No clear favorite at WCCA boys golf championship

By: Paul Schofield
Wednesday, September 11, 2019 | 5:58 PM

For the past four seasons, the Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association’s boys golf tournament has been dominated by three of the top amateur golfers in Western Pa.: Brad Pevarnik, Palmer Jackson and Mark Goetz.

The trio dominated not only the county but also the WPIAL and PIAA.

Well, they’re off to college.

Goetz, the 2016 winner, is a junior West Virginia. Jackson, the 2015 winner, is a freshman at Notre Dame. And Pevarnik, who earned his second consecutive title last year by edging Jackson in a scorecard playoff, is a freshman at Penn State.

So the 2019 title appears up for grabs Thursday at Latrobe Elks Golf Club, a course that features numerous tricky holes and difficult greens, which could elevate scores. The event begins at 9:30 a.m. with a shotgun start.

Greensburg Salem senior Jeff Mankins and Norwin junior Salvatore Cerilli are among the favorites.

Penn-Trafford’s Alex Turowski, Latrobe’s Mario Battaglia, Belle Vernon’s Jake Caldwell and the Franklin Regional duo of Chuck Tragesser and Michael Wareham are others capable of winning.

WCCA officials are expecting at least 15 of the 19 schools in the county to send teams.

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.