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By JOE PETRUCCI [email protected]
Tuesday, August 19, 2003     Page: 1B

BEAR CREEK TWP. – Perhaps the best thing for Eric Plisko’s golf game was to
stay off the course.
   
Plisko played few rounds this year, opting instead to toil on the practice
range and putting green since April.
    That time proved invaluable, as Plisko won his second tournament this month
against the toughest of opponents.
   
The Hanover Area junior fired a 1-over-par 73 at Wilkes-Barre Golf Club on
Monday to win the Wyoming Valley Conference Tom Tryba Preseason Tournament,
the WVC’s second-annual event to start the scholastic season.
   
“My swing wasn’t great at the beginning of the season, but it’s finally
starting to come around,” said Plisko. “I’m playing real well. I’m just
trying to keep it consistent.”
   
Wyoming Seminary junior Ross Brown finished behind Plisko for the second
time this month. Plisko earned the gold medal and Brown the silver in the
10th-grade division at the Keystone State Games golf competition on Aug. 1,
also at Wilkes-Barre Golf Club. Berwick’s Derek Bailey, the WVC Southern
Division Most Valuable Player a year ago, was tied with Brown for second on
Monday with a 2-over 74.
   
Scores from the field of 112 were considerably lower than last year’s
inaugural event. Sixteen golfers broke 80 on Monday, while just seven were
lower than 80 in 2002. The event is named for Tryba, a former, 31-year
Coughlin coach, one of the WVC’s founding fathers and winningest high school
golf coaches in the state.
   
Seminary’s Ryan Gower was fourth with a 75 and Dallas’ Mike Peeler was
fifth, carding a 76.
   
Seminary won the team title for the second consecutive year – the top four
scores from each team’s six players counted – totaling 313 strokes, four
strokes ahead of defending WVC champion Coughlin (317).
   
Bishop Hoban was third (318), led by 77s from Marco Ciaverella and Jarod
Nothstein, who tied for sixth place with Coughlin’s Jason Stankiewicz. Hanover
Area was fourth (319) and Berwick was fifth (325).
   
Plisko estimated he played only eight rounds before his Keystone State
Games victory, or about two per month – well below normal for a regular
player. Instead, Plisko hit the driving range and putting green three to four
times a week, working for an hour on his woods and irons, then an hour on his
putting. Hanover coach Marty Behm spent a lot of time tutoring Plisko.
   
Mostly, Plisko wasn’t keeping his club straight on his backswing, causing
him to draw the ball. On a bad day, Plisko said, he could be “pathetic.” But
eventually, he got things going straighter.
   
“I had to work hard,” said Plisko. “It’s finally starting to come
around.”
   
Plisko began the shotgun-start event on No. 1, parring seven holes on the
front nine. Plisko birdied the 158-yard, par-3 No. 4, hitting an 8-iron to
within six feet. He bogeyed No. 6, a short, 310-yard par 4, when his
three-foot par putt lipped out.
   
Plisko started the back nine poorly. His drives on Nos. 10 (536-yard par 5)
and 11 (415-yard par 4) found the woods and he had to punch out from there,
leading to consecutive bogeys. He bounced back with a 6-iron off the No. 12
tee from 184 yards that stopped within three feet of the pin, and he putted in
for birdie to get back to 1-over.
   
He then parred the next four holes before bogeying No. 17 (186-yard par 3).
On 18, he hit a little sand wedge onto the green and his four-foot birdie putt
broke slightly to the left and into the cup.
   
“I was surprised and relieved,” Plisko, one of the first players off the
course, said of learning he was atop the leaderboard.
   
Defending District 2 champion Tony Tosh of Coughlin tied for ninth with a
78, along with Hazleton Area’s Chris Dymek, Wyoming Valley West’s Ronnie
Fitser and Tunkhannock’s Mike O’Mara.
   
