Abington Heights and Scranton Prep won District 2 Boys Team Golf Championships Monday at Elkview Country Club, combining for a Lackawanna League sweep for the third straight year.
A strong back nine allowed Abington Heights to take control of what had been a tight Class 3A championship match on the way to beating Pittston Area 315-332.
Defending PIAA champion Scranton Prep put five players in the 70s and had Cole Powell and Brendan Powell break par while defeating Lake-Lehman 295-318 in Class 2A.
Comparing the top four scores from the six-player lineups, Abington Heights needed 37s by Ryan Boyd and Phillip Matthews to lead just 157-159 at the turn.
All six Comets shot 41 or better, a feat that Patrick Ruane was the only Pittston Area player to accomplish, on the back nine.
“I didn’t look at the nine-hole scores when I was up at the tent, even though I was in the last group out for my team,” said Boyd, who shot 38 on the back to finish as medalist with a 75. “I just kind of thought that we would do all right.
“I trusted my team and I knew we were going to pull it out.”
The Comets wound up with five of the best six scores in the Class 3A match where Ruane’s 76 was second best.
Boyd used consistency to beat that by a stroke.
“I was hitting iron shots into the green, not really giving myself a lot of birdie looks,” Boyd said after stringing together a series of two-putt pars to go along with two pars. “But I was getting the pars, which is all that really matters.”
Matthews shot 78 and both Will Herold and Sebastian Meyer had 81s to complete the team score for the Comets.
Conner O’Malley-Kalinoski finished with an 82 and Seamus Kelley an 86.
Noah Gruber posted an 83 and Ryan Noone an 85 for Pittston Area. Nick Cook and Andrew Nocito each shot 88 while Gianni Bartorillo had an 89.
Jackson Norconk and Jack Oliver each shot 76 for Lake-Lehman, but the Black Knights were unable to keep up with Scranton Prep getting 78 or better from five of its six players.
Powell led Scranton Prep with a 70 and Bell had a 71.
District individual champion Ben Boyanoski and Bobby Stott added 77s for the unbeaten Cavaliers while Guy Rothery had a 78. Ben Walsh shot 84.
Jack Kashatus and Will Jenkins had matching 83s to complete Lake-Lehman’s team score. Von Voelker had an 84 and Connor Runquist a 94.
The Black Knights were the Wyoming Valley Conference overall champions during the regular season.
Scranton Prep remained undefeated going into the District 2-4 Subregional matches Oct. 14 at Williamsport Country Club at 11 a.m. to determine state tournament participants. The Cavaliers will face Towanda.
Towanda is also the Class 2A girls champion from District 4 and Tunkhannock’s opponent that day.
Abington Heights, which suffered its only two losses in Lackawanna League Division 1 against Scranton Prep, will meet Jersey Shore.
The Abington Heights girls have qualified for the state tournament in Class 3A because there is not an opponent from District 4 that was able to meet the necessary qualifying score.
