Golf: PIAA State Championships – Annville’s Allwein Earns Silver After Dramatic Playoff, Crest’s Brandt Adds Another Top-10 Finish, & Palmyra’s Hughes Caps Season

PIAA State Championships: Annville’s Allwein Earns Silver After Dramatic Playoff, Crest’s Brandt Adds Another Top-10 Finish, & Palmyra’s Hughes Caps Season

For three Lebanon County sophomores, the journey through the 2026 high school golf season reached its final destination Monday and Tuesday at Penn State’s Blue and White Golf Courses.

Annville-Cleona’s Benjamin Allwein, Cedar Crest’s Bryn Brandt, and Palmyra’s Brady Hughes arrived in State College after each earned a podium finish at the District 3 Championships earlier this month.

All three had already put together outstanding seasons, but the PIAA State Championships offered one final opportunity to compete against Pennsylvania’s best.

And for one of them, the state championship would come down to just two extra holes.

Allwein Battles for State Crown

Annville-Cleona sophomore Benjamin Allwein entered the PIAA Class AA Boys Championship with a remarkable list of accomplishments already secured.

During the fall, Allwein helped the Dutchmen capture the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 4 team championship before winning the L-L League individual crown, the District 3 Class AA title, and the Lebanon County individual championship.

His second trip to States provided an opportunity to add the biggest title of them all.

Playing on Penn State’s Blue Course, Allwein opened Monday with a three-under-par 69, putting himself in a tie for first alongside Scranton Prep junior Cole Powell, the defending PIAA Class AA champion.

The two golfers entered Tuesday’s final round tied atop the leaderboard, and neither was willing to give up much ground.

Allwein followed his opening 69 with a one-under-par 71. Powell matched him with an identical round, leaving both golfers at four-under-par 140 after 36 holes of championship golf.

It was a remarkable performance from two of Pennsylvania’s top young golfers, but only one could leave Penn State with the championship.

The title would be decided in a sudden-death playoff.

Both Allwein and Powell birdied the first playoff hole, extending the competition to another hole. The players then moved to the Blue Course’s 14th hole, where Allwein encountered trouble when his tee shot was lost.

Powell was able to capitalize, making a short putt for bogey to secure his second consecutive PIAA Class AA individual championship.

For Allwein, the result meant a State Runner-Up finish after matching the eventual champion stroke for stroke through 36 holes and the first playoff hole.

The championship also placed Powell in select company. The Scranton Prep junior became the ninth boys golfer in PIAA tournament history to win consecutive individual state championships, joining a list that includes Pennsylvania golf legend Arnold Palmer.

Behind the two leaders, North East’s Josiah Swan finished third with a two-under-par 142 after rounds of 72 and 70. Devon Prep’s Scott Cunningham took fourth at 143, while Cathedral Prep’s Santino Washburn rounded out the top five at even-par 144.

For the Dutchmen sophomore, finishing just short of the ultimate prize does little to diminish what has been an extraordinary season.

Allwein finished fifth at the L-L League Championships as a freshman before returning to win the title this year. After narrowly missing a District 3 championship in a playoff last season, he returned to win that crown by six strokes.

He then captured the Lebanon County individual championship before coming within a playoff of adding a state title.

With two more high school seasons remaining, Allwein has already established himself among Pennsylvania’s top golfers.

Brandt Adds Another Top-10 State Finish

While Allwein battled for the Class AA boys championship, Cedar Crest sophomore Bryn Brandt was making another strong showing in the PIAA Class AAA Girls Championship.

Brandt entered the tournament after helping the Falcons win their third consecutive L-L League Section 1 championship, earning runner-up honors at the L-L League individual championships, and finishing third at Districts.

The trip to Penn State was her second consecutive State Championship appearance. As a freshman in 2025, Brandt finished eighth in Class AAA after winning the District 3 championship.

On Monday, Brandt fired a one-over-par 73 on Penn State’s White Course, tying for fourth place and putting herself just two strokes behind the leaders.

Dallastown’s Bryn Krosse and York Suburban’s Vivienne Powers shared the opening-round lead with matching one-under-par 71s, while Harriton’s Megan Choi sat third with an even-par 72.

That left Brandt firmly in contention entering Tuesday.

