STATE COLLEGE — Evan Cooper followed up his round of 80 on Monday with an 81 today, giving the Athens junior a 17-over par, two-day total of 161 total and a tie for 57th place at the PIAA, Class AAA Golf Championships here on the Penn State White Course.

“I’m happy for my first time here,” Cooper said after his round. “I did some things better today, especially my chipping, and my putting was better. I definitely struggled with my irons today, where yesterday I thought I hit my irons really well.”

Cooper’s day-one 80 included 10 pars, a birdie, five bogeys and two double-bogeys, while today’s round included nine pars, a birdie, six bogeys and a pair of double-bogeys.

Cooper shot a 38-42 for his 80 on Monday and a 41-40 today for his 81.

The District IV runner-up had five holes that he improved his score on today, five that he shot a higher score on and eight holes that he shot the same score.

Cooper is excited to get back to work and start preparing for his senior season, where the goal, according to Cooper, is to “get back here.”

The Wildcat will also look to repeat as the top player in the NTL, where he compiled an average score of 75.6 in 10 matches.

An honor that Cooper may have won at the Championships is that he had possibly the largest gallery of family and friends following his group both days.

“I really want to thank my parents and my grandparents,” Cooper said, “And everyone that came down. It means a lot to have that support.”

The PIAA distributes medals to the top-10 finishers, which this year resulted in 18 players being recognized, as the state champ shot a 4-under 140, four players tied for sixth and nine players tied for 10th place with a 5-over 149.

Cooper finished tied with five other golfers in the 57th spot on the board.

STATE COLLEGE — Athens junior Evan Cooper shot an opening-round 80 at the PIAA 3A Golf Championships here Monday, being held at Penn State University’s White and Blue courses.

Cooper teed off on Hole No. 1 at 9 a.m. today and had a strong start, recording pars on holes one through four. Some familiarity with the course likely played a part in Cooper’s hot start, despite the cool weather.

“This was my third time playing the course”, Cooper explained. “We came down for two practice rounds — in similar conditions, so that was a big benefit.”

After three straight bogeys, Cooper parred hole eight and birdied the par-4 ninth to make the turn at a plus-2 38.

“I’m happy with my score”, Cooper said, “but I know I can shoot better. I hit my irons well today, but there’s room for improvement.”

Cooper parred 10, 11 and 13, while getting a bogey on 12.  A double-bogey on the par-3 14th, a bogey on 16 and another double-bogey on 17 left Cooper with his round of 80 — after parring hole 18.

In all, Cooper totaled 11 pars on the day and had one birdie. His round of 80 leaves him tied for 49th place.

Tuesday’s final round, scheduled to begin at 8 a.m., will now begin at 9:30 a.m. due to anticipated frost.

Cooper is excited to get back out on the course Tuesday, saying, “It’ll be my fourth time playing it and its a really nice course .. and if I can get some birdie putts to fall — that’s the focus.”

WILLIAMSPORT — Athens junior Evan Cooper entered Day 2 of the District 4, Class AAA golf championships in good position to punch his ticket to the PIAA Championships.

With the top two place-fishers qualifying for States, Cooper was in second place after an opening round of 82 on Thursday — seven shots behind the leader, Sam Wetmiller of Selinsgrove, but four shots ahead of a trio of golfers, and five shots ahead of his teammate, sophomore Shane Saxon.

Cooper just needed another solid round, but he one-upped his opening-round performance with the best round of the day in the Class AAA field, firing a 7-over par 78 on the 6,156-yard, par-71 Williamsport Country Club Course to lock down his spot at States.

“I couldn't be more happy for Evan and going to States,” said Athens coach Lenny Pientka. “He certainly has put the work in the entire year.

“I checked his average for the NTL from last year to this year.  He has lowered his average by 11 strokes,” he noted. That is amazing to drop that many shots in one year.

“We talked about what he would need to shoot the second day. We figured if he could duplicate the 82 he had a good chance,” added Pientka. “He took care of business and made certain with a solid 78.”

Cooper’s two-day total of 160 was six shots behind Wetmiller, who shot a 79 Saturday for a two-day total of 154.

