FLEETWOOD — Tyler Hager had already done his homework.

And that was before his freshman season with the Palmerton golf team even started.

The early preparation worked wonders as the Blue Bomber freshman advanced to the PIAA State Championships with a strong performance on Monday.

Hager posted a score of 81 at the PIAA Class 2A East Golf Regional at Golden Oaks Golf Club in Fleetwood. That score was good enough to make the cut and send Hager to the state championships.

Hager will take part in the two-round event at Heritage Hills Golf Resort in York next Monday and Tuesday.

“I knew the cut line last year was around 82,” Hager said about the Regional. “I also knew the wind was going to pick up in the afternoon, so I figured if I could shoot 81 or 82, I would probably move on — and I shot an 81 right on the number.”

Hager’s teammate, senior Logan Kresge, also took part in the Regional, but missed the cut. Despite that, he was happy with the way his senior campaign went this season.

The lone Bomber upperclassman on this year’s squad shot an 88 on the day.

“I’m just happy to be here,” said Kresge, who has been a member of the Bombers’ golf team the last four seasons. “I had never been to Regionals before. I would have loved to make it to States just for the experience, but just to make it to this point — and finish third in District 11 — was honestly enough.

“I was satisfied with the way my senior year went.”

Palmerton coach Alex Knoll was excited about what his golfers did not just on Monday, but throughout the entire season.

“Tyler played good today. States is going to be a great learning experience for him,” Knoll said. “I think it’s really going to help out in the future. He’s going to enjoy it, and we’re going to enjoy watching him at States. Palmerton golf has had such an incredible year.”

According to Knoll, Kresge was one of the primary reasons for that.

“We just said to Logan, ‘The reason Tyler is here, and the reason we had the year we had, is because of his leadership,’” Knoll said. “He made all of the kids want to come out and play, and he was such a senior leader. I know he was probably disappointed here today, but he had a great year and had an incredible career for us.

Pleasant Valley’s Mary Scully also made the trip to Fleetwood. But for her the road to States came to an end. Scully posted a score of 93 in the 3A girls’ field.

MEDALIST HONORS … Morgan Lofland (Conestoga); Elizabeth Beek (Wissahickon); Thomas Lynch (Scranton Prep); Paige Richter (Camp Hill) and Chloe Sipe (Elk Lake) all grabbed medalist honors. Lofland had a 3A boys’ best of 67. Beek carded a 3A girls’ low of 66. Lynch posted a 2A boys’ best with a 73. Richter and Sipe tied in 2A girls’ with 79s.

D-11 QUALIFIERS … Matt Zerfass (Emmaus), Michelle Cox (Emmaus), Ben Ortwein (Notre Dame-GP) and Grace Sanborn (Moravian Academy) all qualified for next week’s event. Zerfass tied for fifth in the 3A boys field, while Cox tied for the ninth in the 3A Girls’ field. Ortwein tied with Hager for 13th, while Sanborn was fifth in 2A girls.

ONE DECADE AGO … The last time the Bombers had someone advance to states was in 2009 when Mike Englert and Dan Costenbader advanced to the PIAA State Tournament. Englert finished sixth in the event, while Costenbader tied for 26th.

HALL OF FAME TALENT … Peyton Mussina, the son of Hall of Fame pitcher Mike Mussina, took part in the 2A boys field. The Montoursville golfer missed the cut as he finished with an 85.