Pine-Richland boys golfers dismiss doubts, earn shot at successful postseason

By: Ted Sarneso
Sunday, September 14, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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As the summer air gives way to a brisker, autumn feel, the regular season begins to wrap up in high school golf and the postseason picture begins to come into focus.

The Pine-Richland boys golf team has been playing well all season and has held on firmly to the second and final team playoff position in its section.

Who’s doubting now?

Coming into the 2025 golf season, Pine-Richland was facing a lot of questions after having lost a good portion of a lineup that finished fifth in Section 3-3A last season.

The Rams lost a lot of talent from their group of seniors. William Hilton and Roger Williams both made it to the WPIAL championships last year at Oakmont Country Club, and Clayton Kost was a section qualifier.

“We lost four seniors from last year’s team, and the biggest question mark coming into this year was how everybody was going to mesh and play as a unit,” said senior Cooper Hockenberry.

Hockenberry and fellow senior and team captain Owen Thompson found a host of ways for the team to jell through postmatch meals, extra rounds of golf and just generally being around each other.

But it also helps when a team gets elevated play from the younger players.

“When you lose guys like we did, it is important to have some juniors step up,” said coach Jeff Seybert.

The Rams (8-2, 6-2) received strong play from a quartet of juniors that helped propel them to the top of their section on Sept. 9.

Leading the way is the duo of Michael Pifer and Sam Schneck, who have also been playing partners the last few weeks.

“You have to find those pairings that not only help the team, but ones where the kids are going to help each other out over the course of a match,” said Seybert.

On Sept. 3, the Rams played in an 18-hole tournament at Slippery Rock Golf Club and every one of the six Rams golfers shot in the 70s, totaling a 373. Schneck led the way with a 2-over 72.

“He’s considered our No. 1 golfer, and he’s playing well above the level he was at last year,” said Seybert. “He had two bad holes that cost him being 2- or 3-under that day.”

When asked how Schneck has been able to make such a turnaround, both Hockenberry and Thompson pointed to the same reason: hard work.

“You can just tell he’s put in the work,” said Thompson. “Last year, he was shooting around a 39, but in these last two weeks, he’s been tremendous, shooting a 34 and a 35 and being at or near par.”

“He’s such a grinder, he worked on his game all offseason and played a bunch of tournaments in the summer,” said Hockenberry. “He didn’t start the season strong, felt it wasn’t up to his standards, but it was a matter of it coming together for him.”

Schneck’s playing partner Michael Pifer has also shown huge improvement this season. He has been the most consistent golfer for the Rams, posting a score between a 36 and a 38 every time out. He shot the best score all year for the Rams with a 34.

“He’ll have a bad round here or there, but we know that every match we’re going to get a good score from him,” said Thompson.

The other two juniors having strong years are Adam Henne and Nathan Howard.

“Adam has come in and shot some good rounds for us and has become more consistent than I thought he would be,” said Hockenberry. “Before the season, I didn’t know if Nathan would make the team, but he was strong in tryouts and has been steady all season. He’s been a huge reason for us winning some matches.”

That foursome, in tandem with Thompson and Hockenberry, give the Rams a solid starting six that could see all of them make qualifying for the WPIAL championships at the end of the season.

“We have a strong six/seven-man lineup where I can switch these kids around a little bit,” said Seybert. “It’s just finding who plays better with certain individuals and going out and getting us the best score possible.”

Hockenberry’s best score came Aug. 18 at Cranberry Highlands where he shot a 1-over 36 against Seneca Valley in a Rams win.

Thompson shot his best score against North Allegheny at Treesdale Golf and Country Club, posting a 1-under 35 in a close 189-194 defeat.

“We’re doing pretty well right now, and we take it one shot at a time, one match at a time,” said Seybert. “We don’t look too far in advance and try to do the best we can on a given day. It is golf and it’s hard. Anything can happen on a given day.”

It’s also tough for the Rams to rest on their laurels as the regular season winds down. Sharing a section with teams like Butler, Seneca Valley, a reloaded Mars squad and the defending state champions in North Allegheny means Pine-Richland needs to continue to go out and perform to remain in a playoff spot.

“We don’t have a lot of room for error in this section, which is one of the best sections you’ll see,” said Hockenberry. “Having five teams competing for two spots is really tough. You have to play lights out nearly every round.”

Added Thompson: “We’re going to have some good rounds and some bad rounds, but we want to remain focused and continue to grind and improve.”

The Rams welcome the challenge because it will only make them better as they have a strong belief that the team will make the playoffs.

“It’s something that we haven’t done in a while and no one on the team has experienced it,” said Hockenberry. “Playing in a tough section every year, it would be great to make the playoffs and go on a run, especially with the question marks we had coming into the year.”

“These kids have put in the work,” Seyebert said, “and our goal is to get to the WPIAL championship.”

Tags: Pine-Richland