Saxon carded a 94 to finish seven with a two-day total of 181.

“Dylan played great the first day, but didn't shoot the score he expected,” said Pientka.

Dylan is only a sophomore with tremendous ability and has a pretty golf swing,” he added. “Im happy he got the experience at this level, it will be a huge asset for next year.”

The PIAA Championships are Oct. 17-18 at the Penn State Golf Course at State College.

WILLIAMSPORT — Junior Evan Cooper and sophomore Dylan Saxon are in contention to advance to States after Day 1 of the District 4, Class AAA Golf Championships here Thursday at the Williamsport Country Club.

As a team, the Wildcats placed second in the Class AAA standings. Selinsgrove won the team title with a four-man aggregate of 358, while Athens tallied 369, Jersey Shore was third at 374, and Milton was fourth at 395.

"We played well on a tough golf course,” said Athens coach Lenny Pientka. “It’s long, with high roughs, and lightning fast greens.

“We finished second in the District to a  very good Selinsgrove team,” he noted. “We definitely had our chances, but that's golf.

“With basically the same group back next year, we will give it a run for the team title,” Pientka added.

In the individual tournament, Selinsgrove’s Sam Wetmiller topped the field on Day 1 with a 4-over par round of 75 on the 6,156-yard, par-71 course.

Cooper was second with an 82, while Selinsgrove’s Mike Felty, Jersey Shore’s Carter Girton, and Milton’s Cade Wirnsberger each shot rounds of 86, and are tied for third. Saxon is in sixth place with an 87.

“Evan Cooper and Dylan Saxon both still have a good chance to get to States with good rounds on Saturday,” said Pientka.

The top eight advanced to Saturday’s second round. The eighth-place finisher, Shikellamy’s Luke Fatool shot a 90.

Missing the cut were junior Nicholas Jacob and sophomore Brady Darrow, who tied for 14th with rounds of 100, and senior Lucas Kraft, who was 16th with a 101.

CHEMUNG — Athens junior Evan Cooper earned low-medal honors, and the Wildcats top four golfer finished in the top 12 as they finished off a perfect NTL season here in the final league golf match of the season at Tomasso’s Golf Course.

The Wildcats, who finish the season at 42-0, shot a four-man aggregate score of 348, 20 strokes ahead of runner-up North Penn-Mansfield, which had its best finish of the season.

Wyalusing finished third with a 376, while Wellsboro was fourth with a 379, Cowanesque Valley was fifth with a 383, Towanda was sixth with a 423, and Sayre was seventh in 462.

Cooper shot a round of 81, which included a pair of birdies, on the par-69 course, while Wildcats sophomore Dylan Saxon was fourth with an 86, junior Brady Darrow was sixth with an 88, and senior Sean Clare was 12th with a 93.

Junior Nicholas Jacob was 15th with a non-scoring round of 96, and senior Lucas Kraft was 17th with a non-scoring round of 97.

Senior Jackson Hubbard led Sayre with a 107, while senior Kegan Hayford had a 109, freshman Cole Homer carded a 122, and freshman Karter Green added a 124.

Juniors Tanner Green and David Hall Jr. added non-scoring rounds of 130 and 131, respectively, for the Redskins.

The District 4 Championships are Thursday and Saturday at Williamsport Country Club.

FINAL STANDINGS
1. ATHENS, 42-0; 2. WYALUSING, 33-9; 3. (tie) WELLSBORO and NP-MANSFIELD, 25-17; 5. COWANESQUE VALLEY, 15-27; 6. TOWANDA, 6-30; 7. SAYRE, 0-42.

TOWANDA — Athens had four of the top 11 scorers, led by low-medal winner junior Evan Cooper, to win its sixth straight NTL golf match and clinched its second straight league title here Tuesday afternoon at the Towanda Country Club.

The Wildcats, now 36-0 on the season, shot a four-player aggregate scored of 347, while runner-up Wellsboro carded a 357, and third-place Wyalusing had a 362. North Penn-Mansfield was fourth at 381, Cowanesque Valley was fifth at 391, Towanda was sixth at 439, and Sayre was seventh at 463.

