MADDIE KOSHKO
EBENSBURG — Maddie Koshko doesn’t overthink the game of golf. It’s just a matter of making every part of her game a habit. As a result, the St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy freshman has made a habit of winning, even playing for the WolfPack boys team with twotime District 6 Class 2A champion Tim Peters. “Maddie has been such an incredible addition to our program,” WolfPack coach Chad Walsh said. “I can’t wait to observe what her future holds.” Now, like Peters, Koshko is a district champion. She birdied three holes at Ebensburg Country Club on Thursday, Sept. 29, to win by eight strokes with a plus-2,
73. “It feels great being a district champ because I’ve worked so hard to get to where I am,” Koschko said. “I went into (the tournament) without any expectations, just to have fun and keep doing my routine and take my time.” The runner-up was Cassidy Miksich of Tyrone, who was trying to become a four-time D6-2A champion. “She was totally in her element, competing individually against girls, and it showed,” Walsh said.
“To go out on that course, with those competitors, as a freshman, and shoot 2 over par shows the kind of focused competitor she is.”
That’s the key for Koshko. She’s been unflappable. She practices and she plays as she practices. Her skill is a commitment to repeating her performance innately, at this point.
“I think I’ve done well this season because I had no expectations,” Koshko said. “The best part of my game (at districts) was my putting. I made some great par saves that kept my spirits up.”
By virtue of her finish, Koshko will compete at the PIAA championships on Penn State’s Blue Course on Oct. 17-18.
“I’m going to prepare for states the same way I prepared for districts: keep doing my drills and working on mental preparation,” Koshko said. “My only goals are to stay positive and focus on my routine.”
Koshko was the only Centre County girl to qualify for states. In Class 2A, Penns Valley’s Paige Dobson turned in the nextbest performance with a 107.
Only six 2A girls cracked 100. Emmalin Pringle of Bellefonte scored 121, Philipsburg-Osceola’s Camden Potter carded 124, Bellefonte’s Sydney Hamilton registered a 134, Penns Valley’s Sophie McMurtrie shot 138 and P-O’s Olivia Hutton finished with a 149.
State College, led by Hannah Kopac’s 96, won the team championship in Class 3A over Altoona. The Lady Little Lions’ top three scorers totaled 323; Altoona’s scored 342. Because they didn’t meet the cutoff score of 300, the Lady Little Lions didn’t qualify for a subregional match with a berth at states on the line.
Kopac was third individually, two strokes off the pace of district champion Ashden Stitt of Hollidaysburg. Teammate Claire Dworsky was fifth with a round of
105. Sarah Huang rounded out State’s team scorers by hitting a 122, and Ryan Powell checked in with a 148.
SC BOYS ADVANCE
Joey Sabol made three birdies and finished with a 1-under-par 70 to lead the State College boys over Cathedral Prep and St. Marys in the District 6-9-10 Class 3A subregional match on Tuesday, Oct. 4, at Mountain View Country Club.
The victory clinched a berth to the PIAA tournament later this month for the Little Lions, who’d won the District 6 team title last week. State College finished with a score of 310, 26-over par. Cathedral Prep shot 317 and St. Marys 371.
The match itself quickly became a battle between State College and Cathedral Prep, the District 10 champion. The Ramblers led early, but State College drew even and overtook them around the middle of the front nine and led the rest of the way, although Cathedral Prep closed the gap toward the end.
Sabol birdied two of the first five holes and played remarkably consistently the rest of the way, only making his second bogey on the 18th. He had the best individual performance, three strokes fewer than Cathedral Prep’s Breckin Taylor. District 6 individual champion Max Wager had the third-best round, shooting 76. He was even par through 16 holes.
A.J. Corson and Thomas Hay both shot 82 to round out the cut for the Little Lions. Luke Janac was State College’s fifth player, finishing with an 84.
