Eight SOL golfers advanced to the Eastern Regional Tournament, and Ben Reese talked to all of them. Check out his recap below.
By Ben Reese
LIMERICK -- The second step of the golf progression is complete.
Eight golfers from Suburban One League schools will be moving on to the Eastern Regional tournament on Oct. 17 at Golden Oaks Golf Club in Fleetwood.
The eight are Andrew Lombardo (76-70--146, tied for fourth) and Ron Robinson (77-71--148, ninth) of North Penn, Upper Dublin's David Kim (75-71--146, tied for fourth), Shane Nocito of Truman (74-75--149, tied for 10th), Connor Welles of Council Rock North (77-74--151, tied for 15TH), Sophia Mancuso of Central Bucks East (77-86--163, fifth), Wissahickon's Cristea Park (81-83--164, sixth) and Cassidy Gavaghan of Hatboro-Horsham (81-81-162, fourth).
Ben Pochet of Spring-Ford topped the boys leaderboard with a 72-69--141, one stroke better than Bishop Shanahan's Ryan Conners and two better than defending boys champion Kyle Vance of Methacton. Leading the girls was Samantha Yao of Conestoga with a 79-72-151.
Mancuso got off to a fast start on Monday, tying for the lead in the girls tournament with an opening 77. On Tuesday, she was coasting along near the top of the leaderboard when disaster struck.
On her final hole, the 18th at Turtle Creek, a par-5, she took an eight. Fears were that the 3-over score would push her out of the top eight girls and prevent her from reaching regionals.
However, those fears turned out to be unfounded. While it did push her down the leaderboard, it did not end her quest for regionals and beyond.
"My game just isn't where it should be," Mancuso said. "I definitely made a few mistakes that killed me but I move on to another day so hopefully I can erase the mistakes."
What happened on 18?
"My driver was off today," she said. "On 18, I just couldn't hit my driver.
"I just hit my fairway wood and, to lay up, I had a bad lie in the rough. I didn't want to risk going over and going into the hazard.”
The 18th hole at Turtle Creek is a 470-yard par-5 for girls. The fairway runs downhill toward a pond, which sits in front of the green. A golfer doesn't want to hit the second shot to a point where it could roll down the hill and into the pond.
"I just chipped out and then I hit on the right side (of the green) and then 3-putted. But I survived,” Mancuso said.
Mancuso has come a long way since the 2015 season. Last year, she barely made it to the district tournament, shooting 100 at the Suburban One League championships.
"I didn't make it to the second round of districts last year," Mancuso explained.
So what is the secret to her success in 2016?
"I practiced almost every day over the summer," she said. "I just played a lot and put my time in."
Mancuso is part of Central Bucks East's girls golf team. As such, she doesn't play as a part of the boys team. But she would like to.
"I would have liked to play on the boys team because there's a little more competition," she said. "With the girls, I was sometimes like the top runner.
"I like to play against people who are better than you because you can pick up things. I think playing with the boys would help me. It would have helped my game."
One player whose game has been helped is Lombardo. The North Penn senior has improved his standing since last year.
"I've been here three years in a row and I've come fairly close," he said. "Getting over the hump feels really nice."
What has been the change?
"I hit the ball a lot better this year for sure," Lombardo said. "It was just a lot smoother out there.
"I hit a lot of fairways and greens. I started out birdie, birdie so I got out of the gates hot and then the rest of the day I was just hitting a lot of greens. It was just whether I made a putt or not."
There are two in the group who are treading on new ground, Gavaghan and Nocito. Nocito is the first golfer from Truman to reach the regionals and Gavaghan is the first Hatter girl to get out of districts and into the regionals.
"This year I didn't actually think I was going to make it (to regionals)," Gavaghan said. "I didn't go into it thinking that scores in the 80s would make it just because this district has been so competitive.
"The scores were higher this year and it was easier to make it. I mean it wasn't easy - you had to shoot decent. I was just looking to get by.
"I made it to the second day of districts my sophomore year but I've never made it to regionals. It's good to make it your senior year."
