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DALLAS — The prestigious Potentate Tournament will feature an age-old rivalry in a semifinal showdown.

It’s another round of Dallas against Lake-Lehman.

How fitting, that the Back Mountain’s biggest amateur golf tournament would bring together one of the area’s best high school battles when Dallas grad Scott Francis and his partner Lou Belgio face Lake-Lehman grad Robbie Michaels and his teammate Mike Lazevnick in a 7:50 a.m. championship flight showdown of the tournament’s Final Four today at Irem County Club.

“We’ve got a little Dallas-Lehman thing going on,” grinned Michaels, a former football running back at Lehman and a stalwart in the middle of the Black Knights’ baseball batting order before going on to play for Wilkes. “We’ve been playing against each other since we were kids.”

The teams of Jim Blinn and Brian Corbett and Brett Slocum and Jim Hoover will meet in the other semifinal at 8 a.m., with the finals to follow at 1:10 p.m.

It’ll be the third straight Potentate semifinals for Francis and Belgio, who won the tournament two years ago and lost on the final hole of the finals last year.

The pair avenged that defeat by taking out last year’s champs, Jim Breck and John Mulhern, in 16 holes of match play during Saturday’s quarterfinals – although Francis said payback was never on his mind.

“Honestly, no. They’re great guys,” said Francis, a former Dallas High School football and baseball standout who went on to pitch for Johns Hopkins and then in the lower levels of the minor leagues for the Atlanta Braves. “We’ve played them before. Any day, we can beat them or they can beat us.”

Michaels and Lazevnick beat both their opponents in 16 holes Saturday, starting with John and Kristopher Konick. Then the top-seeded duo defeated Chris Jones and Gary Neupauer – who happens to be Michaels’ boss – in the quarterfinals.

It was a tougher road to the semifinals for Francis and Belgio, who needed two extra holes to get past Jeff Hodorowski and Kevin Fisher before staving off the team of Breck and Mulhern. Now it’s on to another showdown between Francis and his long-time rival and good buddy Michaels.

“Robbie and I have battled since we were 15 years old,” Francis said. “We’re good friends. We play up here all the time together.”

In non-title play, Daniel Yursha scored his first hole-in-one on No. 17 of the fifth flight.

Scott Francis chips onto the 9th green at the Potentate Tournament at the Irem Temple Country Club in Dallas Township on Saturday afternoon.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_francis.jpg.optimal.jpgScott Francis chips onto the 9th green at the Potentate Tournament at the Irem Temple Country Club in Dallas Township on Saturday afternoon.

Rob Michaels, left, lines up his putt on the 9th green as partner Mike Lazevnick watches during the Potentate Tournament at the Irem Temple Country Club in Dallas Township on Saturday afternoon.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_michaels.jpg.optimal.jpgRob Michaels, left, lines up his putt on the 9th green as partner Mike Lazevnick watches during the Potentate Tournament at the Irem Temple Country Club in Dallas Township on Saturday afternoon.

Lou Belgio watches his drive on the 10th tee in the Potentate Tournament at the Irem Temple Country Club in Dallas Township on Saturday afternoon.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_lou.jpg.optimal.jpgLou Belgio watches his drive on the 10th tee in the Potentate Tournament at the Irem Temple Country Club in Dallas Township on Saturday afternoon.

By Paul Sokoloski

[email protected]

Potentate Tournament Results

Championship Flight

First Round

No. 1 Rob Michaels/Mike Lazevnick def. No. 16 John Konicki/Kristopher Konicki

No. 15 Michael Wills/Brandon Wills def. No. 2 Bob Lipski/Marty Behm

No. 3 Matt Hoover/Greg Mascioli def. No. 14 Brian Suder/Mike Bonovoglia

No. 13 Scott Francis/Lou Belgio def. No. 4 Jeff Hodorowski/Kevin Fisher a.m.

No. 5 Jim Breck/John Mulhern def.. No. 12 Joe Rubbico/Michael Ruggere

No. 6 Brett Slocum/Jim Hoover def. No. 11 Lynn Kilduff/Tom Klimek

No. 7. Jim Blinn/Brian Corbett (69) def. No. 10 Chuck Brand/Joe Weiscarger

No. 8 Gary Neupauer/Chris Jones (69) def. No. 9 Michael Lipski/Kevin Racemus

Quarterfinals

No. 1 Rob Michaels/Mike Lazevnick def. No. 8 Gary Neupauer/Chris Jones

No. 6 Brett Slocum/Jim Hoover def. No. 3 Matt Hoover/Greg Mascioli

No. 7 Jim Blinn/Brian Corbett def. No. 15 Michael Wills/Brandon Wills

No. 13 Scott Francis/Lou Belgio def. No. 5 Jim Breck/John Mulhern

Today’s Semifinals

No. 1 Rob Michaels/Mike Lazevnick vs. No. 13 Scott Francis/Lou Belgio, 7:50 a.m.

No. 6 Brett Slocum/Jim Hoover vs. No. 7 Jim Blinn/Brian Corbett, 8 a.m.

Finals

Semifinals winners, 1:10 p.m.

Reach Paul Sokoloski at 570-991-6392 or on Twitter @TLPaulSokoloski