WPIAL — one of the golfers who teed it up for the Panthers will have to root from the gallery.
“We have to make a decision, but the good news is we always take extra players out there so they can practice and see the course,” Palmer said. “Most of the kids have seen the course and it plays difficult.”
Class 3A boys
Fox Chapel finally broke its 13-year championship drought with a win this season.
Now the Foxes have to turn their attention to the state finals and an event in which they have never participated.
“This is an experienced group and there are five seniors out of the six with talent,” Fox Chapel coach Bryan Deal said. ”They love to compete and , in the state tournament, anything can happen, but we’re tied for first when we head out there next week and you can’t ask for anything more because at least we’ve got a shot.”
Class 2A girls
Greensburg Central Catholic has won the past five WPIAL Class 2A championships and is the defending PIAA champion. But in all of those years, the Centurions didn’t head into the state finals riding the wave of what they accomplished at Cedarbrook this year.
Not only did Greensburg Central Catholic defend its title, it won by an incredible 51 strokes thanks in large part to three players — sophomores Meghan and Ella Zambruno and junior Angelika Dewicki — who all qualified to play in the PIAA Western Regional Tuesday at Tom’s Run.
All three played in the team finals last year. For the girls, five players take the course but only three count toward the team score.
“I like our chances,” Greensburg Central Catholic coach Gerry Police said. “I know there’s good teams coming in. It’s not going to be 51 because last year it was two strokes and we might not win it, but we have a really good chance.”
Class 3A girls
Over the years, Upper St. Clair has had one of the most dominant girls golf programs in the WPIAL. But though the Panthers won their 17th team title, they also ended a 14-year drought to do so.
Because of the timing, Upper St. Clair has never played in the state championships. The Panthers won their most recent title in 2005 and the state tournament began in 2006.
“You have to keep them focused on what we have worked on all season,” Upper St. Clair coach Katy Loomis said. “We have worked really hard to stay in our won zone, as I like to say, and we work on course management, and handle the pressure and different situations.”
Upper St. Clair will also have a little bit of additional pressure as a WPIAL school has won the Class 3A tournament each of the past five years.
“Going to states, you’re just playing the golf course,” Loomis said. “There are a lot of distractions and all the other people, but the bottom line, we’re going to go out there, we’re going to play the golf course and however we end up, we end up.”