Young Mikes fare well at WPIAL golf final
Jim Downey | 缅北禁地
Jim Downey | 缅北禁地
Carmichaels鈥� Rolin Burghy chips onto the 14th green at Cedarbrook Golf Course鈥檚 Golf course during Thursday鈥檚 WPIAL Boys Class AA Team Golf Championship.
Jim Downey | 缅北禁地
Jim Downey | 缅北禁地
Carmichaels鈥� Liam Lohr softly chips down to the 18th green on Cedarbrook Golf Course鈥檚 Gold course during Thursday鈥檚 WPIAL Boys Class AA Team Golf Championship.
Carmichaels鈥� Mason Lapana hits off the 15th tee at Cedarbrook Golf Course鈥檚 Gold course during Thursday鈥檚 WPIAL Boys Class AA Team Golf Championship. (Photo by Jim Downey)
The bogey putt by Carmichaels鈥� Nick Ricco on the 16th hole is lodged between the stick and the rim of the cup before eventually slipping into the cup in Thursday鈥檚 WPIAL Boys Class AA Team Golf Championship at Cedarbrook Golf Course鈥檚 Gold course. (Photo by Jim Downey)
Carmichaels鈥� Remmey Lohr hits her tee shot on the 17th hole at Cedarbrook Golf Course鈥檚 Gold course during Thursday鈥檚 WPIAL Boys Class AA Team Golf Championship. (Photo by Jim Downey)
Jim Downey | 缅北禁地
Carmichaels鈥� Chris Barrish tracks his tee shot on No. 16 at Cedarbrook Golf Course鈥檚 Golf course during Thursday鈥檚 WPIAL Boys Class AA Team Golf Championship.
There were four freshmen playing in the WPIAL Class AA Boys Golf Team Championship at Cedarbrook Gold Golf Course on Oct. 15.
Three of them were on Carmichaels鈥� squad. Despite sporting the overall youngest roster, the Mikes still finished third out of six teams with a team score of 449. Sewickley Academy took gold with a score of 418 with Quaker Valley second at 436. Trailing Carmichaels were Neshannock (452), Ellwood City (453) and Derry (459).
The Mikes鈥� strong showing bodes well for the future of an already well-established golf program run by coach Dave Briggs.
It was the second time in three years that Carmichaels reached the WPIAL final. The only player who was on both of those teams was Remmey Lohr, the lone senior among the Mikes鈥� six golfers.
鈥淚t feels like we鈥檝e accomplished a lot,鈥� said Lohr, who recovered from a disastrous third hold to shoot 92.
Lohr鈥檚 freshman brother Liam Lohr topped Carmichaels with a 13-over-par 85 on the par-72 layout, which placed him seventh overall. Freshman Mason Lapana carded an 89 and junior Nick Ricco shot 90. Freshman Rolin Burghy, who turned in the Mikes鈥� best score in the semifinals at Duck Hollow Golf Course, checked in with a 93. Junior Chris Barrish鈥檚 104 was dropped.
Scores soared all around.
鈥淏oth times we鈥檝e been here the conditions have been challenging,鈥� Briggs said. 鈥淟ast time it was wet and rainy. This year, with the pins and the wind, that first nine holes was brutal. There was only one score in the 70s (medallist Joey Mucci, 76, for Sewickley Academy) in Double-A, which is hard to believe with the amount of good golfers that were there.鈥�
The Mikes had an almost identical score (448) when it finished fourth in 2018.
鈥淲e made an improvement, and we did that with three freshman on our team,鈥� Remmey Lohr pointed out.
Lohr鈥檚 day got off to a good start with a birdie on No. 10 (Carmichaels started on the back nine), but two holes later she had a 13 on No. 12.
鈥淚 hit the ball really well, except for No. 12 obviously,鈥� Lohr said. 鈥淭he pin placement was so tough and then whenever I鈥檇 putt the ball it would just roll back down. I think I eight-putted.鈥�
While most golfers would be mentally finished at that point, Lohr鈥檚 score over her other 17 holes was 79.
鈥淥ne of my strengths is coming back from stuff like that,鈥� Lohr said. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 just about forgetting and moving on.
鈥淚 finished up pretty good. I birdied No. 8, and drove the green on No. 9.鈥�
Briggs commended his senior for the way she handles adversity.
鈥淎 lot of people after that one bad hole she had just would鈥檝e gave up,鈥� Briggs said. 鈥淚鈥檓 proud for Remmey. I鈥檓 happy it ended well for her. You have to love her never-give-up attitude, and it rubs off on her teammates.
鈥淚鈥檓 proud of my kids for battling the conditions and not giving up. They all played better on the second nine than they did the front. Par was thrown out the window today. It was tough out there.鈥�
Carmichaels was coming off a third-place finish at Duck Hollow which advanced it into the district final.
Briggs raved about his freshmen trio.
鈥淭hey all stepped up and played well today,鈥� Briggs said. 鈥淟iam has been great all year. Rolin came up big for us on Monday. Mason Lapana has been steady all year, too.鈥�
Remmey Lohr, who qualified for the PIAA boys championship last year, feels like she鈥檚 leaving the team in good hands.
鈥淚 really think they鈥檒l do even better next year because they鈥檙e all going to work hard and improve,鈥� she said.
That鈥檚 one of the keys to continued success, Briggs pointed out.
鈥淎 year older doesn鈥檛 always mean a year better,鈥� he cautioned. 鈥淚鈥檓 hoping they work hard in the summer. Nothing is guaranteed. We had 13 kids on the team this year and there was a lot of competition for positions. That only makes you better.鈥�
Briggs is confident the best is yet to come for his talented team.
鈥淚鈥檓 excited,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 hope today is kind of a stepping stone to get back here the next couple years and finish even higher. It鈥檚 good that they got a little taste of it.鈥