Walz, Waller runners-up at PIAA golf championships
Joey Walz
Lauren Waller
Mia Kness
Alec Stopperich
Ben Morgret of Peters Township tees off while Andrew Thomas from Upper St. Clair watches his drive during WPIAL Division I team championship action in boys’ golf. After helping the Indians to a district title, Morgret guided the team to a third-place finish in the PIAA tournament.
Silver and bronze were the hues worn by area duffers as the scholastic golf season came to a close last week in York during the PIAA championship.
Joey Walz from Seton-La Salle and Lauren Waller from Canon-McMillan finished as runners-up during the individual girls’ championships, while Peters Township took third in the boys’ Class AAA standings.
A senior, Walz finished one shot off the pace set by Olivia Zambruno during the Class AA finals.
After firing an 82 on the first day of the competition, Walz carded a 160 while Zambruno took the gold with a 159 score.
It was the second season in a row Walz earned a silver medal at states. Each year was the best showing ever by a golfer in school history. Walz had competed in three PIAA tournaments. She secured seventh place as a freshman.
Walz, who plans to golf in college at Marshall University while majoring in early childhood education, was the bronze medalist at the WPIAL championships this fall after a fourth-place finish in previous competition. She won the western regional title to enter the PIAA finals as a favorite for the gold.
In Class AAA, Waller actually tied for first place, but lost the gold medal after a one-hole tiebreaker. While Waller carded par, Brynn Walker of Radnor birdied the extra hole to clinch the championship. Both girls scored 146 through 36 holes, forcing the tiebreaker. Waller shot 1-over 73 each day on the 5,375-yard course at Heritage Hills Country Club.
A senior, Waller owns two bronze medals from previous state competitions as well as two WPIAL championships and one regional title. She plans to golf at Penn State University. In winning this year’s district title, she shot a 4-under-par 68 at Willowbrook Country Club in Apollo. She took second in this year’s regional held at Tom’s Run Golf Course in Blairsville.
Mia Kness, who won that regional, tied for third in the girls’ Class AAA standings. The Peters Township sophomore fired an 8-over 152 during the two-day tournament.
In the boys’ Class AAA division, Alec Stopperich tied for 18th with a 159 while Ben Morgret tied for 21st with a 161. The duo also helped Peters Township claim the bronze medal in the team competition.
The Indians shot 328 to finish six strokes off the pace set by champion St. Joseph’s Prep. Scranton Prep placed second with a 325 score.
While Morgret carded an 82 and Stopperich an 85, Jake Sollon led Peters with a 7-over-79. Tanner Johnson and Connor Schmidt added 82s. Morgret is the only senior in the line-up, which also included Bruce Hunter, a freshman.
The Indians were the WPIAL Class AAA boys’ champions. They were undefeated until the state finals.
Their female counterparts also finished third, carding a 373 as a team. Central Valley, the WPIAL champion, won the state crown with a 352 while Mt. St. Joseph secured runner-up honors with a 356.
Kness led the Lady Indians with an 80. Synclaire Kuhn followed at 89 while Brooke Hilden and Cate Deegan chipped in 99 and 105 scores. Allison Magyar is the lone senior in the lineup for Peters.