Scranton Prep, Lackawanna Trail and Abington Heights were a combined 17-1 in Lackawanna League golf matches through Labor Day.
After moving up from Division 2 to Division for this season, Scranton Prep was able to take the division lead when it won a showdown between 2023 division champions and long-time league powerhouses, 149-151, Aug. 15 at Glen Oak Country Club.
The teams combined to have seven players shoot 38 or better.
The Cavaliers finished strong to overcome a 1-under-par, 35 by Conner Abel.
Cole Powell, Ben Walsh and Brendan Bell all shot 37 for Scranton Prep.
Ben Boyanoski from Scranton Prep and both Robert Munley and Cade Kelleher from Abington Heights finished with 38s.
This is the first season of the Lackawanna League switching away from match play, which it had stuck to for decades, to the medal play used by leagues around the state and in postseason Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association competition. The top four scores out of six players make up the team score.
Scranton Prep leads Division 1 with a 5-0 record. Abington Heights is second at 3-1.
Lackawanna Trail is 9-0 in Division 2 behind the league’s only other unbeaten, Riverside, which is 11-0.
Abington Heights and Lackawanna Trail also met up for a non-league match Aug. 20 at Glen Oak.
The Comets emerged victorious, 156-161, behind a 36 by Robby Lucas and 37 by Cade Kelleher.
The 3-1 league start by Abington Heights includes a 1-over-par team score Aug. 21 for a 145-194 romp over Delaware Valley.
Lucas shot a 4-under, 32 and Munley added a 36 to lead the win.
Abington Heights was unable to win its third straight team title at the Selinsgrove Invitational Aug. 16, but the Comets did the next-best thing. They entered two teams finished second and third behind team champion Towanda.
Towanda finished at 22-over to beat Abington Heights Blue by three strokes and Abington Heights White by four. No one else in the 20-team field came within fewer than nine strokes of the Comets.
Robert Bingham led the way, sharing first place with Towanda’s Graham Welles, with each shooting 75 at Susquehanna Valley Country Club.
Lucas tied for fifth with a 77, Kelleher tied for seventh with a 78 and Luke Swank was 10th with a 79.
