Peters Twp. boys repeat, girls second
Peters Township won its fifth WPIAL Class AAA boys team golf championship under the direction of head coach David Kuhn, third from left, Thursday at Cedarbrook Golf Course.
McGuffey’s David Chapman focuses on an upcoming putt during the WPIAL Class AA boys golf team championship Thursday at Cedarbrook Golf Course. Chapman led the third-place Highlanders with a 7-over 79.
Mia Kness of the Peters Township girls golf team putts Thursday at Cedarbrrok Golf Course during the WPIAL girls golf team championship. Kness led the Indians to a second-place finish.
BELLE VERNON – It’s not easy to defend a title, but Peters Township High School’s golf team is used to it.
Why?
Because the pressure of holding a spot in the starting lineup can be as ulcer-inducing as any tournament. That’s why at the end of a crisp, sunny Thursday afternoon, the Indians were holding the WPIAL trophy for winning the Boys Class AAA Team Tournament title at Cedarbrook Golf Course.
The Indians won in much the same way they plowed through the regular season, with an almost identical set of scores in the mid-70s from their top five golfers. Led by junior J.W. Cunningham’s 75, the Indians had four other scorers no worse than 78 in capturing their sixth WPIAL title and fifth under head coach Dave Kuhn.
“I will tell you it is one thing to win, but it’s harder to win when everybody expects you to win with that big red X on your back,” said Kuhn. “To be able to step up under the expectations, I’m just proud of my guys and the way they performed.”
Peters Township finished at 383 over the 6,420-yard par-72 course – a 76.6 average for the five scoring golfers – 10 strokes better than Fox Chapel. Pine-Richland (395), Central Catholic (400), Hampton (401) and North Allegheny (411) followed. It was the 12th time in the past 13 years Peters Township competed in the finals, only missing out in 2006 by one shot in that run. The school’s first WPIAL title came 1981.
The Indians’ boys and girls teams advanced to the PIAA Championships, which will be held at Heritage Hills Resort in York Oct. 28. Only the top team in each boys class advanced, while the top two girls teams advanced. Peters Township has never won a state title, finishing as runner-up in 2008 and 2010.
“Anybody can be our man on any given day,” said Kuhn. “We’re very deep and very solid. You never know from one day to the next who it’s going to be. It was our seniors (in Tuesday’s semifinals) and today it was our underclassmen who came through.”
Jake Sollon, the only senior in the starting lineup, shot 81 and was the throwout score. Each team scores the best five scores of its six competitors. Sollon’s score would have been no worse than fourth on any of the other competing Class AAA teams.
Cunningham, a junior, carded a 75. Hunter Bruce, a sophomore who won the WPIAL Individual Championship last week, shot 76; and two seniors – Connor Schmidt and Alec Stopperich – followed with a 76 and 78, respectively. Tanner Johnson also shot 78.
“We fight for our spots,” said Cunningham, in his second season on varsity. “I had a stretch through the middle of the season when I couldn’t break 40. I was looking over my shoulder because the guys behind me on any given day can shoot 36, 37. You are always looking over your shoulder but it’s also great for making you better. We help each other out because at the end of the day we are a team.”
Kuhn simply smiles when asked if his practices are more competitive than the matches. The Indians finished the regular season with an 18-0 record.
“We have some 7 through 10 guys who are really competitive,” Kuhn said. “Unfortunately, there are just lower numbers in front of them. The practices are competitive, but they work with each other. To defend when everyone expects you to defend is not easy.”
Peters Township’s girls team also qualified for the state tournament but missed the title by three strokes when North Allegheny edged the Indians, 310-312. Mia Kness led Peters Township with a one-over 72.
“I made some long putts,” said Kness. “I was happy with my 72.”
The Indians were 16-1 in the regular season and will make their second trip to the state tournament. The Indians were third in the state last season.
“We felt they had a chance to win,” said Kuhn. “They played solid and it was close.”
Sewickley Academy was second in Class AA girls.
McGuffey finished third in Boys Class AA after a two-hole playoff against second-place Neshannock, a remarkable season considering the Highlanders won just one match last year. David Chapman led the Highlanders with a 7-over 79. Colin Chapman and Hunter Donahue each shot 82 for McGuffey, which has not won a WPIAL golf title since 1998.
“We played strong and came on strong,” said McGuffey head coach Tim Kamnikar. “We have a young team, just one senior. We’ll use this as a stepping stone.”
Burgettstown finished seventh in Class AA, with Cody Dobbin leading the Blue Devils with a 5-over 77.