Peters Township opens golf season in dominant fashion
After finishing runner-up in the WPIAL in 2022, Peters Township is proving the team to beat in boys’ golf this fall.
The Indians opened the 2023 campaign in dominant fashion. They won both the Tri-County Athletic Director’s Association (TRICADA) championship and the Jerry Roman Memorial Cup. The TRICADA title was PT’s sixth consecutive crown.
The TRICADA tournament, played at the Chippewa Golf Course in Hickory, featured 21 teams. The field included 126 individual players.
Colton Lusk dominated the action, claiming his second straight individual crown. He earned medalist honors with a 1-under-par 69. Lusk also led the PT Red squad to a first-place showing in the Class AAA team standings with a 373 score.
Ryan Watterson and Shane Williams rounded out the Top 10. Watterson tied for third place with a 72. Williams tied for ninth position with a 76.
Canon-McMillan and South Fayette finished in a tie for second place with 398 totals while the PT White unit finished fifth with a 411 score.
Sam Bishop led the Lions. He fired a 74 and finished tied for sixth.
Ben Vitodian paced the Big Macs. He placed eighth overall with a 74.
Other top performers for the PT Red were Ben Miller (78) and Nick Haught (78). Jeremy Poon carded a 79.
Poon is the lone senior in the starting line-up while Lusk, Watterson, Miller, Haught and Williams are all juniors.
The PT White team featured: senior Brendan Kern; juniors Chris McCay and Ryan Hillebrand; sophomore Finn Sobehart and freshmen Jackson Baxter and Camden Reyes.
Top competitors for South Fayette included: Randy Fisher, Noah Nickolas, Brady Newman and Trevor D’Allesandro. Jackson Stephens also participated.
The Jerry Roman Memorial event featured three divisions: varsity boys, JV boys and varsity girls; and was played on the gold course at Cedarbrook Golf Club, which will be the site of the WPIAL team championships set for Oct. 12.
Bishop edged Williams by two strokes (70-72) to capture top medalist honors but the Indians won the AAA boys’ title by four strokes, 381-385, against the Lions. Bethel Park finished sixth in the boys’ team standings with a 423 score.
Other Top 10 performances were submitted by Fisher (tied for third with a 73), Lusk (eighth at 75) and Miller (tenth with a 77).
Peters Township finished runner-up to Hickory, 313-330, in the girls’ team standings.
Hickory swept three of the top four spots with Sasha Petrochko taking individual honors with a 70.
PT’s Brooke Vowcheck broke up the run, shooting a 76 to secure second place. Ellie Benson, finished fifth with a 79 while Sophia Severns followed in seventh with an 85. Amelia Severns and Gabby Catalogna rounded out the Lady Indians’ scoring.
Benson is one of the female golfers to watch this season since two-time WPIAL champion Marissa Malosh has graduated from South Fayette. She tied Malosh for fourth place in the PIAA individual championships.
Benson along with Vowcheck, Gabby Catalogna, and the Severns helped the Lady Indians to a second straight runner-up showing in the PIAA team tournament. They are defending WPIAL champions.
Top performers in the Jerry Roman Cup event for South Fayette were: Celia Pusateri, Cesa Pusateri, Delilah Fritz and Talia Fittipaldo. Rylie Mendenhall also competed.
Top finishers for the Bethel Park girls included: Ally Wolling, Kaylee Kreigline, Kate Reichard and Nadia Winowich. Julia Miller also competed.
Peters Township also ruled the JV division as the boys won the Class AAA/AA title with a 403. Bethel Park and South Fayette finished second and third.
Chris McCay gained medalist honors with a 77 and led a string of five Indians to the podium. Finnegan Sobehart, Jackson Baxter and Ryan Hillebrand all shot 81 to finish tied for second place. Brendan Kern finished fifth with an 83.
Bethel Park’s Layton Cameron stopped the PT run, carding an 84 to tie PT’s Andrew Davis for sixth.
Top performers for the Black Hawks in the boys’ varsity division included: seniors Chan Yoon, Mason Devet-Raeder and Ethan Jones as well as juniors Cameron Boracic, Giani Esposito and Sinjin Stanbrook.