MEADVILLE — Gone are the days of a Crawford County-laden Region 3, which once included Meadville, Cambridge Springs, Linesville, Maplewood, Saegertown and Union City.

This season, the latter five programs make the move to Region 4, leaving the Bulldogs in Region 3. But they’ll not be alone. The ’Dogs welcome Grove City, Oil City, Slippery Rock and Warren to the region, making it a wholly Class AAA league.

So Meadville will be playing against some bigger schools this season. Fortunately for the ’Dogs, they have some big talent.

The Bulldogs lost 2011 district qualifier and Region 3 Golfer of the Year Chris Allegretti to graduation, but they bring back a loaded team, which includes sophomore Charlie Holt, who was four strokes away from qualifying for states as a freshman last year. Also back are District 10 qualifiers Mike Bogardus, Zach Luben, Will Malady and Dalton Zelasco.

Not to be forgotten is the high school debut of freshman Zack Ford, who attended a golf academy in South Carolina as an 8th grader and has competed in a number of high-level golf tournaments all over the nation, including most recently in Denver.

Even as underclassmen, Holt and Ford have made their imprint on the team. Both averaged an 18-hole 75 during Monday and Tuesday’s tryouts at Whispering Pines.

“I think both of them could be (state qualifiers),” Meadville head coach Fred Garvey Jr. said. “Zack will probably be in the top 50 in the country for the Class of 2016.

“I don’t want to put any extra pressure on them,” he said, “but I would not be surprised to see them playing at the next level. Zack has hopes of being a Division I golfer.”

Rounding out the top eight for Meadville — which will compete in the team’s season-opener at The Country Club today against Titusville — are Zach Luben (80 average in tryouts), Zelasco (81), Malady (83), Bogardus (84), Trevor Clune (85.5) and Kyle Luben (87).

Now with one varsity season under his belt, Holt has turned into a team leader, Garvey said. Garvey is also happy with his four seniors — Bogardus, Clune, Zach Luben and Malady.

“(Holt is) more vocal this year — he’s really growing up,” Garvey said. “For all my seniors, if my son grows up like them I’ll be a happy guy.”

The PIAA’s new AA and AAA classifications creates quite an issue once districts roll around. Eight players apiece from regions 3 and 7 qualify for the District 10 Class AAA Individual Tournament, which is Oct. 9 at Grove City Country Club. Of those 16 competitors, only two will advance to the West Regional tournament on Oct. 15 in Blairsville.

“It’s definitely harder to get out of districts,” Garvey said.

With Erie schools Cathedral Prep and McDowell also gunning for those two spots, the Bulldogs’ elite will have to be at their best if they want to move on.



Wide open Region 4



While Meadville stayed in Region 3 and has four new rivals, five former Region 3 foes will compete for the Region 4 crown this year.

Cambridge Springs, Conneaut, Maplewood, Saegertown and Union City will work for a region title without having to worry about that pesky Bulldogs team, which easily won the Region 3 championship in 2011.

“We weren’t crying when we heard Meadville is moving up,” Saegertown head coach Brian Hanley said. “There are probably three or four teams who will be battling out for it (for the region title).”

The Panthers, who return every player but graduate Mike Callan from last year’s team, are one of the favorites. Among their returnees is senior Mark Chang, who was the school’s only 2011 district qualifier and also a second-team all-region player.

Also expected to compete for Saegertown’s No. 1 spot are seniors Cody Hayes and Luke Carter and sophomores Josh Gionti, Scott Sada and Greg Beers. Then there are juniors Luke Basko and Kyle Wise.

Hayes and Gionti were second-team all-region last season, while Carter and Wise will play both golf and football.

“I say I have five or six kids who can fight for that top position,” Hanley said. “When Mark is on, he’s pretty hard to beat.”

The Panthers also have a number of other players who will be working hard to break into the starting lineup.

“I’m just excited about the internal competition,” Hanley said. “I believe that’s going to bring a better team.”

Cambridge Springs is also excited about what it returns — nearly everyone. Not a player graduated, while senior Mitchell Meszaros decided to not come out for the team this season.

