If you can't beat 'em … change the format of the game?

All right, that might be a tad harsh.

But there's no denying the push Lancaster-Lebanon League golf coaches have made to tighten the competition in high school matches this fall.

And so far, it appears to be working.

When the 2010 L-L golf season kicked off with matches in all three sections Thursday, players got their first taste of two significant changes to the format of competition, which were voted on by the league's coaches prior to the season.

Both alterations boil down to a simple matter of depth — or the down-playing of it, depending on your point of view.

We'll start with the ladies.

In the past, girls were required to play from the championship tees along with the boys. This year, girls will only be required to play courses to 85 percent of the boys' yardage, which will be done by moving the girls' tees up on certain holes.

In theory, the shorter length should help lower girls' scores, perhaps making them more of a factor when it comes to compiling team scores.

Speaking of team scores, that brings us to Change No. 2.

Like before, each team will start six golfers in matches. But instead of using the top five individual scores to compile a team total, only the top four individual scores will be used this year.

The change — again, in theory — puts more pressure on each team's top players to perform consistently, but it also could work against depth-blessed teams that relied on the No. 5 golfer to give them the edge they needed in the past.

"It helps the smaller schools," said Lancaster Mennonite coach Deryl Denlinger. "If all four of our guys have good days, we might be able to beat (Manheim) Township."

Still, while the format has changed, the end results might end up the same.

At last year's L-L League Championships, the team standings were topped by Conestoga Valley, Hempfield, Manheim Township, Lancaster Mennonite and Lancaster Catholic, in that order.

Don't be surprised if the same five teams are vying for the L-L crown again come late September, with the most likely contenders coming from Section One.

Manheim Township — which had its streak of three straight L-L titles snapped by CV last year — is looking for its sixth consecutive Section One crown.

Led by senior Brandon Hartranft, the Blue Streaks certainly appear to have the firepower to do that — despite season-opening losses to CV (by four shots) and Hempfield (by two) Thursday at Four Seasons.

In addition to finishing tied for 10th at the Lanco Open and tied for eighth at the Lanco Amateur this summer, Hartranft captured the Lancaster County Junior Golf Tour Championship earlier this month.

Furthermore, Township's lineup is rounded out by four other players who finished in the top-15 on the LCJGT's senior division points list this summer — John Kitsock (second), JD Dornes (eighth), Seth Johnston (12th) and Alex Palmer (14th).

Mike Foster and Mary Beth Palic, who won the LCJGT girls' championship earlier this month, will also be in the mix.

"We probably have a little more depth (than some other teams)," Township coach Skip Walters conceded. "But I also think CV could be better than last year."

A fair assessment, considering Thursday's results.

For starters, the Buckskins return their top gun in Craig Hornberger, who earned a spot in a playoff at the L-L Championships last year as a freshman, before finishing tied for third at the District Three Championships.

This summer, Hornberger finished tied for third at the Pennsylvania Junior Championship, and won two events in four starts on the LCJGT — including the LCJGT Major Championship (formerly the Lanco Junior).

Conor Gilbert, Bobby Good and Marc Oliveri are also returning members of last year's L-L title team.

To some, the biggest surprise at this point could be Hempfield, which — based on Thursday's finish — has obviously rebounded from losing last year's L-L League and District Three individual champion, Andrew Arnold, to graduation.

The reins now belong to Brent Pickell, who tied for fifth at last year's L-L Championships, and won the LCJGT's senior division points title this summer after notching four top-three finishes (including one win) in seven events.

With a solid supporting cast of Nathan Martin and Michael Brookhart, Hempfield showed Thursday that it has enough depth to get the job done.

Following is a look at the other two sections:

SECTION TWO

If you're looking for a clear-cut section favorite here … good luck.

Proof came in Thursday's first section match, in which the difference between first and fourth place was 11 shots.

In a section where only five players had scoring averages under 80 last year, the move to use the top four scores instead of the top five has obviously had a huge impact already.

The girls' format change could also be a gigantic lift for Ephrata, which counted scores from Lauren Smith and Lacey Bensing en route to tying Garden Spot for the win in Thursday's opening match.

Other individuals to keep an eye on are Manheim Central's Brady Goodling and Lampeter-Strasburg's Ryan Berryman — who finished second and fifth, respectively, in scoring average in Section Two a year ago — and Garden Spot's Aaron Fricke, who took medalist honors Thursday with 70.

SECTION THREE

The Blazers have won the last six Section Three titles and, with seniors Jason Sauder and Luke Weierbach back in the fold, could make it seven straight.

"I keep challenging the guys that they don't want to be the first (team) to break the streak," Denlinger said.

In order to get it done, the Blazers again must hold off Lancaster Catholic, which lost to Mennonite by a single shot in Thursday's opening match.

Led by Sauder, who was involved in the playoff at last year's L-L Championships before finishing tied for sixth at districts, the Blazers have the pieces.

In addition to finishing tied for the third at the Pennsylvania Junior Championship, Sauder collected three top-three finishes in five LCJGT events this summer.

Sauder and Weierbach, respectively, also had the top two scoring averages in Section Three last year.

Having a supporting cast of Chris Keener, Jon Sauder and Tuck Ryan — each of whom averaged between 80 and 81 in LCJGT events this summer — is also a huge plus.

Then again, with the return of Bobby Stengel and Rob Rowe — who were third and fifth, respectively, in scoring average last year in Section Three — Catholic has plenty of firepower of its own.

This summer, Stengel finished third in the LCJGT's senior division points standings, while Rowe was 11th.

William Quinn, who finished fifth in the LCJGT's junior division points standings, helps give the Crusaders depth.

jfulginiti@lnpnews.com