NEPA Sports Nation

Nine Boys Golfers To Watch

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:

Abington Heights senior James Flickinger

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.

Lake-Lehman sophomore Michael Lugiano

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.

Scranton Prep senior Thomas Lynch

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.

North Pocono’s Billy Pabst Jr. works on his game at the practice range.

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 (left) spent the summer competing well on a national level.

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.

Scranton Prep senior Michael Sewack

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.

Follow us on social media