Flinchbaugh shoots 82 at state tournament

By Alex Topor

MEADVILLE TRIBUNE

YORK — Saegertown senior Dylan Flinchbaugh recorded an 82 at the PIAA Class 2A Golf Tournament on Monday.

His score put him in a six-way tie for 29th. The tournament was held at Heritage Hills Golf Resort in York. The event was a one-day, 18-hole tournament.

Flinchbaugh qualified by winning the District 10 tournament on Oct. 1 and 2 at The Country Club of Meadville. He shot a 145 at the two-day, 36-hole tournament.

On Monday, Flinchbaugh had some pre-round nerves to play through.

“It was exciting to play in the tournament and the hype was there. I definitely had some nerves on the first tee, but I ended up birdying the first hole so the nerves went away after that,” Flinchbaugh said. “I just didn’t swing the club real great today and didn’t get the score I wanted.”

The senior carded two birdies, one par, three bogeys and three double- bogeys on the front nine for a 43. He was seven-over par midway through the round.

“In my opinion, the course played very difficult,” Flinchbaugh said. “Not only was it cold, but it was very windy. The course is hard in general but the wind made it a lot harder.”

On the back nine Flinchbaugh recorded five pars and four bogeys for a 39.

“Overall, I did not play very well,” Flinchbaugh said. “At the end of the day, it’s just another round and I enjoyed the experience.”

The tournament was Flinchbaugh’s first time at Heritage Hills. He was able to play a practice round on Sunday, but had never been to the state tournament before. He missed qualifying for the tournament in 2020 by losing a playoff at districts and missed advancing in 2019 by one stroke at a regional tournament.

“I am very pleased with my senior year of golf. Other than the state tournament finish, I couldn’t ask for much more,” Flinchbaugh said. “Playing well at districts and being the district champion was great. The rest of the season went well too so I can’t ask for much more.”

The Class 2A boys champion was Union City’s Josh James, who shot a 72. Fellow Union City golfer Tyler Parkhurst finished fifth with a 75. Corry’s Maxx Rimdzius finished in a tie for sixth with a 76. There were several top-10 finishers from District 10 in the girls Class 2A tournament as well.

North East’s Lydia Swan tied for second with a 74 and her sister Anna shot a 78 to place fifth. Sasha Petrochko and McKenzie Gustas, both of Hickory, finished fourth and tied for sixth, respectively. Petrochko shot a 76 and Gustas carded an 80.

Flinchbaugh tees off at state tournament

By Alex Topor

MEADVILLE TRIBUNE

Saegertown senior Dylan Flinchbaugh tees off today with a chance at bringing home some hardware.

Flinchbaugh will tee off at 9:30 a.m. at Heritage Hills Golf Resort in York for the PIAA Class 2A individual tournament.

He qualified for states by winning the District 10 tournament at The Country Club on Oct. 2. Flinchbaugh shot a 145 across 36 holes at the two-day competition. While the district tournament was two days, the state tournament is only one day.

“I am feeling confident and excited for states. I’m excited to see all of the scores and how I compare to the rest of the golfers in the state. My goal for states is to have fun and enjoy my day, but also to take top 10,” Flinchbaugh said. “At the end of the day, it’s another round of golf and all I can do is play by best.”

The course is a par-71 and 6,502 yards.

Flinchbaugh wins Class 2A golf tournament; advances to states

By Alex Topor

MEADVILLE TRIBUNE

WOODCOCK TOWNSHIP — After back-to-back seasons ending in disappointment, Saegertown senior Dylan Flinchbaugh punched his ticket to the PIAA golf tournament in spectacular fashion on Saturday.

Flinchbaugh shot a 71 on day two of the boys District 10 tournament to finish with a 145 — good enough for first place in Class 2A.

“It felt really good to win it, especially because in my sophomore and junior years I missed going to states by one stroke,” Flinchbaugh said.

Last year, Flinchbaugh finished in a tie for sixth place with Corry’s Maxx Rimdzius. The Saegertown golfer lost to Rimdzius in a onehole playoff. In a normal season, the top eight golfers advance to states, but the PIAA only took the top six due to COVID-19.

As a sophomore, he finished one stroke above the cut line at a regional tournament, which would have sent him to the state tournament.