The Blue Devils return junior Trevor Rodgers, a 2011 District 10 qualifier and the region’s only returning player who was a 2011 first-teamer. The Devils expect a great season out of Rodgers, who Cambridge head coach Larry Shrefler said spent a lot of time on the links during the offseason.

“I would be shocked if he didn’t become the best player in our region,” Shrefler said. “I know he’s one of the most dedicated. I can’t believe there are too many who play as much as him.”

The Blue Devils also have the most seniors of any team in the region. Two of them started nearly every match last season.

“I think we’ll be competitive in Region 4,” Shrefler said. “I think the kids have enough experience that we can compete well enough.”

Then there’s Conneaut Area Senior High School, which includes Conneaut Valley, Conneaut Lake and Linesville after this past summer’s consolidation. All three schools combined to form a Linesville team in the past but will now come from the same building in 2012.

“The only effect it might impose is it might generate a little bit more individual attention to a sport,” Bob Slevin said about Conneaut’s consolidation.

Slevin’s son, Cody Slevin, graduated in June and is playing for Thiel College now. He was first-team all-region and reached the West Regional last year.

Another major player, Kody Kardosh, also graduated. But the team still brings back three starters — second-team all-region pick Jake Yeager, Kyler Betts and Cole Baker. The Eagles also have an eight-player sophomore class.

“They haven’t been tested yet,” Bob Slevin said. “We have a lot of young kids who have not really had much experience. I hope somebody steps up a little bit.”

Union City graduated just one player, but the Bears are still young. The team’s best two returning players are Matthew Lowther and Troy Jackson, both of whom head coach Steve Yovich said are shooting in the low- to mid-80s.

“I think both of them will (make districts),” Yovich said. “With the way it is in Class AA, I think they will.”

Region 4 qualifies eight players into the district tournament and eight players from the district make it to the West Regional.

Maplewood graduated just Taylor Proper, who was a District 10 girls qualifier. The Tigers, however, are a small team, which will field just six players.

Head coach Jack Blatnick said the team goal is to break scores of 50 per nine holes. Leading the way should be junior Carl Douglas.

“We’re hoping that Carl will pick it up from where he ended and get into the 80s for us this year,” Blatnick said.



Lakeview looking to rebuild



Lakeview will be without four starters from last year’s Region 1 runner-up squad — Matt Carlson, Derek Giovengo, Jeremy Heffern and Garrett Shaw. The latter three were all second team all-region.

The Sailors do bring back their best golfer though — senior Sam Magargee, who was a District 10 qualifier and first-team all-region selection. Magargee averaged 43.5 shots per nine holes and has already lowered his nine-hole average by four strokes this preseason.

“I think we’ll be solid 1 through 3,” Lakeview’s Ralph Sundelin said, “and after that there will be a lot of competition for spots.”

Magargee will be joined by returnees Casey Greggs and Keith Kepner in the aforementioned solid top three.



Lady Bulldogs gaining experience



The Meadville girls golf team has just five players this season, but each of them competed on last year’s squad, which was third out of four teams in Region 1. The Lady Bulldogs make a move to the Class AAA Region 3 where they will oppose McDowell, Strong Vincent and Warren.

“I think it’s going to make a little bit of a difference mentally for the players,” Meadville assistant coach Mike Ditzenberger said about region change. “We’re playing the bigger schools now. I tell them that it is still an individual game — play your shot and bring your scores in.”

Lacey Latta, Kailey Malady, Abby Moore and Michaela Persichini were all second-team all-region last year. Felicia Krasa also returns. Ditzenberger is most excited about Latta’s progress.

“(Latta) ... worked extremely hard,” he said. “She’s probably going to score well but to project what can happen, it’s hard to project. We’re still growing. ... We’re really in the developmental stages.”



Lady Bears still growing



Union City lost its best two girls from last season. Savannah Dawson was a four-time district qualifier and Katie Kirik qualified last year.

Junior Julia Ferringer and Michaela Krause are the main returnees, while the rest of the team is inexperienced, including first-year senior Hannah Fielding.

“Everyone else is new but I feel like it’s a pretty good nucleus of a team,” Union City head coach Nathan DeSimone said. “We have a lot of learning to do this year. We’re still building for our future.”