To view Pinecrest Invitational photos, visit the photo gallery at the following link: http://photos.suburbanonesports.com/. The photo of Souderton’s championship team was provided courtesy of PW coach George Wadlin.
LANSDALE – As the trophy presentation was about to begin after the completion of Thursday’s Pinecrest Invitational, a surprised Souderton golfer turned to a teammate and asked, “Do we get a trophy?”The question answered itself as each member of Souderton’s golf team was called to the front to receive their individual trophies. For the Indians, Thursday’s team title was their first ever in the annual invitational.
The Indians edged out defending champion North Penn as well as Plymouth Whitemarsh and Wissahickon to capture the invitational crown, finishing nine strokes ahead of second place PW with a total of 511.
“I did not expect this at all,” senior Derek Diesel said. “None of us played really good, but none of us played really bad.”
“We all just played okay,” teammate Peter Clarke said. “We’re good throughout the whole team. We have a lot of depth this year.
“We all had solid rounds.”
And that was the story of Souderton’s upset win.
Clarke, Diesel and Zach Metz all finished the day at 84, 14 strokes over par, while Dan O’Hara and Rodney Anders both shot an 86. Andrew Diesel – despite being under the weather – came in at 87.
“Imagine if we had played good – then we really would have won big,” Andrew Diesel said.
As it was, being consistent was good enough for the Indians to capture the coveted crown.
“It’s real nice,” coach Fred Cicacci said. “It’s the first time we won it.
“In this tournament, traditionally we have had somebody in the 90’s, and it’s usually knocked us out of the running. This year is the first time we didn’t have anyone with a high score. This means a lot - we play North Penn twice (in the SOL season), and they have a pretty good idea that we have a bona fide golf team, and that’s a nice prospect.”
Individually, it was PW’s Zack Pogust who stole the spotlight. The senior standout finished the day with an impressive four over par 74, finishing four strokes ahead of his next closest competitor.
“I know the course because I had played it last year,” he said. “My main goal was to keep the ball on the fairway, play conservatively.
“I had a goal to shoot under 76.”
Last year, Pogust shot an 80 in the invitational. He easily topped that score on Thursday.
“I played solid today,” he said. “I hit 10 fairways and 14 greens, so that’s a pretty good ball stroke.
“This gives me a lot of confidence going into the league matches and should give me confidence throughout the playoffs. It’s great.”
The Colonials led by 10 strokes over Souderton after the first group of golfers, but a 99 by their second golfer took them from first to fourth. The Knights temporarily owned the top spot after sophomore Alex Acciani delivered a 78 – the second lowest score of the day.
“Alex really came through today,” North Penn coach Dave DiValentino said. “He seems to come through in pressure situations. He doesn’t let anything bother him, which is a good mentality to have when you play golf.
“At this level in high schools, kid’s minds get the best of them. When they learn to control it, that’s when they shoot well.”
But just as the Colonials saw their title hopes take a hit, the Knights saw their chances of a championship diminish when one of their golfers shot a 104. The Trojans – who were led by Jalen Griffin’s 79 – were doomed by rounds of 92 and 103.
“Consistency is what golf is all about,” DiValentino said. “As Souderton showed, they came in with the most consistent scores. Every other team had a couple of good scores and a couple of not so good scores, and it all equals out.”
Despite some unusually high scores, Thursday’s match still came down to the wire.
With only one group still on the course, just five strokes separated the first place team from the fourth place team. Souderton held a two-stroke lead over PW (427-429) while Wissahickon (431) and North Penn (432) were right behind.
Derek Diesel brought the title home for the Indians, finishing with an 84 - seven shots ahead of the next closest golfer in his group.
“I had no idea it was that close,” said Diesel, the lone senior on Souderton’s squad. “I didn’t think about it at all.”
Diesel’s strong finish underscored the parity in Souderton’s top six golfers.
“Peter is right at the top – he’s clearly our number one,” Cicacci said. “Rodney Anders has improved greatly from last year. The last several matches of last year Zach Metz and Dana O’Hara played varsity along with Peter.
“Then we had the imports from Lansdale Catholic – the Diesel brothers, and they’re playing some steady golf. As far as the lineup is concerned, I go with who I think is compatible.”
According to Cicacci, Thursday’s win could go a long way toward bring his team together.
“The Diesel boys coming into the mix this year – our guys don’t know them well, and they don’t know us well,” the Indians’ coach said. “They don’t know the level of competition, and this will build some confidence in them and the rest of our guys.
“It’s an unproven mix, so it’s nice to win something like this so early in the year. It gives the guys some confidence.”
“This was a confidence boost for the team,” Clarke agreed. “It will give us good confidence going into our big match with Hatboro-Horsham.”
The Indians will face the defending Continental Conference champion Hatters on Friday at Lederach Country Club.
SOUDERTON 511
Peter Clarke 84
Rodney Anders 86
Zach Metz 84
Andrew Diesel 87
Dan O’Hara 86
Derek Diesel 84
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 520
Zack Pogust 74
Alfred Garvey 99
Kenny Yanni 86
Nick Jefferies 81
Evan Beaty 89
Dom Aprile 91
NORTH PENN 523
Melanie Dickens 87
Alex Acciani 78
Colin Pippert 83
Luke Heller 80
Tyler Romano 104
Hak Lee 91
WISSAHICKON 534
Jesse Hunsicker 89
Jalen Griffin 79
Rishab Kumar 83
Steve O’Donnell 92
Matt Balick 88
Tom Bracaglia 103
- Log in to post comments
0
