Golf: Allwein Claims Individual Crown as Annville-Cleona Edges Cedar Crest for Lebanon County Championship

 

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With the postseason already producing plenty of memorable moments for Lebanon County golfers, Thursday offered another opportunity for the county’s six programs to come together and compete for local bragging rights.

The Lebanon County Golf Championships were held at Fairview Golf Course, where sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-70s provided a pleasant fall afternoon, although windy conditions added another challenge for the golfers.

With the top three scores counting toward each team’s total, the format helped set up a terrific battle between Annville-Cleona and Cedar Crest, two programs coming off Lancaster-Lebanon League section championship seasons.

And when the final scores were tallied, just one stroke separated them.

Annville-Cleona posted a three-player score of 223 to claim the county championship, narrowly edging Cedar Crest’s 224. Palmyra finished third at 237, followed by Northern Lebanon (247), ELCO (263), and Lebanon (318).

Leading the way was a golfer who has made winning championships a regular occurrence this fall.

Annville-Cleona sophomore Benjamin Allwein, fresh off capturing both the Lancaster-Lebanon League and District 3 Class AA individual championships, fired a 67 to earn medalist honors and give the Dutchmen a major advantage in the team competition.

The round continued an outstanding stretch for Allwein, who won the L-L League Championship with a 71 before posting rounds of 71 and 73 to claim the District 3 title by six strokes last weekend at Honey Run.

 

 

His younger brother, freshman Jefferson Allwein, added a 75 for the Dutchmen. Senior Aidan Lezon supplied the third counting score with an 81, while sophomore Will Kerwin finished with an 86.

Together, those rounds were enough to hold off a Cedar Crest team that was equally determined to finish its local schedule on top.

The Falcons were led by sophomore Bryn Brandt, who fired a 68 to finish just one stroke behind Benjamin Allwein for individual medalist honors.

Like Allwein, Brandt will be headed to the PIAA State Championships after another impressive postseason. The 2025 District 3 Class AAA Girls champion finished third at Districts this fall, earning her second consecutive trip to States after placing eighth as a freshman last year.

Cedar Crest also received matching rounds of 78 from sophomores Rory Smyth and Drew Gebhard, giving the Falcons their three counting scores and a team total of 224.

Senior Davin Kolter added a 79, while Alex Jones finished with an 86.

The one-stroke difference between the Dutchmen and Falcons highlighted just how evenly matched the two county championship programs were Thursday. Annville-Cleona’s top-end performance, led by Allwein’s 67, ultimately proved to be the difference.

Palmyra also had a strong showing, finishing third with a 237.

Sophomore Marissa Battistielli led the Cougars with a 76, followed by fellow sophomore Brady Hughes at 79 and Ajay Horowitz at 82. Alex Irwin and Griffin Langeneker each added an 84.

For Hughes, the county championship came just days after an impressive District 3 performance. The sophomore fired an even-par 72 in Saturday’s final round to move up five positions and finish second in Class AAA, earning his first trip to the PIAA State Championships.

Northern Lebanon finished fourth at 247, with junior Collin Padovani leading the Vikings at 81. Jacob Anspach and Braden Demler each shot 83, while Ashton Yeager finished with an 89.

ELCO placed fifth with a 263, led by senior James Dolan, who shot 85. Brady Habecker added an 88, while Grant Wenger finished with a 90. Jackson Smeltzer rounded out the Raiders’ lineup with a 98.

Lebanon completed the county field with a 318. Trinity Leeper led the Cedars with a 99, followed by Noah Cotto at 103 and Landyn Strickler at 116.

While Thursday’s competition brought another championship to Annville-Cleona, the bigger picture continues to reflect the strength of golf throughout the county.

The Dutchmen and Falcons both captured their respective L-L League section championships this season, while Palmyra, Northern Lebanon, ELCO, and Lebanon each contributed to a competitive afternoon at Fairview.

Now, attention turns back to the state stage.

The PIAA State Individual Golf Championships are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, October 19–20, at Penn State’s Blue and White Golf Courses in State College. Three sophomores from the LebCoSports coverage area will make the trip, with Benjamin Allwein competing in Class AA Boys, Bryn Brandt in Class AAA Girls, and Brady Hughes in Class AAA Boys.

For Allwein and Brandt, it will be their second consecutive appearance at States. Hughes will make his first appearance after earning District 3 silver.

Allwein enters the state tournament with L-L League, District 3, and Lebanon County individual titles already to his credit, while Brandt and Hughes will look to build on their own outstanding seasons.

And for Annville-Cleona, a single stroke was enough to add the Lebanon County team championship to an already impressive fall.

 

 

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Lebanon County Championship Leaderboard

Place	Golfer	School	Score
1	Benjamin Allwein	Annville-Cleona	67
2	Bryn Brandt	Cedar Crest	68
3	Jefferson Allwein	Annville-Cleona	75
4	Marissa Battistielli	Palmyra	76
T-5	Rory Smyth	Cedar Crest	78
T-5	Drew Gebhard	Cedar Crest	78
T-7	Brady Hughes	Palmyra	79
T-7	Davin Kolter	Cedar Crest	79
T-9	Aidan Lezon	Annville-Cleona	81
T-9	Collin Padovani	Northern Lebanon	81

Team Results

Place	Team	Score
1	Annville-Cleona	223
2	Cedar Crest	224
3	Palmyra	237
4	Northern Lebanon	247
5	ELCO	263
6	Lebanon	318

 

 

Complete Individual Results

Annville-Cleona

Benjamin Allwein – 67
Jefferson Allwein – 75
Aidan Lezon – 81
Will Kerwin – 86

Cedar Crest

Bryn Brandt – 68
Rory Smyth – 78
Drew Gebhard – 78
Davin Kolter – 79
Alex Jones – 86

Palmyra

Marissa Battistielli – 76
Brady Hughes – 79
Ajay Horowitz – 82
Alex Irwin – 84
Griffin Langeneker – 84

Northern Lebanon

Collin Padovani – 81
Jacob Anspach – 83
Braden Demler – 83
Ashton Yeager – 89

ELCO

James Dolan – 85
Brady Habecker – 88
Grant Wenger – 90
Jackson Smeltzer – 98

Lebanon

Trinity Leeper – 99
Noah Cotto – 103
Landyn Strickler – 116