ADAMS TWP — Practice doesn't really make perfect, but it can make one pretty good.

And Blake Bertolo keeps getting better.

The Mars golfer led the Planets with a 38 average for nine holes as a sophomore last fall and reached the PIAA Tournament. He averaged 39.6 as a freshman.

With two years left in his high school career, Bertolo is hardly resting on his laurels.

“I get out and play golf every day,” said Bertolo, a member at Treesdale. “If I'm not playing nine holes, I'm on the driving range or the putting green ... I'm doing something.

“This past year, I've really gotten into golf. My goal is to play in college. I want to see how far this game can take me.”

Bertolo played in a couple of Isaly's Tri-State Junior PGA Tournaments last spring and summer, placing as high as third in one of them.

He plans to play in 10 such tournaments this year and has already won two of them — topping a field of 80 golfers at Totteridge in May and besting a field of 82 at Hickory Heights in the South Hills last week.

Bertolo competes in the 15-16 age group on the Tri-State Junior PGA Tour. He carded a 3-over-par 75 in winning at Hickory Heights.

The winner of each Tri-State Junior PGA Tour event gets $100 credit at the pro shop of that golf course.

He shot an even-par 72 in winning at Totteridge.

“That was really a tough field,” Bertolo said of Totteridge. “I walked off the 18th green figuring I won, then learned I only tied somebody. I went on to win a playoff.”

Earlier this spring, Bertolo also picked up a win in a two-day tournament on the Buckeye Junior Golf Tour at Hickory Hills in Elizabeth.“I've played a couple of Hurricane (tour) events, too. I didn't do so well there,” Bertolo said.But he's playing — and doing well — quite often.“He's the No. 1 golfer on our team,” Mars High School coach Richard Schoeffel said. “All of last year, it seemed Blake had a golf club in his hand 24/7.“He keeps dropping strokes. I believe his handicap is down to a 1.6 now.”Bertolo has been pushed for the No. 1 spot on the Planets by Ryan Steigerwald, who averaged 39.6 last fall. Both will be juniors in the fall.Mars was 7-8 as a team and missed the WPIAL team playoffs last season.“Blake and Ryan are a good 1-2 punch to build around,” Schoeffel said. “I'm confident we'll be much better as a team.“As Blake matures, he will keep getting better. Right now, he's a shy, laid-back type of kid. I wish he'd be a little more vocal. He needs to make this his team.”Standing 5-foot-10 and weighing approximately 130 pounds, Bertolo generally hits the ball 300 yards off the tee with plenty of accuracy.“I'm happy with how consistent my game has been,” he said. “I feel like my irons are solid and I've got a good feel for the greens. I can read slopes pretty well.“Right now, I'm working on my chipping a lot. I'm not bad at it, but I know I can get stronger in that area.”Schoeffel said it's hard to “nit-pick” with Bertolo's game.“His consistency is his biggest strength,” the coach said. “Blake rarely has a bad round, even a bad hole. When he does hit a bad shot, he recovers from it quickly, usually on the very next shot.”Bertolo's goals for this fall are to lower his 9-hole average again and help lead the Planets into the WPIAL team finals.“I'd love to see us get to the finals,” he said. “And I want to get back to the state tournament again, take another shot at it.”

Bertolo