Fun factors into Mt. Lebanon’s success on the links
On the links, the focus has been fun for the Mt. Lebanon boys’ golf team. So don’t expect that to change just because the Blue Devils have entered the post-season.
In the first 11 days of October, the Blue Devils will participate in individual and team championship matches. Two golfers advanced to the Oct. 2 WPIAL individual finals at Oakmont Country Club and the entire team has qualified for the Class AAA semifinals set for Oct. 9 at Village Green Golf Club and Buffalo Golf Club. The top teams advance to the WPIAL finals set for Oct. 11 at Cedarbrook Golf Course.
“I expect us to remain focused throughout the playoff run, but not let it get in the way of having fun and enjoying each other,” Lebo head coach Al D’Alo said.
During the regular season, the Blue Devils have had their share of thrills on the greens and enjoyed the spoil of success together. They ran the table, going 10-0, and captured the Section 6 crown. They were 12-3 overall after beating Upper St. Clair, 188-196, to start this week’s action.
While Hayden Mitchell and Myles Hamel made the cut to participate in the WPIAL individual championships, the Blue Devils have also compiled their stellar record thanks to the play of teammates like Sheamus Cochran, Paul Linkowski, Matt Dyke, Charlie Lamendola, Reese Austin and Colin Barrett.
Mitchell, Cochran and Linkowski are seniors while Hamel, Dyke, Lamendola and Austin are juniors. Barrett is a sophomore.
“Chemistry is important to me and I think we have that in spades,” D’Alo said when asked what he believed to be the team’s secret to success. “All our players like playing with each other and they all help each other out on the course. They do things together outside of matches and practice, so overall it has been a successful experience for them.”
D’Alo expects Mitchell and Hamel to have the experience of their life playing Oakmont, which has hosted many a U.S. Open and featured the best professionals in the world. Mitchell finished eighth in the qualifier with a 78 and Hamel took 16th with an 81.
“Truthfully I am most excited for them to get the opportunity to play Oakmont. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity that they will never forget,” D’Alo said. “If they play to their potential, then they should be in the mix for the championship. Both players have been under par this year, but so has the entire field. So really the championship is about mental strength and performing when you need it.”
Johnson leads qualifiers
Parker Johnson carded a low score of 74 and led the list of the Top 18 qualifiers out of the South Hills region for the WPIAL championships. The Peters Township senior was joined by two of his teammates: Christian Schreiber and Ryan Marshall. A sophomore, Schreiber fired a 76 while Marshall, a senior, finished with a 77.
Upper St. Clair’s Scott Jordan and Nathan Piatt also made the cut with scores of 77 and 78.
Luke Lestini was the runner-up. The South Fayette junior finished two strokes behind Johnson with a 76.