Warrior teams and BVA boys compete in title matches

The Leopards and EF boys finished 6th overall in 3A and 2A. The Warrior girls were 6th in 3A girls.

Three local WPIAL golf teams concluded their district seasons at Cedarbrook Golf Course Thursday morning as the WPIAL Team Championships brought things to a close.

The Elizabeth Forward girls and boys golf teams competed in the WPIAL Class 3A and Class 2A Golf Championships, respectively, while the Belle Vernon boys team qualified for the WPIAL Class 3A Golf Championships after winning in Class 2A last year.

Belle Vernon’s boys squad combined for a 379 in the WPIAL semifinal at Indian Run Golf Club on Tuesday, which tied for the best score of that round along with West Allegheny. From there, the defending WPIAL Class 2A champions moved to Thursday’s final round with the chance to win the program’s second district championship.

Alongside Fox Chapel, North Allegheny, Plum, South Fayette and West Allegheny, the Leopards finished in sixth place on Thursday with a combined score of 424.

Jordan Mocello paced the Leopards with a 77 while Jack Edwards was right behind with an 80. Seth Tomalski shot an 87, Lucas Judy had an 88 and Donny Croftcheck had a 92. Landon Vaccaro also had a 93.

Belle Vernon golf coach Melvin Gouker was proud of his squad’s performance throughout the entire season, but he found it unfortunate that things didn’t go their way in the final round.

“It was just one of those days where they couldn’t get it together,” Gouker said. “I think they were just trying a little bit too much between Tuesday and today. They knocked off the reigning WPIAL and state champions (Peters Township) on Tuesday, and that set a spark in them that I guess backfired. You can’t go from an ultimate high and stay on that level in any sport, it’s just hard.”

Regardless of the tough result, Gouker is proud of the Leopards that have turned Belle Vernon golf into a bonafide contender over the past two years. After the first WPIAL golf title in program history last year, this was the first time that BVA made the final at Class 3A.

“I’m really proud of them,” Gouker said. “They’ve put in so much work. They’re definitely the pieces of the puzzle that make everything work, and they’ve stamped BVA as a golf program. Now, people know that any time Belle Vernon steps on the course, they better be ready. This group has solidified that.”

North Allegheny won the Class 3A title with a combined total of 386. Belle Vernon is the smallest school in the grouping.

Elizabeth Forward’s boys golf squad posted the second-best mark in Tuesday’s WPIAL semifinals with a 393, trailing only North Catholic which had a 390.

After their performance at The Links at Spring Church, the Warriors joined Greensburg Central Catholic, Mc-Guffey, North Catholic, Quaker Valley and Shady Side Academy at Cedarbrook Thursday morning and posted a 437 that was sixth place. However, they finished just 18 shots off the leaders, North Catholic, who won with a 419.

Aaron Didjunas shot a 74, Julien Hredocik carded an 87, Luke Boyer posted an 89, Mitchell Vuick had a 93 and Blake Hvozdik was right behind him with a 94. Dom Donato also shot a 109.

Didjunas posted the best round of any golfer in Class 2A, showing his promise as a sophomore.

“It was a tough start, but I think the short game was a big part in having a good round today,” Didjunas said. “Pins were tough, greens were difficult, but I kept it together. My putting was good, so that’s always a bonus.”

The day capped off a strong campaign for EF golf that they’ll be able to build on next year. Only Vuick is graduating from the group that participated today.

“I think we’re gonna be even better next year,” Didjunas said. “We’re losing one of our seniors, one of our good seniors, but everyone else is just gonna keep getting stronger and we’re gonna be better. We’re gonna be a team to beat next year.”

Elizabeth Forward’s girls team also qualified for Thursday’s championship with Armstrong, Fox Chapel, Franklin Regional, Moon, North Allegheny, Peters Township, Pine-Richland and Upper St. Clair. In a group of nine, the Warriors finished in sixth with a 375.

Mya Morgan (73) posted the best individual score in her class for Thursday’s round. After her were strong scores from Alizabeth Leezer (100), Sydney Boyd (101) and Annalise Didjunas (101). Rylee Brawdy also shot a 114.

EF coach Justin Korona was extremely proud of his entire group, praising their dedication and commitment to getting better with some of them learning the game in high school.

Morgan shared his sentiments. “Everybody put in the work and put their cents in, and I couldn’t be prouder of my team,” she said. “We’re privileged to be here. We’ve worked so hard these past couple of months with practices and playing difficult courses and doing all that stuff just to lead up to this moment.

“At the beginning of the season, we were just another team. We weren’t supposed to be here. We weren’t even supposed to be considered to be here. So, it was an honor for us today.”

Korona cited the growth of Boyd in particular, and he was thrilled with her performance Thursday morning.

“It felt good that we were able to come here,” Boyd said. “

It was a huge accomplishment for our team that we got here. I practiced a lot more than I did before (over the offseason), and I competed a little this summer, too.”

She and Morgan believe that the sky’s the limit for the Warriors after improving tenfold from last season to this one.

“Next year, we’re gonna put in twice the work,” Morgan said. “We’re gonna put in twice the effort, and we’re gonna get the solo section championship next year.”

“I think it looks good for us,” Boyd said of the future. “I hope that we get here next year, and I think that we can do good again.”