EXETER – With a berth in the PIAA East Regional on the line, Dallas junior Ethan Zawatski and Lake-Lehman sophomore Bobby Lugiano put together strong finishes Monday at Fox Hill Country Club.
Each earned bronze medals and advanced to within one step of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Championships by reaching the East Regionals, which are scheduled for Oct. 16 at Golden Oaks Golf Club in Fleetwood.
Zawatski shot a 79 to place third in Class 3A where four regional berths were available. Lugiano’s 80 was good for third place in Class 2A and got him comfortably into the six available regional spots.
After beginning on 15 in the shot-gun start, Zawatski was 7-over through 10 holes, but played the last eight in 1-over with the help of a birdie at 8 where he made a 10-foot downhill putt after hitting the green with a 9-iron.
“I picked it up at the end,” said Zawatski, who turned in his front nine score on his way to the 10th tee to finish his round. “At the turn, I saw a lot of high scores and I knew my 40 was all right if I could put together a good back nine.”
Lugiano, the Class 2A medalist during WVC qualifying, had to recover from a slow start for the second straight week.
“I started off rough,” he said of bogeys on 1 and 2 before a double bogey on 3. “The front nine, overall, I came in with a 42 and was still not really finding it.
“Nothing was really working. Then, I bogeyed 10 and at 11, I double bogeyed.”
A birdie on 12 on a wedge shot to one foot finally settled Lugiano, who finished with six straight pars.
“That really got me going,” Lugiano said. “I was confident after that.
“Nothing was smooth. I made about four 15-footers, so the putting really helped me out.”
While Lugiano was the lone Lake-Lehman player in the tournament, the entire six-man Dallas lineup made it through Wyoming Valley Conference qualifying for a shot at the district tournament.
Kyle McAndrew was one shot out of a playoff to determine the final regional berth. He finished tied for sixth in the 30-player field with an 82.
Defending District 2 champion Mason Gattuso shot an 84 and tied for seventh with teammate Brett Ostroski and Tunkhannock’s Tyler Faux.
Colin Bowanko and Cooper Kelley were 17th and 18th with 89 and 90.
KILDUFF CUP
Colin Bowanko shot a 3-under-par, 39 Sept. 29 at Irem Temple Country Club when Dallas defeated Lake-Lehman, 162-224, in the second annual Kilduff Cup.
Kyle McAndrew added a 40, Mason Gattuso a 41 and Brett Ostroski 42.
Bobby Lugiano shot a 45 and Tanner Henry added a 54 to lead Lake-Lehman.
The Kilduff Cup was created last year to honor the memory of former Dallas teacher and coach Thomas Kilduff, the father of current Dallas coach, Jane Kilduff.
