Led by PIAA runner-up Wes Lorish, Plum golfers find early-season success

By: Michael Love
Sunday, September 1, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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The Plum boys golf team did something Aug. 26 it hadn’t done in 36 years.

The Mustangs defeated Central Catholic in a dual match.

Behind a score of 32 from senior standout Wes Lorish, Plum topped the Vikings, 198-203, on their home course at Willowbrook Country Club.

It was a statement win for a team with four starters back from last year and one that hopes to make the WPIAL team playoffs for a third straight season.

Plum, with the win, improved to 6-1 overall.

“It definitely has exceeded the expectations for what I kind of imagined us being as a team,” said Lorish, a Division I prospect who finished tied for second at last year’s PIAA Class 3A individual golf championships at Penn State’s Blue Course.

“We hadn’t beaten Central Catholic in so long. Getting one on them feels really good. The best part about that is we could’ve shot a better score. After the Central win, we know we can compete against the top teams in the WPIAL.”

Lorish fronts an experienced group with returning starters in senior Tim Pease and juniors Dan Caruso and Tyler Pastor.

Junior Chase Urban and sophomore Gavin Galket round out the varsity top six.

“For any high school golf team, it’s important to have depth,” said Keith Nonnenberg, who returned to the Plum boys team as head coach this season after first serving in the position from 2000-2012.

“You can’t win it and be successful with just one or two good players because you need five scorers in a match. We’re fortunate to have six strong players. All of them are capable of shooting in the 30s, which is nice.”

Lorish, individually, is having one of his best varsity seasons. He owns a 32.4 stroke average through eight matches. He has shot two rounds of 30 for nine holes, one at Grandview and one at Willowbrook.

Lorish said he was happy with the way he golfed in recording the 32 against Central Catholic.

“I started off 4-under through three holes, which definitely helped,” he said. “I wanted to keep going like that, but I kind of took my foot off the gas a little bit. I got conservative, making some pars and a quick bogey. I bounced back with a birdie on No. 8 to solidify a good round of 4-under and help our team win.”

Lorish also carded a 33 at Oakmont in Plum’s win over West Mifflin on Aug. 22 and led Plum to a season-best 184 against Woodland Hills at Grandview two days earlier.

His performance and the performance of the team overall in the win over Central Catholic earned a shoutout the next day on the “Pat McAfee Show” where McAfee sang the praises of Lorish, the coaches and the team for the win and how the program is excelling so far in the 2024 season.

“That was sweet to see and hear him talk about me and the team,” Lorish said.

Former Plum golf standout Andrew Reynolds, a 2015 graduate who went on to star in college at the Division I level, is serving the Mustangs program as a volunteer coach.

“It’s been a blast just giving back to a team I played on and cared about so much,” he said. “It feels so rewarding. It’s an honor to help these kids out any way I can.”

Pease said Nonnenberg and Reynolds have been a huge help in getting the team to where it is and where it could go the rest of the season.

“I was going through a mental block with my game, and I talked to them about what I could do,” Pease said. “After practice (Aug. 27), they sat down and watched me hit golf balls and asked me what was going on. I hadn’t been trusting myself, but after the talk with them, I am super excited to play.”

Pease said he was itching to get on the course at Green Oaks the next day. When it was all said and done, he turned in one of his better performances of the season with a 34 in helping the team defeat Penn Hills, 189-263.

Lorish led the way with a 32, and Urban carded a 40 to front the Mustangs’ contingent.

The win capped Plum’s first cycle of Section 4-3A play at 5-1. Franklin Regional handed Plum its only loss, 187-193, at Meadowink on Aug. 14.

“We had the one letdown at Meadowink, and I don’t know if we were ready to play or if we took it too lightly,” Nonnenberg said. “It was a disappointing performance for them, but they learned from it.”

The Mustangs and Panthers were to play again Tuesday at Willowbrook in a match that was too late for the print deadline of this edition.

The top two teams in the section again will advance to the WPIAL team semifinals. It is expected to come down to Central Catholic, Plum and Franklin Regional.

“This is a very level-headed group that understands where they’re at and what the win against Central Catholic meant,” Nonnenberg said.

“Coming off that historic win, they also understand they can’t be satisfied with just that and have to keep focused on playing high-level golf. They have to stay mentally tough.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

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