“After nearly making it the past two years, I’m glad it worked out for him his senior year,” Saegertown head coach Brian Hanley said. “It’s kind of icing on the cake for him after missing it by one stroke the past two years.”

Flinchbaugh shot a 74 on Friday to claim the lead after day one of the two-day tournament. Despite the added pressure that comes with the district tournament and being on top of the leaderboard, he delivered an improved score on Saturday.

“He loves the added pressure, the more the merrier I’d say. He loves extra people watching,” Hanley said. “There was quite a group of people following his group at the end and he seems to thrive in that situation. It was a stressful day, but a good stress.”

“I feel like I do play better with added pressure,” Flinchbaugh said. “There’s added expectations and I want to play well and exceed those expectations.”

With the District 10 gold medal, the senior will finally get to play in the state tournament. On Oct. 18, at Heritage Hills Golf Resort in York, Flinchbaugh will join Class AA boys and girls golfers for an 18-hole tournament. He has never played at the course, so Hanley and Flinchbaugh plan on visiting beforehand for at least one practice round.

“I’m going to take a few days off then get rolling at the range, putting green and some practice rounds at different courses,” Flinchbaugh said. “I feel pretty good heading into it.”

Being that Flinchbaugh’s level of play increases with the level of pressure surrounding him, he could have a good round at the upcoming tournament.

“Because of his length off the tee and iron accuracy, especially with his long irons, I think he could place pretty well,” Hanley said. “He has a good as chance as anyone I’ve ever taken to states to place in the top 10.”

Other area golfers that performed in Class 2A on Saturday were Saegertown’s Joe Grundy and Conneaut’s Kole Flint. Grundy shot an 84 to finish in 13th with a 169, while Flint shot an 89 to place 14th with a 170.

In class 3A, Meadville senior Michael Mahoney finished fourth. He shot an 80 on Friday and a 79 on Saturday for a total of 159, just two shots from advancing to the state tournament.

Joey DeAngelo (McDowell) and Kyle Westfall (Erie) tied for first with a 156. Cathedral Prep’s Trey Thompson shot a 157.

On the girl’s side of play, Meadville senior Phoebe Templin finished in fourth with a 178. She shot a personal best 86 on Thursday and followed it with a 92 on Saturday.

Zoey McLain and Analise Wolf, both of McDowell, took first and second place with a 152 and 173, respectively. They will both advance to the state meet.

Elizabeth DeAndrea of Erie placed third with a 177.

In Class 2A, Conneaut’s Julianna Jacobs finished in 12th with a total score of 188. The senior shot a 93 and a 95.

The top four scorers in 2A advanced to the state tournament.

Sasha Petrochko from Hickory won with a 140. The Swan sisters, Anna and Lydia, from North East, finished second and third. McKenzie Gustas finished fourth with a 151.

Flinchbaugh leads the pack after day one with a 74

By Alex Topor

MEADVILLE TRIBUNE

WOODCOCK TOWNSHIP — Saegertown senior Dylan Flinchbaugh is leading all individual golfers in Class 2A with a 74 after day one of the District 10 boys golf tournament at The Country Club.

Flinchbaugh entered the tournament with the goal of winning the entire thing, according to his coach Brian Hanley.

“I told him going in ‘let’s try and make the cut’. Dylan told me — ‘Coach, I’d like to try and win this.’ That’s exactly what I wanted to hear,” Hanley said. “I’m very proud of him. He put a lot of time and hard work in. He wasn’t just gifted that way, he works hard and takes it very serious. For a kid that wasn’t gonna play golf four years ago, it’s big.”

After what Flinchbaugh described as a rough start, things stated clicking for him on hole No. 15.

“I had a hard time hitting greens and started with three bogeys in a row but it turned around when I chipped in on 15 for eagle,” Flinchbaugh said. “I think that got my round going and my confidence building.

Flinchbaugh’s confidence carded him the best day one score.

“I think it could have been lower. I need to put in some work and see if I can play well tomorrow,” Flinchbaugh said. “Overall I’m pleased with it.”

