Members of the Bishop Canevin High School boys' golf team have had this season circled for the past few years.

With the maturation of a few golfers and the addition of younger golfers, the Crusaders entered the season with their eye on reaching the WPIAL team final.

Three years in a row the Crusaders have won or shared the section title. Six out of the past seven years, they have reached the playoffs. After defeating Carlynton, 211-256, Tuesday and then won a suspended match against Seton-LaSalle in a playoff, the Crusaders have a 19-match winning streak and 13-0 record this season. Yet the WPIAL team final has proved to be an elusive goal.

No Bishop Canevin team has reached the WPIAL team final since 1999. It was the lone trip for long-time coach Randy Stoernell, in his 20th year at the school and 18th as head coach.

Last season the Crusaders nearly qualified, but fell 10 shots short of the team final.

"We have been kind of building for this year," said Stoernell, who has watched his teams compile a 188-54 record in the past two decades. "We were pretty close last year but this is the year we have been talking about."

Some of the pieces have been around for a few years. Seniors Pat Leyland, David Smallhoover and Mike Silverstri are veterans. All three have been among the top six since they were freshmen.

Another critical piece was discovered from what he did in a practice round during his freshman year. Matt Zerishnek, a lefty, came out for the team as a freshman.

At a preseason tournament last year at Cedarbrook Golf Course, Zerishnek came along even though he was not one of the starting six players. So playing a practice round, he shot a 76.

"We just let him play to get a feel for how he could do on the course," Stoernell said. "We found out right away that he could play."

The day after shooting the 76, Zer-ishnek was inserted in the starting lineup and he has not been out of it since. Not only has he remained in the starting lineup, but only in his second year on the team, Zerishnek has developed into the most consistent golfer on the team.

This season he has played 15 9-hole rounds and nine times he has shot under a 40. His most impressive performance came on Sept. 22 at Grand View Golf Club against East Allegheny. He tied the school record when he shot a 34.

The emergence of Zerishnek is a big reason why Canevin has its eyes set on the WPIAL final. The Crusaders are able to have a shot at the WPIAL final because of their impressive section performance this year. The Crusaders have clinched a spot in the WPIAL team playoffs.

The matches between Canevin and Seton-LaSalle, the two Division II Section 7 powerhouses, have been about as even as possible. In mid-September Canevin edged its rival, 213-215, at its home course, Chartiers Country Club. The second time around the teams were tied at 228-228 when play was suspended due to darkness. That forced the match into a two-hole playoff that Canevin won on Tuesday at South Hills Country Club. Those are Seton's only losses.

Like the 10 years since the program reached the WPIAL final, Canevin also has experienced a drought of golfers finishing first in the section qualifier. That came to an end Sept. 21 at Frosty Valley Golf Links as Silverstri finished first, shooting a 74 and right behind him was Zerishnek, who shot 75.

Reaching the playoffs might be a little bit of consolation for Zerishnek and Leyland, who both play on the baseball team. The Crusaders missed the playoffs for the first time in 20 years this past spring.

Leyland, son of Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland, was an all-section catcher the past two seasons and Zerishnek was a pitcher and center fielder. Leyland has accepted a scholarship to play baseball at the University of Maryland.

"All four years I have been here [the WPIAL final] has been our goal," Leyland said. "We didn't have much of a realistic chance the first two years, but last year we thought we had a good shot and this year we definitely do."

Another surprise on the team has been the play of another sophomore lefty named Matt Walsh. He has emerged as Canevin's No. 5 golfer. He has consistently shot around 39-41.

"Matt Walsh has been the biggest surprise," Stoernell said. "I heard some of the scores he was shooting over the summer. He grew a little bit over the summer and he has been playing consistently. He has really come on."

The two players splitting time in the No. 6 position are juniors Sal Monteverde and Frank Vance.

The Canevin golf team also features three girls, and junior Kate Davis advanced to a section qualifier. It was the first time in 10 years for the program to have a girl advance to a section qualifier.

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