Mt. Lebanon foursome headed to WPIAL finals
Mt. Lebanon had four qualifiers for the WPIAL Class AAA boys golf championships to be held Oct. 5 at Nemacolin Country Club.
The Blue Devils make up half of the field from South Hills area schools advancing after the semifinals held Sept. 27 at Willowbrook Country Club in Apollo.
Mt Lebanon head coach Al D’Alo said it was the most golfers Mt. Lebanon has advanced to the finals in at least the past 15 years.
“We are very excited to get four players through to the next round of individuals,” D’Alo said. “This is the best team we’ve had statistically in years as well as some of the best scores we’ve put up throughout the season.”
The Blue Devils are 12-1 overall and have had seven individual rounds posted by players that were under par.
Senior Wyatt McVerry posted a 5-under in a match last week and junior Callan Wilcox has been under par three times this year. He owns the team’s lowest average.
With a 78, Wilcox led Lebo’s list of qualifiers. He had the highest showing, placing 14th overall.
Josh Shellenberger followed with an 80, while Zach Dyke shot 81 and Hollis Whalen carded an 82 to earn a spot in the championships. Dyke and Shellengerger are Lebo’s Nos. 2 and 3 boys golfers followed by Whalen.
D’Alo has high hopes for his foursome heading into the championships.
“Our expectations are to have someone finish near the top and win,” he said. “We do realize that there are a lot of excellent golfers in the WPIAL, but if we can play well on Oct. 5th, that winner could be one of us.”
The Blue Devils are looking to be competitive in the team competition. The top two teams in each section qualify for the semifinals to be held Oct. 11-12 with top three winners advancing to the WPIAL championships to be held Oct. 14 at Cedarbrook Country Club.
Blue Devils golfers who did not advance at the individual stage but have contributed to the team format are seniors Niko Renton, McVerry, Jackson Shellenberger, Liam Jankovic and junior Nick Linkowski.
“Consistency and depth are the strengths this year’s team brings into the playoffs,” said D’Alo. “We have nine golfers who have been very consistent and have put up good scores. So we should be very competitive team-wise this year.”
Central Catholic, which swept the individual semifinals, might be the team to beat.
Rocco Salvitti of Canonsburg earned medalist honors in the tournament. A Notre Dame recruit, he shot an even par 72.
Central’s Aidan Burchianti and Carter Pitcairn followed in second and third places. Burchianti carded a 73. An Upper St. Clair resident, Pitcairn finished with a 74.
Peters Township managed two qualifiers for the WPIAL individual championships.
Nick Haught shot a 77 and placed 10th overall while Kyle McClintock fired an 80 to finish 20th.
South Fayette’s James Cavrak was 18th with a 79.
Connor McKenzie from Upper St. Clair shot an 82 to nail down the 30th slot.
Two additional area golfers shot well enough to earn alternate spots for the championships. PT’s Austin Malley is the first alternate, coming in with an 83. SF’s Jaden Mizenko also had an 83 and is the fourth alternate.
USC beats PT
Upper St. Clair handed Peters Township its first section loss, 179-193, in boys’ golf.
Connor McKenzie earned medalist honors for the Panthers with a 34 while PJ Tanner and Neil Joon fired 35s.
Junior Nick Wetzel (35) and freshman Nick Haught (38) paced the Indians, who finished 9-1 in the division.
A freshman, McKenzie recently scored his first hole-in-one. During a previous section win against Canon-McMillan, McKenzie aced No. 9 on the terrace course at Upper St. Clair Country Club.