Flinchbaugh is two strokes ahead of second place, which is Union City’s Josh James and Corry’s Max Rimdzius. Last season, Flinchbaugh and Rimdzius ended the tournament in a tie for sixth place and entered a playoff. Rimdzius won the playoff and kept Flinchbaugh from entering the PIAA tournament.

The final round is today with a shotgun start at 9:30 a.m. The top eight finishers will advance to the state tournament at Heritage Hills Golf Course in York.

“I need to just play my game, play smart and not do anything dumb,” Flinchbaugh said. “If I can do that I think I’ll be good.”

Another Saegertown golfer, Joe Grundy, will be playing today as well. Grundy shot an 84 and tied for 15th place on Friday. The cut line was the top 15 spots.

“It’s his first time making districts and I’m very proud of him too. You never know about those nerves when you get here,” Hanley said. “We played here a week and a half ago and it was kind of loosey-goosey because it wasn’t that important, but when you get to districts everyone knows it’s now or never.”

Also in 2A golf, Conneaut’s Kole Flint carded an 81 to tie for ninth place and advances to the final round. “I’m happy for Kole. That kids works really hard,” Conneaut head coach Bob Slevin said. “He was actually getting extra work in last night on the driving range. He seems to thrive in the pressure. He averages about 88 or 89 all season but shot a 81 to qualify for districts and fired an 81 today.”

Jake Welcheck (86) and Cooper Baum (91) both missed the cut.

“It’s unfortunate they missed the cut, but they have long promising golf careers ahead of them,” Slevin said. “I told them, ‘this chapter is over, so it’s time to start a new one.’” In the team tournament Union City edged Mercyhurst Prep 329 to 331 to win the title. Recording scores for the Bears were Josh James (76), Cole DeSimone (79), Tyler Parkhurst (81) and Matt Bennett (93). Shooting for the Lakers were Joe Fugagli (79), Nick Momeyer (81), Lucas Fosco (82) and Corey Morrison (89).

In the Class 3A tournament, Meadville’s Michael Mahoney recorded an 80 and is in a three-way tie for third place.

“I wanted to shoot around 75 give or take a few shots. I started well on the front-nine,” Mahoney said. “I couldn’t get the putter rolling at the start but I was in control of the round until 12 when I made a 9. It went downhill from there.”

Team wise, McDowell beat defending state champion Cathedral Prep 330-333. Scoring for McDowell was Joey DeAngelo (72), Will Neumaier (82), John Ferretti (83) and Greg Berlin (93). For the Ramblers, Trey Thompson (78), Ryan Eastbourn (80), Breckin Taylor (84) and Alex Vahey (91) recorded scores.

The top eight individual golfers advanced and will tee off today.

DeAngelo is in the lead with a 72 and Thompson carded a 78 for second place. Tied with Mahoney for third is Kyle Westfall of Erie and Eastbourn.

The top-two scores will advance to the state tournament.

“I need to fix the driver a lot, the driver was not good today. I need to make putts too and give everything a chance. There’s nothing to lose really,” Mahoney said. “The goal is to shoot around par and try to sneak into the second spot.”

Boys golf Saegertown, Meadville go 1-2

VENANGO — The Saegertown and Meadville boys golf teams took first and second place, respectively, at the Bill Mook Memorial Golf Tournament at Venango Valley Country Club on Monday.

Leading the Panthers to a win was Dylan Flinchbaugh with a 74, which tied Union City’s Josh James for lowest score at the tournament.

Also for Saegertown, Jon Grundy shot a 90, Joe Grundy carded a 91 and Wyatt Zirkle turned in a 94. As a team, they shot a 349.

Meadville was just behind Saegertown with a 354. Alex Burgess led the Bulldogs with a 79. Phillip Pandolph (84), Chris Costa (94) and Jake Friters (97) rounded out the scoring.

Saegertown Panthers take second in Region 3 golf

By Mary Ann Mook

SPECIAL TO THE TRIBUNE

WATTSBURG — The Union City boys golf team has won back-to-back Region 3 titles.

The Union City Bears beat five other teams to claim the title on Monday, after winning a region mega-match hosted by Seneca High School at Scenic Heights Golf Course.

“I’ve been blessed with having intelligent, athletic, coachable players,” Union City coach Steve Yovich said.

