More Than a Match: Scranton Prep, Scranton Golf Teams Tee It Up for Mental Health Awareness
By: Justin Bradley | SportzWire | September 18, 2026 | Photo courtesy Justin Focus
TAYLOR — The scorecard told only part of the story Friday afternoon at Pine Hills.
Scranton Prep and Scranton High met on the course for boys and girls golf action, but both programs also came together for something extending well beyond pars, birdies and team totals.
Players from all four teams wore green ribbons in recognition of mental health awareness as part of a Game Day for Mental Health with the John Malvizzi Foundation, which has partnered with SportzWire to help bring greater awareness and transparency to conversations surrounding mental health throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania.
The John Malvizzi Foundation was founded in 2023 by husband-and-wife co-founders Bobby and Nina Judge. The organization is named in memory of Nina’s father, John Malvizzi, who lived with bipolar disorder and died by suicide in 2021.
Serving primarily Lackawanna and Luzerne counties, the foundation focuses on mental health awareness and encouraging more open, honest conversations surrounding mental health.
On Friday, that message was visible throughout the course.
Prep Takes Boys Match Behind Powell’s 34
Scranton Prep earned a 143-160 victory over Scranton in the boys match.
Former Wired Athlete of the Week and two-time state champion Cole Powell once again delivered a strong round for the Cavaliers, earning medalist honors with a 1-under-par 34 on the par-35 layout.
Powell recorded two birdies during the round.
Brendan Bell followed with a 35, Jack Pavuk shot 36, while Matthew Haggerty and Brian James each carded 38s. Ty Millett finished with a 39.
Scranton was led by Travis Mendoza’s 37, followed by Tyler Dempsey with a 39 and Jack Kerrigan with a 41.
The round featured plenty of birdies from both sides. Bell recorded two, while Millett, James, Pavuk and Harrison Hughes each added one for Prep. Mendoza and Dempsey each recorded a birdie for Scranton.
Bell, Leonori Share Girls Medalist Honors
In the girls match, the winning side posted a 145 team score to 165, with Rhylee Bell and Sophia Leonori sharing medalist honors after matching rounds of 47.
Bell also provided one of the afternoon’s highlights with a birdie on No. 11.
While the green ribbon represented the larger mental health awareness effort, another ribbon worn Friday carried an especially personal meaning.
Members of the Scranton Prep boys & girls teams also wore red ribbons in support of a teammate whose grandfather recently passed away unexpectedly following a stroke.
Prep head golf coach Christi Dorece said the team wanted to show its support for their teammate and his family. Following a recent match, the boys went directly to the services together still dressed in their golf uniforms.
It was a gesture that fit naturally with the larger message surrounding Friday’s event.
Teammates supporting teammates. Programs supporting families. Communities showing up for one another when it matters most.
The green and red ribbons represented different circumstances, but both carried a similar message: sometimes simply being there for someone can mean everything.
That is also at the heart of what the John Malvizzi Foundation hopes to accomplish through initiatives such as Game Day for Mental Health bringing the conversation directly into schools, athletic programs and communities while making mental health something people can speak about openly.
For one Friday afternoon at Pine Hills, golf provided the setting.
The scores mattered. The competition mattered.
But the message carried well beyond the final putt.
Schools, teams and athletic programs interested in hosting their own Game Day for Mental Health can contact Bobby and Nina Judge and the John Malvizzi Foundation at JMFmentalhealth.com.
#StayWired | #GameDayForMentalHealth
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