Revak’s rise
LH sophomore cards low round in Mustangs’ victory over Uniontown
At 6-foot-4, Damon Revak casts a large shadow over the majority of his peers on the golf course, but the Laurel Highlands sophomore proved on Tuesday against cross-town rival Uniontown in Section 2-3A play at South Union Township Municipal Golf Course that his golf game can be just as imposing as his size.
Revak shot a two-over-par 38 for medalist honors on the front nine. Revak birdied the par-four seventh hole and made putts for par on the third, fourth, fifth, eighth and ninth holes to best teammate Kayden Smith by one stroke.
Teammates Ryan Revak and Dan O’Neal came in at 40, and Mason Cicci’s 43 helped lead the undefeated Mustangs (3-0, 4-0) to a 200-234 victory.
“Damon did the same thing against Uniontown last year as a freshman when he shot a 38 and was the medalist,” Laurel Highlands coach Mike Revak said. “I am proud of all these guys. If our first four come in four scores under 40 to start, that’s pretty tough.”
JJ Stewart paced the Red Raiders (0-2, 0-3) with a round of 43. Stewart sank birdie putts on the fourth, seventh and eighth holes.
Elim Martin finished his nine holes at 45 for Uniontown. Teammates Mason Payton (46), Liam Glover (48) and Jason VanSickle (52) rounded out the scoring for coach Danae Uphold’s squad.
“Our scores took a step in the right direction today,” Uphold said. “I told them that we need to work on stopping the bleed. When they have a bad hole, they like to dwell on it, and I know. I played, and I know it’s hard to move on after a bad hole, but we need to work on that.”
Smith, a senior, has been pacing Laurel Highlands this season, but admittedly didn’t have his best round. He birdied the third, fifth and eighth holes, but six bogeys hindered his score.
Ryan Revak was two-under after four holes, but the par-five fifth gave him fits, as he carded an eight, but didn’t let it affect him in finishing his round without a large fallout. Revak birdied the third and fourth holes and had parred the first, second and eighth holes.
“Ryan is a grinder and he works hard,” Mike Revak said. “He has the second lowest scoring average on the team right around 41.”
Both teams had rare off-days on Wednesday, and both coaches were going to use them for an opportunity to practice, which Uphold wanted to take full advantage of.
“We are having a practice for short game, and I think we need that,” Uphold said. “We are going to save a lot of strokes around the green once we have this. It is so hard in the season to get a quality practice in because competitions are back-to-back, so we look forward to that opportunity.”
The Mustangs have their biggest test of the season on Thursday when they host Thomas Jefferson in a section match at South Union Township Municipal Golf Course.
“It’s going to be a good match,” Mike Revak said. “I know that Ty Hartman plays well for TJ. They played Duck Hollow earlier this year, and that Ty Hartman shot 33, and their No. 2 (Nate Thatcher) shot either 35 or 36, so they have been playing well.”
Uniontown also jumps back into section play on Thursday when it travels to face Elizabeth Forward at Butler’s Golf Course.
“Elizabeth Forward is a top team, but the opportunity to play against solid competition should help drive us,” Uphold said. “When I played, I loved the opportunity to go against the better players and teams in the area.”