Union City’s Josh James earned the title of region Golfer of the Year for the second year in a row.

The Saegertown Panthers placed second in Region 3, running just a few points behind Union City all season. Conneaut Area Senior High School was third in the region, followed by Seneca, Cambridge Springs and Maplewood.

Saegertown coach Brian Hanley said Saegertown had won the region championship eight years in a row, until last year when Union City came in.

Still, Hanley said the Panthers had a good season and have shown improvement.

“Our scores were better by seven strokes from last year,” Hanley said. “We’re better by 13 strokes per mega-match from the last two years.”

He said he was proud of the way his team performed this season.

“All you can ask of a team is to get better, which my team has done, but Union City has, too,” he said.

While Union City will lose four golfers to graduation, Saegertown will return all but one – Dylan Flinchbaugh, who has consistently led the Panthers in scoring all season.

See SAEGERTOWN, Page B3

Saegertown’s Dylan Flinchbaugh pushes his clubs at a mega match earlier this month. Flinchbaugh posted a 74 at the final Region 3 Mega Match on Monday.

Associated Press

Saegertown

Continued from Page B1 During Monday’s mega-match, Union City placed first with 308 points, followed by Saegertown with 318, Conneaut Area High School with 350, Seneca with 390 and Maplewood with 425. Cambridge Springs, did not compete because their school had transitioned to virtual learning due to COVID-19. Students returned to in-person learning on Monday, but PIAA rules state a team must have three legal practices before competing.

For Union City, Cole DeSimone had the low score with 72. He was followed by Tyler Parkhurst with 75, Josh James with 76 and Matt Yaple with 85.

Flinchbaugh led Saegertown with 74. Joe Grundy and Josh Grundy each carded a 79, and Collin Jones carded an 86.

For CASH, Cooper Baum and Jake Welchek each carded an 81, Kole Flint scored an 86 and Dawson Osborn scored 102.

Seneca’s Jacob Bender had his team’s low score with a 94, followed by Ben Runser with a 95, Vinny Rupp with 100 and Sean DeMouri with 101.

Maplewood’s Matt Bernoski and Lucas Groger each scored 99. Avery Palotas carded 113 and Rachel Brunot scored 114.

Golfers will now focus on individuals qualifying for the District 10 tournament, which will be held Oct. 1-2 at the Meadville Country Club.

Flinchbaugh will qualify for districts, but Hanley is hoping for more.

“I’m hoping to get at least a couple more into districts besides Dylan,” Hanley said.

Boys golf Flinchbaugh takes second at invite

Saegertown’s Dylan Flinchbaugh shot a 74 at the Marquette Invitational at The Country Club of Meadville on Tuesday.

Union City’s Josh James won with a 72, good enough for par.

As a team, Union City won the 19-team invitational with a 321.

Saegertown placed sixth with a 351. Behind Flinchbaugh, Joe Grundy (91), Collin Jones (92) and Jon Grundy (94) rounded out the scoring.

Meadville came in seventh with a team score of 352. Michael Mahoney and Alex Burgess shot an 82 and 83, respectively. Philip Pandolph carded an 87 and Chris Costa a 100.

Conneaut tied with Titusville for 15th with a 377. Cooper Baum led the way with a 79, which was the eighth highest individual score. Jake Welcheck (84), Kole Flint (93) and Carter Osborn (121) recorded scores for the Eagles as well.

Mahoney claims top score at Midwest Prep Classic

MEADVILLE TRIBUNE

Meadville’s Michael Mahoney tied for the lowest score (145) over two days at the Midwest Prep Classic golf tournament, held at The Country Club of Meadville.

Mahoney shot a 74 on Saturday and a 71 on Sunday for a total of 145. Mahoney was named to the all-tournament team for his efforts.

Dylan Flinchbaugh, of Saegertown, placed seventh. He shot a 76 and 73 for a total of 149.

Boys golf Panthers take second at invite

GUYS MILLS — Saegertown placed second at the Mercer County State Bank Invitational at Mt. Hope Golf Course on Friday.

The Panthers were led by Joe Grundy and Wyatt Zirkle who both shot an 86. Jon Grundy (91) and Hunter Wright (92) rounded out the scoring for Saegertown. The team scored a 355.