In the championship round, Brandt carded a 78 to finish with a two-day total of 151 (+7), good for seventh place overall.

It was her second consecutive top-10 finish at States, improving one position from her eighth-place performance as a freshman.

At the front of the leaderboard, Krosse followed her opening 71 with an even-par 72 to win the Class AAA Girls Championship at one-under-par 143.

The Dallastown freshman finished two strokes ahead of Cardinal O’Hara’s Alaina Carson, who shot 73 and 72 for a 145. Powers finished third with a 146, while Ephrata’s Makenna Heckman and Conestoga’s Jill Burks tied for fourth at 148.

For Brandt, another top-10 finish on the state’s biggest stage provided a fitting conclusion to an impressive sophomore season.

After establishing herself as one of Pennsylvania’s top young golfers last fall, she returned this year and showed that her freshman success was no fluke.

With two more years remaining at Cedar Crest, Brandt has already built a résumé that includes a District 3 championship, two PIAA State top-10 finishes, and a major role in the Falcons’ continued team success.

Hughes Completes First State Championship Appearance

Palmyra sophomore Brady Hughes also earned his way to Penn State following a tremendous performance at the District 3 Class AAA Championships.

Earlier this month, Hughes entered the final round at Honey Run tied for seventh before firing an even-par 72, climbing five positions to finish second overall.

The District runner-up finish secured his first opportunity to compete at the PIAA State Championships.

Playing on Penn State’s White Course, Hughes opened Monday with an eight-over-par 80, placing him in a tie for 57th in a talented Class AAA Boys field.

He improved by two strokes in Tuesday’s final round, shooting a 78 to finish with a two-day total of 158 (+14).

That placed the Palmyra sophomore in a tie for 52nd overall.

While Hughes was unable to make the same dramatic move he enjoyed during the District 3 Championship, the opportunity to compete at States represented another important step in his development.

The Class AAA boys tournament also produced one of the most impressive performances of the entire championship.

West Allegheny junior Nico Ward followed an opening-round 67 with an incredible nine-under-par 63 Tuesday to capture the PIAA Class AAA Boys Championship at 14-under-par 130.

Ward’s final-round 63 established a new PIAA individual championship single-round scoring record.

Baldwin’s Michael Quallich finished second at 11-under-par 133, while Fox Chapel’s Carson Kittsley, the two-time defending champion, placed third at nine-under-par 135. State College’s Luke McGraw finished fourth at 136, followed by La Salle College’s Liam Littleton at 140.

For Hughes, the experience of competing in a field featuring that level of talent provided an opportunity to measure his game against some of the best golfers in Pennsylvania.

And like his fellow Lebanon County competitors, he still has two more high school seasons ahead of him.

Three Sophomores, Three Outstanding Seasons

When the final scores were posted Tuesday, Lebanon County’s three representatives had completed their runs through the PIAA State Championships.

For Benjamin Allwein, the season ended with a State Runner-Up finish after an unforgettable playoff, adding a silver medal to a collection that already included league, district, and county individual championships.

For Bryn Brandt, another top-10 finish at States reinforced her place among Pennsylvania’s strongest young girls golfers, as she moved from eighth as a freshman to seventh as a sophomore.

And for Brady Hughes, his first trip to States followed a District 3 runner-up performance that helped establish him as one of the area’s top emerging golfers.

Their accomplishments also reflect the strength of golf throughout the LebCoSports coverage area this fall.

Annville-Cleona and Cedar Crest both captured L-L League section championships, while the postseason produced an individual league champion, a District 3 champion, three District 3 podium finishers, and three PIAA State qualifiers.

Now, the 2026 high school golf season has reached its conclusion.

Three sophomores represented Lebanon County on Pennsylvania’s biggest high school golf stage, with Allwein coming within a sudden-death playoff of capturing the state championship.

And with all three returning next fall, there is plenty of reason to believe Lebanon County golfers will continue making their presence felt in the years ahead.

Lebanon County PIAA State Championship Results

Allwein and Scranton Prep’s Cole Powell finished tied at 140 through 36 holes. Powell won on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff.

Class AA Boys Championship Leaders

Class AAA Girls Championship Leaders

Class AAA Boys Championship Leaders