Along with four other letter-winners, the Slippery Rock High School golf team returns senior standout Jacob Wolak, who held his own against some of the best golfers the area has to offer earlier this month.

Wolak, the only golfer in the Rockets’ history to go to states three years in a row, finished in front of 48 professionals at the Pittsburgh Open. He shot an average of 75.6 during the 2021 season.

“He’s the best player in the region,” Slippery Rock coach Merle Whitmer said.

Senior James Gillen, junior Trey Simmons, sophomore Kellan Stoughton-Drogowski, and freshman Tyler Rice are back for the Rockets, too. Each strives to fill the role of Jack Hadley, a two-time district qualifier who has since graduated.

Sophomore Nate Luckock and freshman Parker Dalcamo round out the roster.

Here are previews for the other dozen prep teams in the Butler County area:

Butler

The Golden Tornado’s upperclassmen have coalesced, which will go a long way in the boys team making a mark on the links.

“We have a fantastic team this year,” coach Travis Shingleton said. “Definitely one of the better teams I’ve had in my tenure.”

Junior Wyatt Kos finished 14th in the state last season. Senior Ryan Porch turned in a solid performance, too, and comes back even more improved.

Junior Hunter Swidzinski and seniors Parker Worsley and Xander Downing have all brought something to the table, as well. Freshman Jase Renwick and Boden Lenyk are confident newcomers.

Brent Piccola takes over as coach for the Golden Tornado’s girls team, having served as an assistant since 2013. He’s trying to help his group find its identity.

Seniors Taylor Temple, Cailyn Tosadori, and Autumn Gall have provided a glimpse into what the team can be.

“I’m pleasantly surprised already with how we’re playing,” coach Brent Piccola said. “I didn’t know what to expect this year.”

Sophomores Paige Ponteous and Madi Wolfe are the other returners for a group that Piccola feels can compete near the top of Section 4-3A. Wolfe is still recovering from a hand injury suffered during the softball season.

Freeport

Back in familiar territory in WPIAL Section 1-2A, Freeport hopes to be a competitive group this fall. The Yellowjackets’ offseason preparation could go a long way in making sure they are.

“Buffalo Golf Course, where we play, got a golf simulator, so over the winter, they spent a good deal of time in there,” said coach Joe Sprumont. “They’ve really put a lot of time in to put themselves in position to hopefully have a good year.”

Junior Lillie Snow reached the WPIAL 2A Girls Individual Championship a year ago. She was the team’s only golfer to get that far.

Also aiming to build on last season are senior Nate Covey and junior Jayden Diehl.

Other returners on the 27-person roster include sophomore Cam Zigo, senior Eli Abbott, and juniors Matt Ziembicki-Reedy, Holden Palisin, and Hannah Shepherd. Sophomore Stephen Evans has worked his way into the varsity lineup.

Karns City

The Gremlins will focus more on bettering themselves as individuals since the team only sports five golfers this go-round.

“I’m excited about the kids that we do have,” coach Eric Fritch said.

Senior Braden Grossman and sophomore Chloe Fritch are the team’s returners. The latter was the runner-up in District 9 last fall, while also qualifying for states.

“Her and Braden, I lean on those two to show examples,” the elder Fritch said.

Freshman Joe O’Donnell is a newcomer. As are senior girls Cecilia Morrow and Reese Booher, who are both multi-sport student-athletes.

Knoch

The Knights moved down a classification for this year, which figures to allow them to be more competitive than in recent years. It helps that coach Rob Voltz had 23 golfers try out for the team.

“The nice thing is that we’ve never played some of these teams,” coach Rob Voltz said. “The kids are having fun because they have a chance to win every match.”

Seniors Mitch Davies, Gaspere Porco, Jordan Crites, and Steven Painter lead the team. Davies shot 39 in each of Knoch’s first two matches.

Mason Phillips has impressed, while newcomers Levi Yetter and Aiden Froedtert are breaking out, too. All are juniors.

