This year’s  Pine Grove Area Golf Team has been very successful. Head Coach of 18 years, Paul Felty says “I am very pleased with the season. We were able to use some of our returning experience and combine it successfully with our new inexperienced people and play well enough to win the division which is the first time since 2005. The chemistry on the team is very good and each person worked hard to achieve the team’s goals.”

The  team placed 1st in District II, beating out: Marian, Mahanoy Area, Weatherly, Nativity and North Schuylkill with a 9-1 record. Karson Felty says “For the first time in a long time we were the team to beat, we were the Titans with the target on our back, but our team rose to the challenge and pushed through and I couldn’t be prouder of them.” The golf team participated in a tournament at the Lykens Valley Golf course which also included teams from Millersburg and Mount Calvary Christian School. The team went 1-1. Their 10-2 record pushed the Cardinals into 2nd place overall in the District XI power ranking, securing a spot in the District XI Team Championship tournament at the Lehigh Valley Country Club on October 8th.

Along with their other accomplishments, the Pine Grove Area Golf Team placed 3rd behind winner Blue Mountain and runner-up Lourdes in the Schuylkill County Team Championship.  Sophomore Griffin Nagle, “We’ve been practicing just as hard as any other team and I’m very excited for next year. We will be two times if not three times better than we were this year.”

Not only has the team as a whole been very successful, but two members of the golf team have qualified even further for individual championships. Junior, Karson Felty, played in the District XI Boys and Girls Individual Qualifier on October 1st. Unfortunately, only top five move on and Karson placed 6th, coming up short missing out by only 2 points.  “I’m going to keep practicing everyday, and keep looking forward for next year,”  said Karson.

Casey Kershner will also be golfing in Girls District XI Individuals Championship in which she already qualified for by finishing 2nd in Schuylkill League Girls Championship. Kershner did not always play golf, in her years before she played on the Pine Grove Area Soccer Team as a defender. “Deciding to play golf over soccer was not an easy decision, but I realized that golf was easier on my body physically and I can enjoy playing it for many years, even after I graduate.”  Casey is looking forward to playing in the championship and the motto she is following is “See ball. Whack ball. Put ball in cup!”

Casey Kershner finished fourth overall in the Girls District XI Individuals Championship. Unfortunately, to move on Kershner would have to had placed second or first to move onto the next round. Casey says “It feels good to get this far because its my first year, but it was still a little frustrating because I didn’t do as good as I knew I could!”