District 2 has several talented boys golfers returning with established credentials on the local and state level.
Here is a list of Nine Players To Watch going into Thursday’s start of the season:
James Flickinger, Abington Heights senior
One of three players to tie for fourth place in District 2 Class 3A last season, Flickinger played a major role in the team’s success. Flickinger had the team’s best score in the district title match victory and in its fifth-place finish in the state in Class 3A, along with the second-best score in a subregional win.
Bryce Florey, Abington Heights senior
Another of the three players who tied for fourth place in the District 2 Class 3A individual tournament, Florey had the best score in the subregional victory that qualified the team for the state tournament.
Michael Lugiano, Lake-Lehman sophomore
By placing third in the District 2 Class 2A tournament, Lugiano qualified for the state tournament where he finished 15th. The Huntsville Golf Club junior champion finished second in the Anthracite Golf Association’s Lawler Junior Tour Tournament of Champions this summer.
Thomas Lynch, Scranton Prep senior
The District 2 runner-up made it to the state tournament as both an individual and a member of the team that wound up winning the Class 2A championship, the first state title by a Lackawanna League team.
Michael Maslanka, Riverside sophomore
Maslanka showed he was ready for high school golf when, as a 14-year-old in the summer of 2020, he beat out many of the area’s top high school players to claim the title in the AGA’s Lawler Junior Tour Tournament of Champions. He followed with a strong regular season as a freshman, then finished tied for sixth in the District 2 Class 2A tournament. Maslanka continued to beat older players this summer, including a victory in the 16-18 division of the Philadelphia PGA Junior Tour.
Billy Pabst Jr., North Pocono senior
The defending District 2 Class 3A champion shot even par at the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Individual Championships to finish tied for sixth in the state in Class 3A. The last time the league had a preseason tournament, then known as the Jackman Memorial, Pabst was the individual champion as a sophomore in 2019. This summer, Pabst qualified for the U.S. Junior Amateur.
Logan Paczewski, Dallas senior
The 2019 District 2 Class 3A champion had another successful summer. Paczewski qualified for the U.S. Junior Amateur; came within a stroke of making the U.S. Amateur, where he was the second alternate; and played in other national events, including a pair of second-place finishes and a sixth place on the American Junior Golf Association Tour. The Rutgers University commit teamed with Tyler McGarry to win the Potentate, a three-day, adult Member-Guest event at Irem Temple Country Club.
Cael Ropietski, Lake-Lehman sophomore
A record-breaking effort over two days at Fox Hill Country Club and Huntsville Golf Club made Ropietski the winner of this summer’s AGA Lawler Junior Tour Tournament of Champions. Ropietski shot 140 for 36 holes to lower the record previously held by Nicholas Reach (2007), Brandon Matthews (2010) and Chase Makowski (2012) by one stroke. As a freshman playing for Holy Redeemer, Ropietski helped the Royals to the Wyoming Valley Conference Division 3 title and placed ninth in the District 2 Class 2A Tournament. EDITOR’S NOTE: In the only change since the rankings were originally posted, Ropietski’s school has been changed to Lake-Lehman following his clearance by District 2 on Aug. 26 to play for the Black Knights along with brother Eli Ropietski, who also transferred.
Michael Sewack, Scranton Prep senior
The District 2 Class 2A individual champion also contributed to the division, district and state team titles by the Cavaliers. Sewack had the team’s best score in both the subregional match that put Scranton Prep in the state tournament and there at Heritage Hills Golf Resort in York when the Cavaliers won their state championship.