WVC Tom Tryba Preseason Tournament
   
E. Plisko, HanoverLD.36-3773
   
D. Bailey, BerwickLD.39-3574
   
R. Brown, SeminaryLD.39-3574
   
R. Gower, SeminaryLD.39-3675
   
M. Peeler, DallasLD.39-3776
   
M. Ciavarella, HobanLD.39-3877
   
J. Nothstein, HobanLD.40-3777
   
J. Stankiewicz, CoughlinLD.39-3877
   
C. Dymek, HazletonLD.39-3978
   
R. Fitser, Valley WestLD.39-3978
   
M. O’Mara, TunkhannockLD.36-4378
   
T. Tosh, CoughlinLD.38-4078
   
R. Dimmick, DallasLD.41-3979
   
M. Heller, BerwickLD.39-4079
   
R. Matisak, HazletonLD.39-4079
   
M. Mileski, HobanLD.40-3979
   
J. Mattei, CoughlinLD.37-4380
   
D. White, LehmanLD.37-4380
   
J. Berman, SeminaryLD.38-4381
   
M. Josefowicz, HanoverLD.39-4281
   
M. Kane, Valley WestLD.41-4081
   
M. Lehman, CrestwoodLD.38-4381
   
K. O’Donnell, MeyersLD.42-3981
   
A. Andrejko, HanoverLD.39-4382
   
B. Birk, CrestwoodLD.42-4082
   
C. Hopkins, TunkhannockLD.42-4082
   
J. Lahr, CoughlinLD.41-4182
   
B. Martz, BerwickLD.43-3982
   
J. Pensack, TunkhannockLD.42-4082
   
M. Franko, TunkhannockLD.41-4283
   
C. Molitoris, SeminaryLD.40-4383
   
M. Murphy, HanoverLD.43-4083
   
M. Biscontini, WyomingLD.43-4184
   
M. Lunski, HanoverLD.38-4684
   
S. Murray, CrestwoodLD.40-4484
   
K. Perry, WyomingLD.41-4384
   
M. Sokolowsky, PittstonLD.44-4084
   
M. Clemente, HobanLD.41-4485
   
M. DeMarco, HazletonLD.42-4385
   
S. Lunger, TunkhannockLD.43-4285
   
B. Tirva, PittstonLD.46-4086
   
A. Atkinson, WyomingLD.43-4487
   
M. Biskup, CrestwoodLD.46-4187
   
B. Kerstetter, CrestwoodLD.39-4887
   
M. Lloyd, SeminaryLD.46-4187
   
J. Ulichney, NanticokeLD.44-4387
   
D. Troynacki, PittstonLD.45-4287
   
M. Fredmonski, SetonLD.40-4888
   
J. Aciukewicz, O’ReillyLD.44-4589
   
T. Bloom, BerwickLD.45-4489
   
T. Bohinski, GARLD.43-4689
   
C. Judge, O’ReillyLD.47-4289
   
M. Perrone, SeminaryLD.40-4989
   
J.J. Scott, BerwickLD.45-4489
   
J.J. Stelma, TunkhannockLD.46-4389
   
E. Weiscarger, HobanLD.44-4589
   
J. Montville, WyomingLD.44-4690
   
K. Moules, Valley WestLD.47-4390
   
N. Peck, NanticokeLD.46-4490
   
J. Shandra, PittstonLD.46-4490
   
S. Cardillo, LehmanLD.47-4491
   
A. King, DallasLD.47-4491
   
A.J. Nobile, Valley WestLD.45-4691
   
M. Scatena, WyomingLD.46-4591
   
J. Stephens, DallasLD.41-5091
   
R. Wesley, HanoverLD.44-4791
   
B. Wisnoski, WyomingLD.44-4791
   
A. Wusfus, HafeyLD.47-4491
   
R. Yocum, O’ReillyLD.46-4591
   
J. Clemente, HobanLD.48-4492
   
M. Panko, SetonLD.47-4693
   
B. Edgeton, Valley WestLD.44-4993
   
E. Zelinski, SetonLD.48-4593
   
M. Tracy, CoughlinLD.46-4894
   
J. Williams, HazletonLD.49-4594
   
S. Gilroy, DallasLD.47-4895
   
S. Landis, HazletonLD.48-4795
   
J. Stevens, SetonLD.47-4895
   
J. May, BerwickLD.44-5296
   
F. Schiel, GARLD.44-5296
   
M. Collins, MeyersLD.50-4797
   
F. D’Angelo, HafeyLD.48-4997
   
N. Fino, CrestwoodLD.45-5297
   
J. Sherin, O’ReillyLD.47-5097
   
D. Hockenberry, CoughlinLD.50-4898
   
M. Rossick, LehmanLD.45-5398
   
B. Anders, Valley WestLD.50-4999
   
D. Piazza, LehmanLD.50-4999
   
E. Frusciante, O’ReillyLD.46-54100
   
A. Durako, SetonLD.49-52101
   
S. Tarnowski, NanticokeLD.50-52102
   
M. Wills, DallasLD.51-51102
   
B. Burczy, HafeyLD.52-51103
   
S. Girman, SetonLD.51-52103
   
K. Kubik, HazletonLD.50-53103
   
T. Sisock, HafeyLD.55-48103
   
M. Elias, MeyersLD.54-50104
   
A. Suchinski, PittstonLD.54-50104
   
R. Moss, MeyersLD.54-51105
   
C. Thomas, GARLD.50-55105
   
D. Williams, LehmanLD.58-49107
   
J. Augustini, NanticokeLD.54-54108
   
I. Hazus, NanticokeLD.52-56108
   
B. Cardillo, LehmanLD.54-56110
   
K. Menzies, MeyersLD.55-55110
   
J. Poremba, NanticokeLD.53-57110
   
K. Gallagher, O’ReillyLD.57-56113
   
S. Ulichny, HafeyLD.57-56113
   
T. Breslin, HafeyLD.55-59114
   
F. DeHaut, GARLD.55-61116
   
M. Stepanski, GARLD.65-60125
   
J. Krynick, MeyersLD.69-70139
   
M. Maros, SetonLD.WD
   
Team scoring: 1. Wyoming Seminary 313; 2. Coughlin 317; 3. Bishop Hoban
318; 4. Hanover Area 319; 5. Berwick 324; 6. Tunkhannock 325; 7. Crestwood
334; 8. Hazleton Area 336; 9. Dallas 337; 10. Wyoming Valley West 340; 11.
Wyoming Area 345; 12. Pittston Area 347; 13. Bishop O’Reilly 366; 14.
Lake-Lehman 368; 15. Seton Catholic 369; 16. Nanticoke Area 387; 17. Meyers
392; 18. Bishop Hafey 394; 19. GAR 406