HELLERTOWN – Three local golfers are headed to Happy Valley in a quest for medals at the PIAA state championship.

Palmerton’s Jared Grammes, who was focused and determined, and kept grinding, made the cut in the boys’ 2A field.

Tamaqua’s Sam Vinc, perhaps the biggest surprise being only a freshman, found intestinal fortitude and battled through a playoff hole to also a garner a spot in the 2A tournament.

And then there was Northwestern senior Avri Chandler, who rode her short game to the state tournament in the 2A girls competition.

There was an expectation of joy and jubilation when each golfer signed in with their scorecards, waiting to see if the magic cut-off number was in their respective cards.

Unfortunately for Pleasant Valley’s promising sophomore Drew Patascher, a couple late bogeys forced him to miss the cut in the 3A event. He, along with two Palmerton hopefuls — Joey Solt and Jason Carrreli — hit some struggles on the difficult 6,400-yard Donald Ross designed course that offers tricky greens, while its high grass rough can became treacherous at times.

It also played a late factor for senior Gracie Scheffler. The Northwestern gal was so close at keeping her last dance in the balance. But a late surge from Minersville’s Emma Troutman just nipped Scheffler.

Vinc makes the cut

It was pins and needles for Vinc, but the ninth grader said he never minded the pressure, even in a playoff on the 15th hole.

That’s also where Schuylkill Haven’s splendid sophomore Alan Evans laid claim to the 2A District 11 championship and gold medal.

“It really doesn’t bother me,” Vinc said. “I just go out there and try my best. It’s fun for me. Yes, I’m happy to go to states.”

The Vinc approach didn’t surprise his mentor, Matt Stine.

“He is very competitive and he doesn’t take losing lightly,” Stine sai. “He has such a heart for this game, he’s forever looking to get better. He practices so much.”

No one knows better Vinc’s formula to success than his mother.

“He’s been playing the game since he is 6 years old,” Amanda Vinc offered. “He is always practicing … he wants to do his best.”

Vinc used a driver on the 460-yard par 4 in the sudden-death playoff hole. He then laid up with a wedge, used a pair of putts to sink his par and earn his way to the state tournament.

“I really thought I could (birdie) the hole, I needed two putts.”

The Raider freshman finished with an 83.

Bomber results

Grammes had his sights set on making it to the state tournament. He carded a solid 82, as he shot 3-over par on the front side (39) and 7-over on the backside and finished his round with three birdies.

Grammes had a good shot of confidence on the course’s toughest hole — Hole No. 1. Grammes pared the 413-yard hole, and also carded pars on the fourth and fifth holes. He added a par-3 on the eighth hole before birding the par-5, 521-yard ninth hole.

“What all of us faced were the tough greens,” Grammes said. “I was able to hit some good second shots, but the driver was pretty good, too. I’m so glad to be able to get to states … it’s something that you want and getting there is tough. Now, I’m looking forward to playing there.”

Grammes’s teammates came up short in their quest to make it to the state tournament.

Senior Jason Carrelli carded a score of 93, as he opened with a 48 on the front nine, charged a bit to start the back nine when he made a birdie on the 10th hole (a par-4). Then things went askew as a 7 on the par 4 12th and an 8 on the 14th hurt his chances. He tied for 19th.

“It was not what I was hoping for,” Carrelli said dejectedly. “I was proud to be here with a couple of my teammates.

Another Bomber, Joey Solt, ended with an 88 to place 14th. He posted a 45 on the front nine, and then rallied somewhat with a 43 on the backside. Solt, a junior, managed one birdie and four pars.

“I could have played better, but the pins were put in difficult positions,” Solt said.

What Solt, and mostly all the golfers, found was the difference from the practice greens and the actual greens on the course.

“The (practice) greens were very fast, so when I got out there it really got hard to judge the (speed),” Solt said.

Alex Knoll, the successful head coach of the Palmerton golf program, had nothing but praise for his participants.

“I really felt bad for Joey Solt, and I know he didn’t play as well as he liked,” Knoll said. “I was really proud of Jared Grammes. He had a tough final holes, and it took a lot of mental fortitude to overcome that. (It) was such a big step in his progression as a golfer. And I am really looking forward to him playing at states.

“I really thought Jason Carrelli put a nice end to his career … it was a great accomplishment for him to make the (district) tournament. I was really proud of his effort.”

Mixed Tiger emotions

The trip to the state championship was thrilling for Chandler, but she also felt the pain for her teammate Scheffler.

“Oh, I am so happy to be going to the states, but I really wanted Gracie to go along with me,” said the Northwestern golfer.

Chandler used some late solid scoring to end the frontside with a score of 45, and then carried it over to the backside shooting a very solid 44 to finish 89 overall. Chandler was 7-over par through the first four holes, scored a par on the next hole before rallying with a birdie and par.

“I played rough, and it was a long day,” said Chandle, who finished third. “It was a very hard course and the back I couldn’t putt at all.”

Scheffler was neck-and-neck right up until the end with Minersville’s Emma Troutman. Scheffler shot 90, as did Troutman, but the tiebreaker went to the Schuylkill League participant.

“The course was in great condition, but the rough was very rough,” Scheffler said. “The greens were kind of different, at times very fast, then slower … it was hard to get a good read, and I struggled with it all day.”

QUOTABLE I … “I think I played terrible … I just got so many bad breaks,” said Vinc on his play Tuesday.

QUOTABLE II … “He was playing great all day, not sure if the pressure got to him,” said Pleasant Valley head coach Steve Krechel about Patascher.

QUOTABLE III … “I was really proud of (Jarred) and his accomplishment to make states … now he can really play kind of freely up (at State College),” said Knoll on Grammes making the state round.

QUOTABLE IV … Where does she go from here? “Basketball, I do play the game,” said Northwestern’s Scheffler after finishing her final round of golf as a high school participant.

ANOTHER EVANS ... If the surname Evans rings a bell on the high school links, Alan is the younger brother of Albie Evans, who also won district gold at Schuylkill Haven. Albie went on to a golfing career at Fordham, and was a walk-on basketball player for the Rams.

DISTRICT 11 GOLF RESULTS

Class 2A Boys

(top 3 plus locals)

1. Alan Evans (Schuylkill Haven) 78 (won on tiebreaker); 2. Anthony Albano (Saucon Valley) 78; 3. Renzo Ochotorena (Saucon Valley) 79; 4. Jared Grammes (Palmerton) 82; T5. Sam Vinc (Tamaqua) 83; 14. Joey Solt (Palmerton) 88; T17. Cole Dynda (Northwestern) 92; T19. Jason Carrelli (Palmerton) 93; 25. Skylar Kern (Northwestern) 96.

Class 2A Girls

(top 3 plus locals)

1. Mara Dubacher (Moravian Academy) 81; 2. Katherine Anthony (Moravian Academy) 85; 3. Avri Chandler (Northwestern) 89; T4. Gracie Scheffler (Northwestern) 90.

Class 3A Boys

(top 3 plus locals)

1. Holden Sparks (Nazareth) 69; 2. Derek Moyer (Northampton) 70; Evan Walters (Emmaus) 72; T8. Drew Patascher (Pleasant Valley) 77.