BLUE BELL, PA – Alex Durelli was excited. He was also nervous.
In the end, he was a champion.
While La Salle High School enveloped the golf team championship for the 14th time since 2000 in the Catholic League championship October 3 at Melrose Country Club, Durelli placed first overall - though it did require a dramatic finish.
With a score of 73, the Roman Catholic senior was tied with St. Joseph's Prep junior Andrew Gallagher after 18 holes. In the first round of sudden death, Durelli prevailed.
"It was my first-ever sudden-death playoff," said Durelli. "I was just thinking that I knew I was a good enough player to win, and I just had to trust my abilities as a golfer and just go out and execute and be happy with the result no matter what because I tried."
Although the District XII tournament (on October 11 at Blue Bell's Meadowlands Country Club) remains on the horizon, Durelli said this latest match will be forever ingrained in his memory.
Alex Durelli of Roman with PCL golf moderator George Todt - photo courtesy of Archdiocese of Philadelphia
"It felt great to win, especially because it was my senior year and I knew it was my last opportunity to win that tournament," said Durelli. "It's a moment I will never forget."
Durelli described the sudden-death challenge.
St. Joe's Prep receives 2nd place trophy - photo courtesy of AOPAthletics.org
"My nerves played a part in the match by just being so excited to be in that opportunity, and it was just more of an adrenaline rush," he said. "I had to control myself and get myself mentally prepared. There was a long wait because I was the first group in with the lowest score at the time, so I was leading and then (Gallagher) came in with the same score as me."
As a team, La Salle was paced by sophomore Frank Gregor and junior Bud Hansen, both of whom shot both shot a 76.
"It was a great day for La Salle and the golf team," said Hansen. "Mr. (Marty) Jackson (golf coach) has been telling us since the beginning of the season that winning the PCL (Philadelphia Catholic League) is our first goal.
"The round was a grind. Melrose is a tough course and you cannot make a mistake out there. It was a great feeling finishing (tied for fourth place) with my teammate, Frankie Gregor. I set a personal goal for myself this year to make it to PCL's. Shooting 76 was a great feeling."
Hansen said not being among the top eight La Salle finishers last fall provided plentiful incentive.
"I played in a lot of tournaments and spent many hours at the range, putting green, and working the short game trying to improve my game," said Hansen. "My swing coach (Brian Quinn) has helped me tremendously this past year to get me to where I am now."
La Salle 's team secures 1st place in PCL Championship - photo courtesy of AOPAthletics.org
Added teammate Gregor: "It was an awesome feeling to win the PCL. We all felt good going into the day, and we were all happy that the work throughout the year paid off.
"To place (as an individual) was awesome, although I never was really thinking about it. I birded my last two holes, so I was not really in the mix until the end."
Karly Brown takes 1st place for girls individual & third overall in the PCL Championship - photo courtesy of K.Brown
Karly Brown finished third, two strokes from forging a three-way tie for first. The Archbishop Wood senior, however, also competed for the girls' individual title, and she emerged victorious for a fourth consecutive season.
"Winning was a great way to finish my high school experience, and I am really fortunate to have had a great four years with the team," said Brown. "Placing well within the boys' championship kind of turned everything around for me.
"After having a tough summer of golf, playing well on that course and against great competition kind of improved my entire outlook on how the summer went. The best part was moving on with the team to districts. That was unexpected, but I knew we could do it because we had worked all season long."
(John Knebels can be reached at jknebels@gmail.com or by Twitter @johnknebels.)