Scranton Prep’s Powell in tie for first at PIAA Class 2A golf championships

Cole Powell’s defense of the PIAA Class 2A individual golf championship got off to a strong start on Monday at Penn State’s Blue Course.

The Scranton Prep senior fired a three-under-par 69 to finish his opening round tied for first place as the PIAA Individual golf championships got underway.

Powell shared the opening-round lead with Ben Allwein from Annville Cleona, each two shots clear of the rest of the field as they look ahead to Tuesday’s final round.

In total, 17 District 2 golfers (including six from the Wyoming Valley Conference) were in action Monday as the Class 2A and Class 3A boys’ and girls’ tournaments began.

Powell’s Cavalier teammate Brendan Bell finished Monday in a tie for ninth place with a 74, while fellow Scranton Prep golfers Bobby Stott and Jack Pavuk were in a tie for 15th after shooting matching 75s.

Lake-Lehman’s Jack Oliver, the lone WVC entrant in the Class 2A Boys field, shot a 78 and sits in a tie for 37th. Lakeland’s Mikey Pisarcik shot an 80.

Elsewhere from the WVC contingent, Dallas’s Ryan Roman and Landon Moser both shot 75s in their opening rounds of the Class 3A championship, good for a tie for 27th place.

Abington Heights junior Sebastian Meyer, who beat Roman in a playoff for the District 2 Class 3A title earlier this month, is in seventh place after an opening round 69, three strokes under par on Penn State’s White Course.

Honesdale’s Trevan Dahlgren shot a 78 and Meyer’s Abington Heights teammate Cole Severs posted an 82 to round out District 2’s Class 3A golfers.

Two-time defending Class 3A state champ Carson Kittsley, from Fox Chapel High School, led the way with a seven-under 65, one shot ahead of State College’s Luke McGraw.

Michelle Wu from Wyoming Seminary was the strongest District 2 starter in the Class 2A Girls competition, finishing the opening round in a tie for 13th after posting an 84.

Tunkhannock’s Madison Walker shot a 96 and sits in a tie for 31st along with Montrose’s Victoria Kipar.

Liz George from Abington Heights paced the trio of District 2 golfers in the Class 3A girls competition with a 79, good for a share of 14th place after one round.

North Pocono’s Julia Biko shot an 89 and Wyoming Valley West’s Meghan Singer finished her opening round with a 90.

Shady Side Academy’s Alyssa Zhang leads the Class 2A field after shooting a three-under 69, the only Class 2A girls golfer to shoot under par on Monday.

Dallastown’s Bryn Krosse and York Suburban’s Vivienne Powers each shot a one-under 71 to finish the opening round tied for first.

The PIAA Individual Golf championships will conclude on Tuesday. The team championships, featuring Scranton Prep attempting to defend a Class 2A team state title, will be held Wednesday.

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