Conneaut placed sixth with a team score of 374. Cooper Baum led the team with an 82 and recorded the second- lowest individual score.

Jake Welcheck (85), Kole Flint (91) and Carter Osborn (116) also shot for the Eagles.

Maplewood shot a 416 and placed tenth. Lucas Groger led the Tigers with a 92. Matt Bernoski (100), Abby Crago (104) and Avery Palotas (120) rounded out the scoring.

Area schools compete in Region 3 mega-match

By Mary Ann Mook

SPECIAL TO THE TRIBUNE

UNION CITY — Saegertown, Maplewood, Conneaut, Cambridge Springs and Seneca high schools cannot seem to catch Union City on the links this year.

Hosting a Region 3 mega- match at the Union City Country Club on Thursday, the Union City Bears won again, beating the Panthers, Tigers and Eagles on Union City’s Senior Night.

Due to the coronavirus, teams from Cambridge Springs and Seneca could not attend the mega-match.

Union City’s total score was 316, followed by Saegertown with 347, CASH with 369 and Maplewood with 459.

For Union City, Josh James was low score with 74, Tyler Parkhurst shot a 77, Cole DeSimone shot a 79 and Matt Bennett shot an 86.

Dylan Flinchbaugh has consistently led the Panthers all season, and he did it again Thursday, carding a low team score of 77. He was followed by Collin Jones with an 86, Joe Grundy with an 89 and Jon Grundy with an 85.

CASH’s Cooper Baum led his team with an 81, followed by Jake Welchek with an 86. Kole Flint carded a 92 and Ryan Richardson recorded a 109.

For Maplewood, Matt Bernoski recorded a low score of 106. Teammate Abigail Crago shot a 115, Lucas Gregor shot a 117 and Avery Pakotas shot a 121.

For the Region 3 team points, Union City leads with 21 points, Saegertown is second with 18 points, CASH is third with 15 points, Seneca is fourth with nine points, Cambridge Springs is fifth with six points and Maplewood is sixth with four points.

The Seneca Bobcats are scheduled to host the next Region 3 mega-match Monday at Scenic Heights Golf Course in Wattsburg.

Union City wins Region 3 mega-match at Riverside Golf Course

By Maryann Mook

SPECIAL TO THE TRIBUNE

CAMBRIDGE SPRINGS — Cambridge Springs High School’s golf team was supposed to hold a Region 3 mega-match at Riverside Golf Course on Tuesday.

The match went on as scheduled.

But the host team was absent.

With Cambridge Springs Junior-Senior High School being closed until Sept. 20 due to COVID-19, the Blue Devils, who were supposed to host the match, could not compete.

Seneca High School’s team also did not compete due to the school being closed as a result of COVID-19.

That left four teams.

Union City won the match with the lowest total score of 313. Saegertown placed second with a score of 333, Conneaut Area High School was third with a score of 360 and Maplewood finished fourth with a score of 445.

Cambridge Springs coach Paul Harakal does not work at Cambridge Springs Junior/Senior High School and was at the match.

“Congratulations to Union City on their victory,” Harakal said. “Thank you to Riverside Golf Course for supporting our golfers and hosting the match.

“I wish that Seneca and Cambridge Springs could have been able to participate.”

Union City’s Josh James led all golfers with a 71. He was followed by Cole DeSimone with 74, Tyler Parkhurst with 79 and Matt Yaple with 89.

Saegertown’s Dylan Flinchbaugh led his team with a 75. Joe Grundy shot an 84, Jon Grundy shot an 86 and Caden Jones carded an 88.

CASH was led by Kole Flint with an 83. Jake Welchek shot an 86, Cooper Baum had an 87 and Dawson Osborn had 104.

Maplewood’s Matt Bernoski was low score for his team with 107. He was followed by Lucas Groger with 108, Avery Palotas with 111 and Rachel Brunot with 119.

The win put Union City three points ahead of Saegertown in overall team scores.

Union City coach Steve Yovich was happy with the way his golfers.

“Our guys played solid today,” Yovich said. “I’m thrilled that even our fourth, fifth and sixth golfers have started to play better.”

