Defending District 11 golf team champions Liberty (Class 3A) and Palmerton (2A) are among the favorites again.
Coach Steve Bradley’s Hurricanes have their lineup intact from last season’s 25-1 club, including defending district 3A boys champion Matt Vital. Brother Michael Vital plus cousins Jase and Jimmy Barker plus Matt Ronca provide a formidable challenge. They have won the last two district 3A titles.
Ronca was third and Jase Barker fourth at last year’s EPC tournament. Jimmy Barker was injured this summer, but should be good to go for the season.
Junior Chase Orinsky and Paul Erfel also will be regulars in the lineup for Bradley, who is in his 24th season.
Coach Alex Knoll’s Blue Bombers, who have won the last two league and three district crowns, also have several key players returning, including defending league tournament champion Tyler Hager. Fellow seniors Connor Reinhard and Nathan Steinmetz also return. Senior Justin Sebelin, junior Jared Reinhard and sophomore Ashton Lesher will be among those asked to fill in for the graduated Josh Suto and Dominic Kintz.
Perennial league power Moravian Academy and Southern Lehigh will challenge Palmerton. Coach Matt Greenawald’s Spartans were the only ones last season to knock off the Blue Bombers.
Seniors Cohen Resch, Frankie Boensch, Dom Cirocco, Mark Bradley, Aiden Canzano and Blake Greenawald plus sophomores David Tervalon and Colin Sarnoski are among Southern Lehigh’s returnees.
Senior Evan Eichenlaub and junior Thomas Young will anchor the Lions’ lineup.
Eichenlaub tied for second in last year’s league tournament and was tied for sixth in the 2A state event in York. Resch was tied for fourth. Young was seventh.
Seniors Bryson Hicklin and Aiden Greenberg lead Nazareth. Noah Schurman is Emmaus’ top returnee. Stroudsburg sophomore Hunter Probst is a returning 3A state qualifier.
Bangor’s Natalie White is a returning 3A girls state qualifier. Parkland’s Sydni Sundstrom was fourth and Pocono Mountain West’s Ashlyn McCormick fifth at districts last season.
Golf dates to remember
Thursday: Colonial League regular-season openers
Aug. 18: EPC regular-season openers
Sept. 19: Colonial League tournament at Bethlehem Golf Club
Sept. 19: EPC tournament at Olde Homestead
Sept. 26: District 11 qualifying tournament (boys and girls), Olde Homestead Golf Club, New Tripoli
Oct. 3: District 11 tournament (boys and girls), Olde Homestead GC
Oct. 11: PIAA team subregional tournaments (2A and 3A), Olde Homestead GC
Oct. 17-18: PIAA Golf Championships (boys and girls), Penn State Blue (2A) & White (3A) courses, State College, 9
Oct. 19: PIAA Team Golf Championships, Penn State Blue (2A) & White (3A) courses, State College
Morning Call reporter Tom Housenick can be reached at 610-820-6651 or at thousenick@mcall.com
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