Alexis Teichman stood 60 yards from the 15th green at Steel Club with a sand wedge in her hands. The Emmaus golfer’s palms were particularly clammy. Her heart was beating a little faster than normal.
Teichman was gripping one of her least reliable clubs as she took aim on the most important shot of her brief two-year odyssey in the sport. She was in a playoff with Southern Lehigh’s Lexi Miller for the District 11 Class 3A girls golf title.
“I knew Lexi was going for the green in two like she did the first time around,” Teichman said, “when she just missed an eagle and had a tap-in birdie. So, my approach had to be really good.”
Teichman knocked her approach to within five feet then made the putt. Miller’s second shot found the water to help solidify an unlikely district title.
“My 56-degree is definitely not one of my favorite clubs,” Teichman said. “It’s probably one of my least favorite clubs, especially because I’ve been having a lot of issues with it lately. But I’m glad I was hitting it well today.”
Warm temperatures on an early fall day only partly explained the extra beads of sweat on the brows of Teichman and the rest of District 11’s best male and female golfers at Tuesday’s championship event.
Pressure was high with a playoff needed to decide Class 2A boys title. Schuylkill Haven’s Alan Evans beat Saucon Valley’s Anthony Albano on their first playoff hole after both shot 6-over-par 78s.
Bonus golf also was needed to decided the final two of six state qualifying spots in 2A boys as Tamaqua’s Sam Vinc, the Schuylkill League champion as a freshman, and North Schuylkill’s Jude Maziekas beat Notre Dame-Green Pond’s Andrew Swercheck. All three were tied at 83 after 18 holes.
A one-hole playoff decided the final two PIAA berths in 3A boys with Bangor’s Beau Thomas and Emmaus’ Kyan DeLong nudged Liberty’s Jake Wachinski after all three shot 76s.
There was some drama among the 2A girls competition, but Moravian Academy’s Mara Dubacher had more pressure on her than any other golfer teeing it up Tuesday. She was bidding to become the fourth player, boy or girl, to win four district titles.
The senior was tied with freshman teammate Katherine Anthony midway through the back nine before pulling away for a four-shot victory with an 81 to cement her place in history.
“There was a lot of pressure internally just knowing that I had this one last time to get that four in a row,” Dubacher said. “Once I settled in and played my game as the holes went on, I settled down.
“My freshman year I had no expectations. I just played my game. But as I’m getting older and winning more, the pressure just kept building. It was like, ‘You can’t lose your senior year.’ That would be hard to take.”
Nazareth sophomore Holden Sparks dug himself an early hole before blistering the course with five birdies in an eight-hole stretch on the back nine then got up and down from just off the green to win the 3A boys title by one shot over Northampton’s Derek Moyer.
Sparks’ 3-under-par 69 is the lowest score since the district championships went to an 18-hole final. His game was good shape on the front side, but made a proclamation to his playing partners before the second nine.
“I told them the putts were going to start dropping” Sparks said. “That’s how it worked out.”
Sparks made a 15-footer for birdie on No. 10 to get his run started. The most pivotal putt came on No. 16, with a downhill 4-footer for par. It dropped, and the Blue Eagle knew he was in great shape after that.
“If I missed that putt, it was probably going off the green.”
Team competition
EPC champion Nazareth, without a senior among its top six, won the district’s Class 3A title at 313. The EPC champion will face the District 12 champion on Wednesday, Oct. 15, at Yardley Country Club in the PIAA subregional with the winner advancing to the state tournament, which is Wednesday, Oct. 22, at Penn State’s Blue Course.
Colonial League champion Southern Lehigh was five shots back at 318, followed by Emmaus (320) and Blue Mountain (349).
Moravian Academy won the 2A title with a 344, 11 shots better than Notre Dame-GP (355). Schuylkill Haven (356) and Nativity BVM (370) followed.
Moravian Academy faces the Districts 1-12 champion, also Oct. 15, at Steel Club for the right to advance to states, which are Oct. 22 at PSU’s White Course.
What’s next
The PIAA Golf Championships are Oct. 20-22, at Penn State Golf Courses in State College. The individual events are Monday-Tuesday, Oct. 20-21, with the 2A girls and boys on the White Course and the 3A girls and boys on the Blue.