Mars

The Planets’ boys graduated five of their eight varsity golfers from a season ago. According to coach Rich Schoeffel, the standard didn’t go with them.

“We’re going to have a really good team this year,” Schoeffel said. “Probably just as good as last year.”

To stay on par, so to speak, Mars will have to claim at least a share of the WPIAL Section 3-3A crown and reach the finals in the team playoffs.

Some of that conviction comes from the fact that his crew brings back its top three performers, seniors Blake Bertolo and Ryan Steigerwald and sophomore Will Campbell. Bertolo has advanced to states in each of the past two campaigns.

Six different golfers will vie for the other five spots. That group is made up of a sophomore foursome — Cory Killian, James Kinghorn, Collin Stevenson, and Charlie Bickel — and freshmen Matt Mueller and Lucas Singh.

Four seniors from last season graduated for Mars’ girls, leaving them to piece some things together.

“We’re in a rebuilding phase,” coach Ralph Jockel said. “We’re kind of starting from scratch.”

Emily Cronin and Allison Yanief come back as seniors, while Sophie Maestra skipped her final prep year to play in college.

Kendall Bruns, Emily Barent, and Shannon Stacinski are also trying to add some depth.

Moniteau

A solid tandem is back for Moniteau’s boys team, giving a reason for confidence.

“I think we have a ton of potential,” said second-year coach Christina King. “I think, this year, we have a better chance as a team to really go further.”

The Warriors’ top golfer, senior Jacob Felsing, is the reigning District 9 champion and King contends that he’s improved his game. Behind him, junior Dawson Wallace has gone to the district tournament two times in a row.

Junior Landon Kelly is picked up the clubs again this fall after playing for the team his freshman year. Sophomore Connor Ealy and junior Cade Barger are also contributors.

The Warriors’ girls finished on top of District 9 last season. They’re a relatively inexperienced group nowadays.

Of the 15 girls on the Warriors’ roster, 10 hadn’t played golf before. Juniors Jessie Stocks and Taylor Volich are newcomers who have pitched in.

Senior Emma Covert reached states last fall. She’s back, along with junior Mariska Shunk, who’s medaled in each of the team’s first two matches. Junior Kendall Sankey and senior Autumn Stewart also competed last year.

“We’re hoping that we can win all our matches in our league and make a run at districts again,” coach Sue Scialabba said.

Seneca Valley

The Raiders’ boys split the WPIAL Section 3-3A title with Mars last year, then lost four starting seniors.

“We’ve had a lot of underclassmen come in and step up and really take on the challenge of having to fill those roles,” coach Dean Leventopoulous said.

Junior Payton Brown swung on JV last year, while sophomore Tyler Garvin and freshman Marcos Lopez. They supplement senior Lucas Bruns and Dante Rossetti and junior Casey Clawson, who come back with ample experience.

“We try to set expectations that don’t change,” Leventopolous said. “No matter how many people we lose. The new players that come up, we try to start that early.”

The Raiders’ girls made the WPIAL team playoffs for the second time in their history in 2021. The outlook remains steady.

“We lost a couple seniors going into this year that were key to us last year,” coach Kevin Wildrick said. “A few girls started lowering their scores and playing better.”

At the head of the lineup for SV are consistent juniors Lihini Ranaeweera, Madison Sharek, and Sarah McCullough. Ranaeweera has won the individual section championship each of the past two years. Seniors Anna Johnson and Maddie Byrom round out the top five.

Union/A-C Valley

The co-op crew leaves some room for improvement, having finished near the bottom of its section the last time around. The team is made up of nine golfers — four from A-C Valley and five from Union.

“We’re typically pretty young,” coach Mike Weigle said. “This year, we’re already off to a better start than what we did last year.”

It could be the start of an upward trajectory. Weigle expects the sibling tandem of Evie and Hudson Bliss, a senior and freshman, respectively

“They’ve shown that they’re our two low scorers,” Weigle said. “As long as they can shoot well, they’re going to help carry our team to wherever we make it.”

Junior Jaxon Sundling is also in the mix.