Union City is scheduled to host the next Region 3 mega-match on Thursday at the Union City Country Club.

Cooper Baum of Conneaut Area Senior High School checks the distance before putting on hole No. 18 at Riverside Golf Course on Tuesday in a Region 3 mega-match.

MARY ANN MOOK/Special to the Tribune

Saegertown wins Region 3 Mega Match at Mt. Hope

GOLF SCORES

Panthers win Region 3 Mega Match

GUYS MILLS — The Saegertown boys golf team won a Region 3 Mega Match at Mt. Hope Golf Course on Wednesday.

The Panthers tuned in three scores at 80 or below to earn a team score of 318. Jon Grundy shot a 74, Dylan Flinchbaugh a 76 and Joe Grundy finished with an 80. Collin Jones shot an 88 to round out Saegertown’s scoring.

Union City was just behind the Panthers with a 326. Josh James shot the lowest score of the day with a 72. Cole DeSimone (76), Tyler Parkhurst (83) and Miles McCaslin (87) also shot for the Bears.

Conneaut finished third and was led by Cooper Baum with an 83. Cambridge Springs finished fifth with a 387 and were led by Brady Campbell (87). Maplewood placed sixth and Lucas Groger (101) topped the Tigers.

Union City leads the region with 17 points followed closely by Saegertown with 15. Conneaut (13), Seneca (13), Cambridge Springs (6) and Maplewood (3) round out the region standings.

Region 3 Mega Match at Mt. Hope Golf Course

1) Saegertown (318): Jon Grundy 74, Dylan Flinchbaugh 76, Joe Grundy 80, Collin Jones 88 2) Union City (326): Josh James 72, Cole DeSimone 76, Tyler Parkhurst 83, Miles McCaslin 87 3) Conneaut (342): Cooper Baum 83, Jake Welchek 84, Kole Flint 84, Ryan Richardson 91 4) Seneca (370): Vinny Rupp 91, Dylan Marie 91, Joey Petrarca 94, Jacob Bender 94 5) Cambridge Springs (387): Brady Campbell 87, Josh Reisenauer 88, Gunnar Gage 98, Ian Anderson 114 6) Maplewood (428): Lucas Groger 101, Abigail Crago 105, Matt Bernoski 111, Avery Palotas 111

Flinchbaugh shoots 80 at North Hills

CORRY — Saegertown’s Dylan Flinchbaugh shot an 80 at the North Hills Invitational at North Hills Golf Course in Corry, Pa, on Thursday.

As a team, Saegertown and Meadville both shot a 355.

For the Panthers, Flinchbaugh led the way. Jon Grundy was next with an 86. Wyatt Zirckle and Collin Jones each shot a 94.

For the Bulldogs, Philip Pandolph shot an 81 to pace the team. Alex Burgess scored an 88 and Michael Mahoney recorded an 89. Robert Mahoney finished with a 97.

Saegertown’s Joe Grundy is shown at a golf tournament earlier this season. Grundy shot an 86 on Thursday at the North Hills Invitational.

Meadville Tribune file photo

Panthers fall short

Flinchbaugh shines as Panthers take second

MEADVILLE TRIBUNE

VENANGO – The Union City boys golf team beat five teams to win a Region 3 mega match hosted by Saegertown at Venango Valley Golf Course on Monday.

In addition to Union City, teams competed from Saegertown, Conneaut, Cambridge Springs, Maplewood and Seneca.

Union City had a low team score of 309, followed by Saegertown with 319. Conneaut placed third with 328, Seneca was fourth with 370, Cambridge Springs was fifth with 381 and Maplewood was sixth with 455.

Teams record the four lowest scores of five golfers.

Saegertown coach Brian Hanley See GOLF, Page B2

Senior Dylan Flinchbaugh’s score of 69 at Venango Valley Golf Course was the best he has recorded in a mega match, according to Panthers coach Brian Hanley.

SHANNON ROAE/Meadville Tribune

Golf

Continued from Page B1

said the Panthers had a player out last week, but on Monday fielded a full team.

Hanley was hoping they could beat Union City, especially since the match was played on Saegertown’s home course.

“We knew it was going to be a difficult task to catch Union City,” Hanley said. “But I was pleased with the outcome.”

