Stiller, Karafa return to lead Penn Hills golf

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, August 18, 2017 | 11:00 PM

Golf might not be one of the most popular sports at Penn Hills. However, the boys golf team comprises of a mixture of experience and youth on its roster this season.

The Indians return five golfers from last year's team that won three matches, including two in Section 4-AAA.

Penn Hills' top two golfers from last year will return to lead the Indians: seniors Joe Stiller and Joe Karafa.

“They are both really good kids that have both come a long way. They were pretty new to the game when they started in ninth grade,” coach Charlie Buttgereit said.

“They are tremendous role models for the younger kids since we have a lot of younger kids this year.”

Their experience will be key in the development of a younger pair of teammates: sophomore Gene Brown and freshman Joel Brayton. Brown was a starter last season.

“They both have the potential to be good because they got a little earlier start. They both have been getting instruction since a fairly early age. We are looking for them to follow the lead of the two Joes,” Buttgereit said.

The rest of the Indians' lineup will be composed of senior DeForest McArthur and junior Brennon Howard, who are fairly new to the game.

“Both of those guys are of the same mold. They both got late starts, but they have been with us for a couple of years. They are working hard to get better,” Buttgereit said.

The Indians compete in a section that produced the WPIAL Class AAA team champion in back-to-back seasons: Central Catholic last year and Fox Chapel the year before.

Besides the two golf powers, the Indians have to deal with Franklin Regional, Gateway, Plum and Woodland Hills in Section 4-AAA.

Buttgereit, who has been the Penn Hills coach for more than two decades, has stressed to his golfers they need to model what their competitors do off the course in order for them to be competitive.

“If you want to be a competitive golfer, you have to do what those kids are doing. They have taken lessons from a young age and playing in tournaments in the summer. They are doing something six days a week,” Buttgereit said.

“It's not an accident they have worked really hard to get there, and that's what we try to stress to the kids.”

Buttgereit hopes to have Stiller, Karafa, Brown and Brayton in the mix at the sectional qualifier later this season. However, Buttgereit will regard the season as a success if he sees continued growth in his golfers.

“Our expectations are for each kid to individually improve and to do the best they can. We just tell the kids to play hard and have fun,” Buttgereit said.

“Everybody likes to play well. But it's a team sport first, and you got to grind on every shot because that one shot could be the difference between winning and losing.”

Andrew John is a freelance writer.