A freshman with four individual victories, a strong supporting lineup and a school-record round helped Gettysburg Area High School’s golf team finish tied atop the Mid-Penn Colonial Division standings in 2026.
The Warriors completed the six-match division schedule with a 23–7 record, matching Northern for the best mark among the six teams. Gettysburg won three matches outright and averaged 327.3 strokes per match, counting its four lowest individual scores.
Freshman Parker Tokar led the way, winning four of the six matches and averaging 74.5 strokes. His best round came Aug. 26 at Greencastle, where he shot a 3-under-par 69 to finish 10 strokes ahead of his closest competitors.
Gettysburg’s co-Head Coach Max Laing credited Tokar’s experience in competitive junior golf with helping him succeed immediately at the high school level. “He’s played a lot of junior golf,” Laing said in an interview. “He’s played competitive golf for a good while here.”
Tokar opened the season with an even-par 72 at Waynesboro Country Club, helping Gettysburg edge Shippensburg by one stroke for the team victory. He also won at Gettysburg National with a 75 and at Range End with a 72.
His six rounds were 72, 78, 75, 69, 72 and 81.
Ryan Cunningham gave Gettysburg a dependable second scorer, averaging 80 strokes and joining Tokar near the top of several leaderboards. Cunningham tied for second at Gettysburg National with a 76, one shot behind his teammate, and finished second outright at Range End with a season-best 73.
Cunningham also plays soccer for Gettysburg. Laing said he scored a goal in the evening match after shooting his 73 at Range End on Sept. 1.
The Warriors’ success extended beyond their leading pair. Wesston Sokol, Myles Grossman and Nolan Reinert each contributed counting scores during the season. Grossman and Reinert also compete for Gettysburg’s wrestling team.
That depth was especially evident at Range End, where Tokar’s 72 and Cunningham’s 73 combined with Reinert’s 82 and Grossman’s 84 for a team total of 311. Laing identified the performance as a school record under the four-score format.
Northern nevertheless won that match with a 310, illustrating how close the division race remained.
Gettysburg built its season around victories at Waynesboro, Gettysburg National, and Greencastle. At its home match Aug. 24, the Warriors shot 326 to beat Northern by five strokes. Two days later, Tokar’s 69 powered a 317 total and a six-stroke victory over Greencastle.
The Warriors entered the Sept. 8 finale with a 22–3 record and a two-win lead over Northern. Gettysburg finished fifth at Chambersburg Country Club with a 347, while Northern placed third, leaving both teams at 23–7.
Attention now turns to the postseason.
Speaking before the final regular-season match, Laing said Tokar and Cunningham were positioned to advance directly to the Mid-Penn championship, scheduled for Sept. 22 at Range End. He expected Grossman and Reinert to have opportunities through the Sept. 17 qualifying tournament.
Gettysburg’s final team average also finished below the 330 threshold Laing identified for qualifying for the conference championship.
Asked how this group compared with Gettysburg’s best past teams, Laing cautioned that different courses, tees and scoring formats make comparisons difficult. Earlier teams counted five scores rather than four.
Laing said Gettysburg golf did won the Blue Mountain League Championship 8 times when Tom Crist was coaching, including 1978, 1979, and 1980.
Featured image caption: Parker Tokar