HELLERTOWN — Sam Vinc had been here before.

A year after coming up short in his bid for a District 11 championship, the Tamaqua sophomore returned determined to finish the job.

He did — although not without some late drama.

Vinc held off Schuylkill Haven’s Eli Barton and Alan Evans to capture his first District 11 Class 2A championship Tuesday at Steel Club, carding a 4-over-par 76 to edge Barton by one stroke.

Evans finished third with a 79, while Palmerton’s Joey Solt was fourth with an 80.

Vinc and Barton played in the same group and entered their final hole, the 520-yard, par-5 14th, with Vinc holding a two-shot advantage.

That’s when things became interesting.

After his second shot finished to the right of the green, Vinc ran into trouble around the green. He admitted that checking the leaderboard — and then noticing the cameras and gallery around the finishing hole — briefly broke his concentration.

“Once I looked up and saw everything, the people, the cameras, I realized I should have never taken a look at the scoreboard,” Vinc said.

His phone had also become a distraction.

“I did it to myself when I checked my phone for the leaderboard,” he said.

It was an unusual moment for a player whose composure has become one of his strengths.

“Sam usually can get his composure. Things like that don’t usually bother him,” Tamaqua coach Matt Stine said. “Yes, I was surprised, but the way he finished didn’t surprise me, either.

“He’s incredible. This goes back to last year, when he came up a little bit short of the championship, and it showed his desire to win the championship here. He came back this year to finish it.”

With Vinc in trouble, Barton had an opportunity to force a tie with a birdie. Barton ultimately settled for par, giving Vinc a chance to close out the championship.

Vinc recovered and knocked his next shot to about five feet, before sinking the putt for bogey and a one-stroke victory.

“That last hole was the toughest hole,” Vinc said. “The nerves got me there.”

The finish capped a round in which Vinc opened with a birdie on the par-5 15th, and later strung together nine consecutive pars from Nos. 2 through 10. He made five bogeys overall, and finished with a 76.

Barton made four birdies during his round and finished with a 77, while Evans was just one shot over par through Nos. 1-9 before running into trouble later in his round and finishing at 79.

Vinc praised both Schuylkill Haven golfers afterward.

“Alan, going into his senior year, he’s a great player, but down the stretch he had some tough holes,” Vinc said. “But he’s a great player. So is Eli.”

Tamaqua sophomore Brody Boyle also found himself in the middle of the action.

Boyle, who was introduced to the game by Vinc during the summer following his eighth-grade year, shot a 10-over 82 to finish regulation tied with Salisbury’s Jackson Skeans.

The two needed extra holes to determine their finishing order, with Skeans emerging from the playoff in fifth place.

“Yes, I am disappointed, but I owe a lot to Sam Vinc,” Boyle said. “I never played golf before, and Sam took me out to play when I was in eighth grade and he taught me how to play. I owe everything to him. I’m so glad that he encouraged me to play.”

Stine praised both of his golfers, and credited Vinc for helping Boyle develop his game.

“Sam and Brody play a ton of golf together,” Stine said, “and it showed at the district championship. Brody had to make his way through the qualifier and did so well and tied for fifth. It says so much about his determination.”

SOLT HEADED

TO STATES

Palmerton junior Solt will make his first trip to the PIAA Championships after carding an 8-over 80 to finish fourth in Class 2A.

“I’m thrilled,” Solt said. “I’ve been working for this moment for the last eight years, and I know the goal is to win the district, but it’s in the back of my head to make it to states.”

Solt said one of his biggest challenges has been the mental side of the game.

“I learned to block things out,” he said. “I’ve had issues trying to do that, but right now I feel so good and I am comfortable with my game.”

Palmerton coach Alex Knoll has seen that growth.

“Joey is one of our best players in school history,” Knoll said. “He plays a national schedule outside the school, and has aspirations to play golf after high school. He’s an extremely hard worker. Last year he struggled with the mental side of the game; today was a big step in the right direction.”

Solt made nine bogeys and eight pars, with his lone birdie coming on the par-3 16th.

Palmerton teammate Jared Grammes tied for seventh at 11-over 83, while Northwestern Lehigh’s Skylar Kern tied for ninth with an 84.

ALBANO EARNS

3A TITLE

Saucon Valley junior Anthony Albano turned in the round of the day, shooting an even-par 72 to capture the District 11 Class 3A championship.

Pocono Mountain East’s Chris Gerheart and Nazareth’s Alex DiGiacinto both shot 75, while Southern Lehigh’s Connor Aspen was fourth with a 76.

Pleasant Valley’s Drew Patascher earned a top-10 finish, placing 10th with an 8-over 80. Patascher shot a 42 on the front nine, before coming back with a 2-over 38 on the back.

Schuylkill Haven won the Class 2A team title with a 333. Moravian Academy was second at 352, Notre Dame-Green Pond third at 353, and Northwestern Lehigh fourth at 357.

QUOTABLE ... “Steel Club is a tough course,” Knoll said. “I don’t think any of these kids play a course like this. There are tough and fast greens, and I think the only other course like this is Schuylkill Country Club.”

TOUGHEST ... Golfers pointed to No. 1, a 410-yard par 4 and the course’s No. 1 handicap hole, as one of the toughest challenges of the day.

BY THE NUMBERS ... Vinc had one bogey on Nos. 1-9 and four on Nos. 10-18, along with a birdie on the par-5 15th. Boyle had seven bogeys and two double bogeys, with his lone birdie coming on the par-3 eighth.