Sipe, Mills lead EL golf to state championships

Elk Lake’s Chloe Sipe kept her hot steak going as she captured third place in girls Class 2A and qualify for Regionals in an otherwise tough day for local golfers at the PIAA District II championships held at Elmhurst Country Club.
Sipe shot a 92 on the par 73 course and finished behind MMI Prep’s Jess McClellan who shot an 81 and Hanover Area’s Kyleen McCance (89).
Sipe credited her shots off the tee as the key to her success but felt her short game could have been better.
“My long shots were working great. I could get off the tee perfectly almost every time,” said Sipe. “But I was pulling a lot of my putts, if I had kept my head down I could have one or two putted every hole.”
Elk Lake’s Taegan Mills missed the cut to the next round with a score of 103. Mills struggled throughout the day with a neck injury that almost forced her to bow out of the team championships.
In the Boys 2A contest, Elk Lake’s Jason Mowry had a rough front nine holes on his way to an 86 on the par 72 course and missed the cut by seven strokes. Mowry shot a 48 on the front and recovered with a 38 on the back nine.
The other two local golfers that qualified were Montrose’s Riley Brown who shot a 94; and Isaac Walker, who withdrew during the match.
Scotts Green Classic
Mills rebounded three days after the district championships by putting together one of her best outings of the year. Mills medaled with an even par 33 to capture the individual championship of the Scotts Green Girls Golf Classic and led the Lady Warriors to the team title.
Mills’s finish placed her a comfortable distance in front of the rest of the field as Abington Height’s Liz Franchetti was second with a 39. Wallenpauck’s Alexis Peet, Valley View’s Jade Krause, and Elk Lake’s Sipe tied with a 42 to round out the top five.
Elk Lake’s Reese Warriner came in with a 45 to combine with Mills and Sipe to capture the team title with a 120. The Lady Warriors finished easily ahead of Valley View (135); and Scranton Prep and Tunkhannock tied for third place with a score of 153.
The Lady Warriors also found out Friday that they have qualified for the Girls 2A State Championships that will be held Oct. 24 at Heritage Hills Golf Resort in York. No girls 2A team in District 4 met the qualifying criteria, so Elk Lake bypassed Regional play and earned their trip to the State Championships.