For Nocito, the journey hasn't been a lonely one. He has had help.
"I feel good," he said. "I really want to thank my dad for getting me into golf and teaching me about it. And thanks to my support, my family, for coming."
He probably would like to play Turtle Creek again, but only the back nine. He was two over on Monday, all on the front nine, and three over Tuesday, also on the front, before shooting even par both days on the back.
""I felt the pressure a lot on the front," Nocito said. "I thought, 'I'm 3-over - what am I going to do?'
"My dad kept my head in it. The back nine is just my number."
One player with a lot of experience at both regionals and states in Kim. The Upper Dublin senior fired a 71 at Golden Oaks last year to advance to states.
"I think that helped me today because the guys I was playing with, I don't know if they made it as far as I did last year," Kim said. "They were pretty nervous on the first tee at the beginning of the round.
"Eventually they calmed themselves down. I've been in this situation before. You've just got to play well and I did it."
Strangely enough, Kim had some doubts entering the second day.
"I came in here not too sure because my game wasn't there yet," he said. "I'm very happy that I made the cut.
"Walking up the 18th fairway, there were a lot of happy emotions going on there. I had to calm myself down."
Lombardo is the only one who will have a teammate going with him to regionals. Robinson got his game together at the right time.
"I actually got my driver in play today," he said. "I was hitting it all over the place with my driver (on Monday).
"It was just hit it in play (today) and I'll make a couple of birdies. I made six, I think.
"I'm definitely relieved. For a while I wasn't sure because I kind of blew up on the front nine.
"I birdied 2 through 5 and then I doubled 6 and bogeyed 7. But I kept it together which was nice and I felt that I didn't hit any bad tee shots."
Both Welles and Park are newcomers to the regionals. Welles, a senior, has been trying to get past the second day of districts. Park hasn't had the opportunity before.
"I haven't made it this far ever," said Welles. "I haven't really had the chance.
"I didn't expect to make it honestly. I knew it was a hard cut.
"I knew I was right on the edge the first day. I had to shoot really well the second day.
"It's good that I did because I needed to. It was nerve-wracking the whole time.
"I'm confident now. I know I can shoot a good score. My game's at a good state."
Park also had questions about her game.
"Today was not a good day for me," she said. "I'm happy (to make regionals).
"I'm happy about that, but I wish I had played a little better. I can play better so I'm hoping to improve.
"At the end, I was struggling to keep my mental game together. I'm just in like a daze."
That daze will end on Monday, Oct. 17, at Golden Oaks.
DISTRICT ONE BOYS RESULTS
1 Ben Pochet, Spring-Ford 72-69--141
2 Ryan Conners, Bishop Shanahan 71-71--142
3 Kyle Vance, Methacton 71-72--143
T4 Andrew Lombardo, North Penn 76-70--146
T4 David Kim, Upper Dublin 75-71--146
T4 Caleb Ryan, Norristown 74-72--146
T7 Luke Shevlin, Rustin 70-77--147
T7 Evan Brown, Kennett 71-76--147
9 Ron Robinson, North Penn 77-71--148
T10 Connor Boham, Spring-Ford 75-74--149
T10 Wills Montgomery, Downingtown East 76-73--149
T10 Shane Nocito, Truman 74-75--149
T13 J.T. Spina, Pope John Paul III 77-73--150
T13 Jake Calamaro, Radnor 73-77--150
T15 Connor Welles, CR North 77-74--151
T15 Nick Gianelos, Unionville 75-76--151
DISTRICT ONE GIRLS RESULTS
1 Samantha Yao, Conestoga 79-72--151
2 Gabby Kim, Radnor 77-78--155
3 June Kim, Radnor 78-83--161
4 Cassidy Gavaghan, Hatboro-Horsham 81-81--162
5 Sophia Mancuso, CB East 77-86--163
6 Cristea Park, Wissahickon 81-83--164
T7 Sofia Amoroso, W.C. East 82-83--165
T7 Liddie McCook, Downingtown East 81-84--165
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