Senior writer Tom Housenick can be reached at thousenick@mcall.com
District 11 Golf Championships
Tuesday at Steel Club, Hellertown
BOYS (top 6 in each class advance to states)
Class 2A
1. Alan Evans, Schuylkill Haven: 78*
2. Anthony Albano, Saucon Valley: 78
3. Renzo Ochotorena, Saucon Valley: 79
4. Jared Grammes, Palmerton: 82
5. Sam Vinc, Tamaqua: 83**
6. Jude Maziekas, North Schuylkill: 83**
7. Andrew Swercheck, Notre Dame-GP: 83
8. Chase Yakaitis, Salisbury: 84
9. Zach Ostrosky, Bethlehem Catholic: 85
10. Chris Vanicky, Notre Dame-GP: 86
10. Connor Bowman, Mahanoy Area: 86
12. Collin Schreiber, Moravian Academy: 87
12: Stephen Karinch, Nativity BVM: 87
14. Joey Solt, Palmerton: 88
15. Logan Tilton, Central Catholic: 90
16. John Zawistowski, Central Catholic: 91
17. Eli Barton, Schuylkill Haven: 92
17. Cole Dynda, Northwestern Lehigh: 92
19. Jason Carrelli, Palmerton: 93
19. Liam Gilligan, Notre Dame-GP: 93
19. Simon Weed, Notre Dame-GP: 93
19. Trey Keating, Nativity BVM: 93
23. Ryan Grabowski, Nativity BVM: 94
24. Skylar Kern, Northwestern Lehigh: 96
25. Michael Wachter, Notre Dame-GP: 100
Class 3A
1. Holden Sparks, Nazareth: 69
2. Derek Moyer, Northampton: 70
3. Evan Walters, Emmaus: 72
4. Dane Mohap, Nazareth: 74
5. Beau Thomas, Bangor: 76**
6. Kyan DeLong, Emmaus: 76**
7. Jake Wachinski, Liberty: 76
8. Logan DeRewal, Southern Lehigh: 77
8. Caleb Walsh, Southern Lehigh: 77
8. Drew Patascher, Pleasant Valley: 77
11. Andrew Sundstrom, Parkland: 78
11. Landen Benner, Parkland: 78
13. Chase Murphy, Pocono Mountain East: 80
14. Wyatt Adams, Southern Lehigh: 82
15. Joseph Ellis, Nazareth: 83
16. Andrew Eberts, Northampton: 84
17. Alex DiGiacinto, Nazareth: 85
17. Brady Rohn, Nazareth: 85
17. Caden McGinley, East Stroudsburg North: 85
17. Carter Willis, Parkland: 85
17. Chris Gerheart, Pocono Mountain East: 85
17. Zakary Novak, Nazareth: 85
23. Dylan Knittle, Blue Mountain: 86
23. Emmett Galucci, Pocono Mountain East: 86
23. Gabe Chase, Parkland: 86
23. Jacob Rapp, Parkland: 86
23. Kevin Gerheart, Pocono Mountain East: 86
28. Trent Stahley, Liberty: 87
29. Anderson Francis, Emmaus: 88
29. Connor Sarnoski, Southern Lehigh: 88
29. Silas Wellhoener, Emmaus: 88
32. Andrew Erfle, Liberty: 89
32. Cole Fry, Blue Mountain: 89
32. Radek Remaley, Nazareth: 89
35. Cameron Rodriguez, Liberty: 90
35. Christian Stormo, Southern Lehigh: 90
35. Owen Crossen, Blue Mountain: 90
38. Charlie Gold, Parkland: 91
38. Evan Setlock, Blue Mountain: 91
40. Cooper Aspen, Southern Lehigh: 92
40. Cooper Fry, Northampton: 92
40. Landon Romanczuk, Bangor: 92
43. John Gerancher, Parkland: 93
44. Ryan Posocco, Parkland: 94
45. Sean Brogan, Southern Lehigh: 98
GIRLS (top 3 in each class advance to states)
Class 2A
1. Mara Dubacher, Moravian Academy: 81
2. Katherine Anthony, Moravian Academy: 85
3. Avri Chandler, Northwestern Lehigh: 89
4. Emma Troutman, Minersville: 90
5. Gracie Scheffler, Northwestern Lehigh: 90
6. Lilly Brigido, Central Catholic: 90
7. Giuliana Hughes, Schuylkill Haven: 102
8. Lexi Sukeena, Minersville: 124
Class 3A
1. Alexis Teichman, Emmaus: 86*
2. Lexi Miller, Southern Lehigh: 86
3. Avery Martin, Southern Lehigh: 88
4. Delaney Walborn, Blue Mountain: 89
5. Ella Bloszinsky, Emmaus: 91
6. Madeline VanBuskirk, Pocono Mountain East: 95
7. Audrina Montesano, Freedom: 101
*Won a playoff for district gold
**Won a playoff to advance to states
