How Seneca Valley’s boys golf team has built confidence heading into WPIAL semis
Any team, regardless of sport, wants to be on a roll entering the postseason. With its play in recent weeks, Seneca Valley boys golf has that box checked.
The Raiders have won eight straight matches and will be competing in the WPIAL Class 3A team semifinals Oct. 7 at a course to be determined.
“We’ve played our best recently and have a lot of confidence,” SV coach Dean Leventopoulos said. “We brought back four of our top five golfers from last year and knew we had a good team, but we also play in one of the toughest sections (3) in the WPIAL.”
Only the top two out of seven teams from the section make the WPIAL tournament. When the Raiders met Pine-Richland at Treesdale Golf Club Sept. 17, only the winner would extend its season.
Led by CJ Gworek’s 34, the Raiders edged the Rams 190-192.
“For how hard we’ve all worked, it’s a great feeling to get back to the playoffs,” said junior Josh Marquardt.
SV’s top five averages per nine holes this year belong to Marcos Lopez (37.1), Marquardt (37.1), Vinci Villella (37.5), Anthony Cardosi (38.4) and Gworek (38.9). Bradley Steiner, who has turned in a number of impressive rounds this season, will be the team’s sixth golfer in the district team tournament, where the top five scores from each squad will determine their place in the standings.
Cardosi and Marquardt have qualified for the final round of the WPIAL individual championship Monday at Butler Country Club.
“It’s not just one or two guys who have been the medalist (top score) in matches this year,” Leventopoulos said. “It’s been spread out. Against Pine, CJ had one of the best rounds he’s ever golfed.”
“If someone doesn’t have his best day on the course, another guy is there to step up.”
A few days before that match against Pine-Richland, the Raiders convened to play a practice round at Treesdale.
“We’ve done that with a number of courses that we knew we’d be playing at,” Lopez, a senior, said. “It turns into a competition with us. It’s rare when we’re practicing and it doesn’t become competitive, and I think that’s good. It keeps us focused.”
Leventopoulos is impressed with the time and energy his golfers have shown this season.
“They took it upon themselves to play those courses before our matches and I’m proud of the initiative they’ve shown,” he said.
Other notable performances for the Raiders include a 190-191 win over defending WPIAL and PIAA champion North Allegheny and a 175-197 decision over Knoch at Saxon Golf Course Sept. 16 in which SV broke the school record for nine holes by a stroke. Lopez carded a 32 that day, including an eagle on a par-4 to finish his round.
“I had shot 32 before, but it came on a par-35,” he said. “(Saxon) is par-36, so that was the first time I’ve ever been four under. The thing is, I was at par after six holes, then went four under in the last three.”
The team semifinal involving SV will be held at either Indian Run Golf Club in Washington County or Champion Lakes Golf Course in Westmoreland County. The Raiders will be in a field with either six or seven other teams. The top three will advance to the district final. The brackets will be released next week.
The Raiders reached the team tournament a year ago, but dropped out in the semifinal round.
“Of course, nothing is a guarantee, but I feel we are a top five team (in the WPIAL) and should get past the semis,” Lopez said. “I enjoy playing all these different courses and the relationships I’ve built with the other players on the team.”
“We want to get to states,” Marquardt said. “Hopefully, we can go out and have a great round.”
