Peters Township boys, girls golfers sweep WPIAL Class 3A team titles
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Friday, October 13, 2023 | 12:34 AM
Members of the Peters Twp. boys golf team celebrate with the WPIAL championship trophy after winning the Class AAA titles on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023, at Cedarbrook Golf Course.
Fox Chapel’s Lucy Rygelski pumps her fist after sinking a putt on Hole 18 during the WPIAL Class AAA girls team championship on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023, at Cedarbrook Golf Course.
Peters Twp.’s Griffin Hansberry chips into the hole on Hole 18 during the WPIAL Class AAA boys team championship on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023, at Cedarbrook Golf Course.
The Peters Twp. boys and girls golf teams celebrate with their WPIAL championship trophies after winning the Class AAA titles on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023, at Cedarbrook Golf Course.
The Peters Twp. girls golf team celebrates with the WPIAL championship trophy after winning the Class AAA title on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023, at Cedarbrook Golf Course.
At the WPIAL Class 3A team golf championships Thursday at Cedarbrook GC, it was a clean sweep by Peters Township.
The boys won their first title since 2015 and sixth overall, and the girls won their second consecutive title and third overall.
The Peters Township boys, all juniors, finished with a school record total of 371. Colton Lusk led the way with a 1-under 71. Griffin Hansberry followed with a 72 while the others who contributed included Ryan Watterson (75), Shane Williams (75), Nick Haught (78) and Ben Miller (79).
Butler finished second with 378. The Golden Tornado was led by Hunter Swidzinski, who shot a 5-under 67.
“Our kids have worked so hard,” Peters Township coach David Kuhns said. “We have a great staff, and we get a ton of support. This is tough.
“People think it is easy because you’ve been there so many times (20 of 21 years in the highest classification), and to win six times, I’ll take that. I’m happy for our alumni, our school and those kids.”
The Peters Township girls breezed to a win by 29 strokes over Seneca Valley. The Indians finished with a 322, and Seneca Valley followed with a 351. Both teams qualified for the PIAA tournament at Penn State.
Leading the way for the Indians was junior Brooke Vowcheck with an even-par 72. Sophomore Ellie Benson followed with a 77. Other contributors were junior Sophia Severns (86), junior Gabby Catalogna (87) and senior Amelia Severns (93).
Lihini Ranaweera paced Seneca Valley with a 72.
“This is a better win this season,” Peters Township coach Mike Lacey said. “It backs up what we did last year. It’s more satisfying to come back and do it again. It’s still fun.
“The teams root for each other. It’s the first time both teams have done this. It’s going to be fun on school (Friday).”
WPIAL champions advance to the PIAA final Wednesday at Penn State. The PIAA individual tournament is Monday and Tuesday.
In all classifications, the highest score doesn’t count against a team’s final total.
Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.
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