Hanley said his No. 2 golfer from last year, Max Fuller, was lost to graduation and Union City, the 2020 Region 3 champs, has its entire team back this year.

Hanley said senior Dylan Flinchbaugh’s score of 69 was the best he has recorded in a mega match.

“He is tough mentally and just a good player,” Hanley said about Flinchbaugh.

Hanley was also happy that Joe Grundy scored 79.

“This is the first time –– I believe in his life –– he has shot below 80,” Hanley said. “It was nice to see him do it today.”

Hanley said Flinchbaugh and Joe and Jon Grundy are doing a good job filling in for Fuller and Wyatt Ewing, another senior lost to graduation.

Saegertown’s Joe Grundy tees off during a Region 3 mega match hosted by Saegertown at Venango Valley Golf Course on Monday

SHANNON ROAE/Meadville Tribune

Panthers to push Bears for region

By Matthew Digiacomo

SPECIAL TO THE TRIBUNE

It was not that long ago that the Saegertown golf team was among the District 10 contenders. But entering the 2021 season, head coach Brian Hanley is hoping his squad can just contend for the Region 3 title.

“It is going to be tough to catch Union City,” said Hanley. “They won the region last year and have everybody back. They are a very good team once again.”

Luckily for Hanley, he has his own talented roster returning.

Leading the way is team ace Dylan Flinchbaugh. The senior just missed making it to states the last two seasons, coming up one stroke short each time. And last year was even more disappointing as he placed in position to advance had the field not been cut due to COVID-19.

“You know, I have never had a kid make it to states three years in a row,” said Hanley. “Dylan could have easily done that. So he is focused this season. And, I can see he is a better player too,” Returning with Flinchbaugh are brothers Joseph (a junior) and Jonathan (a sophomore) Grundy and sophomore Collin Jones. The team is field out by first-year golfers in senior Hunter Wright and sophomore Wyatt Zirkle.

“The Grundy boys are already showing they are a lot more consistent this season,” said Hanley. “They are already in the low to mid 80s when last year at this time they were shooting in the high 80 to mid 90s. Collin was in Florida all week, but I know he is ready to go too.”

Is it enough to catch UC?

Only time will tell. But the team certainly can’t afford any hiccups as Conneaut Area is right there eyeing the No. 2 spot in the region.

“It isn’t impossible to win the region,” Said Hanley. “And I think, if Union City does repeat, they can win districts as well. And we can’t forget about CASH.

“We tied for second in the region last year and they are going to be solid again. So it is our goal to beat them as well this year.”

Bears win Oakland

CONNEAUT LAKE — The Union City boys golf team won the Conneaut Mega Match at Oakland Beach Golf Course on Monday.

The Bears finished with a team score of 320 and featured the lowest individual score of the day, Josh James (71). Also shooting low for Union City was Cole DeSimone and Tyler Parkhurst with a 79 and 82, respectively.

Conneaut placed second at the match. The Eagles posted a 340 and were led by Cooper Baum who shot a 77.

Dylan Flinchbaugh, of Saegertown, posted the second lowest score of the day with a 73. His Panthers placed third (355).

Cambridge Springs and Maplewood finished in fifth and sixth at the match. Brock Cunningham led the Blue Devils with a 97. Lucas Groger and Avery Polatas each shot a 120 to pace the Tigers.

CASH Mega Match at Oakland Beach 1) Union City (320): Josh James 71, Cole DeSimone 79, Tyler Parkhurst 82, Matt Bennett 88.

2.) Conneaut (340): Cooper Baum 77, Jake Welchek 83, Kole Flint 89, Ryan Richardson 91.

3) Saegertown (355): Dylan Flinchbaugh 73, Joseph Grundy 84, Jonathan Grundy 87, Wyatt Zirkle 111.

4) Seneca (359): Joe Petrarca 77, Dylan Marie 94, Ben Runser 92, Jacob Bender 96. 5) Cambridge Springs (407): Brock Cunningham 97, Josh Reisenauer 98, Gunnar Gage 105, Brady Campbell 107.

6) Maplewood (496): Lucas Groger 120, Avery Palotas 120, Nathan Bernoski 126, Abigal Cango 130.