Cooper was low for the day with a career-best round of 74 on the par-71 course. He had two birdies, and nine pars.

North Penn-Mansfield senior was second with a 78, and Wellsboro junior Hayden Zuchowski was third with an 82.

Athens sophomore Dylan Saxon was seventh with an 87, while junior Nicholas Jacob was ninth with a 92, and junior Brady Darrow was 11th with a 94. Junior Lucas Kraft was 19th with a non-scoring round of 99, and senior Sean Clare tacked on a 101.

Sayre senior Jackson Hubbard finished 17th with a round of 97, while senior Kegan Hayford shot a 117, junior David Hall Jr. carded a 122, junior Tanner Green had a 127, and freshman Cole Homer tacked on a non-scoring round of 128.

The NTL golfers wrap up the regular season next Tuesday at Tomasso’s Golf Course.

STANDINGS: 1. Athens 36-0; 2. Wyalusing 29-7; 3. Wellsboro, 22-14; 4. North Penn-Mansfield, 20-16; 5. Cowanesque Valley 13-23l 6. Towanda, 6-30; 7. Sayre, 0-36.

WESTFIELD, Pa. — All six of Athens’ golfers placed in the top 15, and the Wildcats took first place for the fifth consecutive week here at the NTL golf match at River Valley Country Club.

The Wildcats shot a four-player aggregate score of 356 to top runner-up Wyalusing by 12 strokes. North Penn-Mansfield was third at 374, edging out Cowanesque Valley, which was fourth at 378.

Wellsboro placed fifth at 378, while Towanda was sixth at 432, and Sayre was seventh at 498.

Athens junior Evan Cooper finished third with an 83, and sophomore Dylan Saxon was fourth with an 86.

Senior Lucas Kraft shot a 93 to finish 11th for the Wildcats, while sophomore Brady Darrow shot a 94, senior Cameron Sullivan carded a non-scoring round of 95, and junior Nicholas Jacob shot a non-scoring round of 96.

Cowanesque Valley junior Jordan Vargeson was low-medalist on the way with a 79, edging out second-place finisher Andrew Green of North Penn-Mansfield by one stroke.

STANDINGS: 1. Athens, 30-0; 2. Wyalusing, 25-5; 3. (tie) Wellsboro, 17-13 and North Penn-Mansfield, 17-13; 5. Cowanesque Valley, 11-19; 6. Towanda, 5-25; 7. Sayre, 0-30.

The NTL golfers return to action Monday at the Towanda Country Club.

MANSFIELD — Athens’ top five golfers finished in the top 15 to lead the Wildcats to their fourth straight first-place finish in NTL boys golf action here Tuesday afternoon at Corey Creek Golf Club.

Athens, which edged Wyalusing by six strokes last week, topped the Rams by just three strokes this week — 362 to 365. North Penn-Mansfield finished third with a four-player aggregate score of 377, while Wellsboro was fourth at 380, Cowanesque Valley was fifth at 406, Towanda was sixth at 442, and Sayre placed seventh at 543.

Athens junior Evan Cooper finished second on the day with an 82 — four shots off the pace of low-medalist North Penn-Mansfield senior Andrew Green, who fired a 78.

Athens senior Cameron Sullivan placed sixth on the day with a 90, while sophomore Dylan Saxon tied for 10th with a 93, and junior Brady Darrow was 14th with a 97.

Athens senior Lucas Kraft finished 15th with a non-scoring round of 98, and junior Nicholas Jacob was 18th with a 102.

Senior Kegan Hayford led Sayre with a round of 128, while junior David Hall Jr. shot a 129, freshman Cole Homer carded a 130, and freshman Ryne Osmond tacked on a 156.

The Athens and Sayre golfers return to action next Tuesday at the River Valley Country Club in Westfield, Pa.

STANDINGS: 1. Athens, 24-0; 2. Wyalusing, 20-4; 3. Wellsboro, 15-9; 4. NP-Mansfield, 13-11; 5. Cowanesque Valley, 8-16; 6. Towanda, 4-20; 7. Sayre, 0-24.

