SLIPPERY ROCK — Brian Giesler's golf swing is smooth and fluid.

He can make any shot on the course, from long, majestic drives off the tee to wedge shots that float onto the green and hit with a spin.

But it's the shots that don't go so well that have keyed Geisler's breakthrough season for the Slippery Rock High golf team.

When the junior does get into trouble, he is more adept at getting out of it than he was last season. The double- and triple-bogies haven't been a bugaboo anymore.

"I've eliminated the bad hole," said Giesler, who has the second-lowest scoring average in Region 6 for the first-place Rockets heading into the final megamatch of the season. "Last year, things would be going good and then I'd get a seven or an eight on a hole. Now, my bad holes are fives and sixes."

Instead of trying to shoot a trouble shot through two trees, Giesler is laying up and living for another day.

The new approach has helped him shave more than seven strokes off his megamatch average from last season.

"Every part of his game has improved," said Slippery Rock golf coach Merle Whitmer. "But the biggest thing is he is playing smarter. He knows when to take his medicine and that the birdies will come down the road. He's not trying to be a hero."

Giesler didn't have to wiggle out of much trouble on Monday, shooting a school-record 68 at Tanglewood Golf Course in New Wilmington.

Giesler played a practice round at the course Saturday and found that experience invaluable.

"I knew what holes were coming up, and I knew what I could do," Giesler said. "There were no surprises."

The only surprise was, despite his 68, Gielser was not the medalist.

That honor belonged to Grove City's Ryan Prokay, who shot a 67.

Prokay has the lowest average score in the region at 71.6. Giesler is second at 74.4.

Gielser's teammate, freshman Brett Rinker, is third with a 76.8 average.

That has made for some competitive matches between the three standout golfers.

"Ryan and I are good friends," Giesler said. "Ryan is so good. It's fun competing with him.

"With Brett, I know if I have a bad match, he will pick me up and vice versa."

Because Gielser and Rinker have been so good and so consistent this season — the two have carded rounds over 80 only twice — Slippery Rock is in position to repeat as region champion.

Few thought that was possible after the Rockets lost four seniors, Jeff Tracy, Jenna Rinker, Tim Chavez and Shawn Beatty, to graduation.

Even Giesler was anticipating a long season on the links.

"Last year, we probably had the best team in the region," Giesler said. "Coming into this season, I wasn't real optimistic about our chances until we had a couple of megamatches. Then, I had a feeling we had something special."

Magnificent Marissa

Sticking with the golf theme, Butler sophomore Marissa DeCola has been scintillating. In her last two outings, DeCola shot a 33 and a 34 in each nine-hole match.

Shining Shetter

Since a loss in the season opener, Butler girls tennis No. 1 singles player Carolyn Shetter hasn't lost a set in seven straight victories.