TOWANDA — Led by junior Evan Cooper, Athens had four scorers in the top 10 to win its third straight league match here Thursday afternoon in NTL golf action at the Towanda Country Club.

Athens fired a four-player aggregate score of 348, edging out runner-up Wyalusing by six strokes. Wellsboro finished third with a 377, while NP-Mansfield was fourth at 390, Cowanesque Valley was fifth at 401, Towanda was sixth at 448, and Sayre finished seventh at 461.

Cooper shot a 78 on the par-71 TCC course to finish second on the day, with Wyalusing junior Nick Salsman earning low-medal honors with a round of 75.

Senior Cameron Sullivan placed fourth with an 86, while sophomore Dylan Saxon was eighth with a 91, and junior Brady Darrow was 10th with a 93.

Senior Lucas Kraft carded a non-scoring round of 93 to finish 13th on the day, and junior Nicholas Jacob was 19th with a 101.

Senior Jackson Hubbard, in his first action of the season, led Sayre with a round of 106, and junior Tanner Green carded a 111.

Kegan Hayford shot a 121 for the Redskins, while freshman Ryne Osmond had a 123, and junior David Hall Jr. and freshman Karter Green carded non-scoring rounds of 128 and 139, respectively.

Athens and Sayre return to action Tuesday at Corey Creek Golf Club in Mansfield.

STANDINGS
1. ATHENS ....... 18-0
2. WYALUSING .. 15-3
3. WELLSBORO . 12-6
4. NP-MANS ...... 9-9
5. C.VALLEY ..... 6-12
6. TOWANDA .... 3-15
7. SAYRE ......... 0-18

WELLSBORO — Athens, led by junior Evan Cooper, had three golfers in the top seven to record its second straight first-place finish in NTL golf action here Monday afternoon at the Tyoga Country Club.

The Wildcats, now 12-0 in league play, recorded a four-man aggregate score of 365, while Wyalusing was runner-up at 375, Wellsboro was third at 379, and North Penn-Mansfield finished fourth at 389. Cowanesque Valley finished fifth with a score of 436, while Towanda was sixth at 535, and Sayre was seventh at 564.

Cooper, who was low medalist at Shepard Hills last week, was second on the day with a round of 82 — just one shot off the pace of NP-M senior Andrew Green, who carded an 81 on the par-71 course.

Junior Nicholas Jacob finished sixth overall for the Wildcats with a career-best round of 88, and sophomore Dylan Saxon was seventh with an 89.

Cooper birdied the par-4 third hole, while Jacob registered a birdie on the par-5 fifth hole.

Athens senior Cam Sullivan finished 14th with a round of 106, while junior Sean Clare was 17th with a non-scoring round of 110, and senior Lucas Kraft was 19th with a non-scoring round of 111.

Senior Kegan Hayford led Sayre with a 124, while junior David Hall Jr. carded a 137, freshman Tanner Green added a 142, and freshman Ryne Osmond tacked on a 161.

Athens returns to action Sept. 1 at the Towanda Country Club.

SELINSGROVE, Pa. — Sophomore Dylan Saxon had a career-best day, and junior Evan Cooper continued his strong play to lead Athens to a top-10 finish here Saturday in the Selinsgrove Invitational at the Susquehanna Valley Country Club.

“It was a very tough and competitive field, and a very tough golf course,” said Athens coach Lenny Pientka.

Saxon fired a 78 on the 6,261-yard, par-72 course, while Cooper shot an 80 to help the Wildcats to a four-player aggregate score of 256 for a sixth-place finish in the 30-team field.

Senior Lucas Kraft carded a 98 for Athens, and junior Nicholas Jacob added a 100.

Athens returns to action Monday in NTL golf action at the Tyoga Country Club in Wellsboro.

WAVERLY — Athens junior Evan Cooper earned low-medal honors, leading Athens to a 6-0 record in the opening NTL golf match of the season here Wednesday afternoon at The Club at Shepard Hills.

Athens fired a four-man aggregate score of 346 to earn six wins, while Wyalusing was second at 369, followed by Wellsboro at 381, North Penn-Mansfield at 406, Cowanesque Valley at 410, and Towanda at 436. Sayre was 0-6 at 503.