Schuylkill Haven sophomore Alan Evans, center, poses with coaches Aaron Schock, left, and Ed Andrescavage, right, after receiving his ninth-place medal Tuesday at the PIAA Golf Championships at Penn State University.

STATE COLLEGE — Alan Evans’ first trip to the PIAA Golf Championships didn’t end the way he would have liked it to.

The medal hanging around his neck was a reminder of how well he played the past two days.

Evans shot a 6-over-par 78 in Tuesday’s second round of the PIAA Golf Championships at Penn State University’s Blue Course, finishing in a tie for ninth in the Class AA tournament at 68-78—146.

That was good enough for Evans to earn a state medal, the first-ever for a Schuylkill Haven golfer.

“It was a goal just to make (states),” Evans said Tuesday evening. “Then when I got there, I thought it would be awesome to finish in the Top 10. I got to make Top 10, so it felt good to reach that goal.

“Going into the day, I was playing with two really good golfers. I was happy to be playing in the final group. But when I hit that eagle, I was like, ‘Hold on, I have a good chance to win this thing.’

“I think I got too much in my head. But it was a great time.”

For a portion of Tuesday’s final round of the two-day, 36-hole tournament, Evans sat all alone atop the leaderboard.

Evans opened the day tied with Ethan Dai of Quaker Valley after shooting a 68 in Monday’s first round. He had a bogey on the par-4 No. 1, then carded two pars. He birdied the par-3, 182-yard No. 4, then shot an eagle 3 on the 499-yard, par-5 No. 5.

The eagle put him at 6-under for the tournament and gave him a two-stroke lead on eventual winner Nick Werner of Wyoming Seminary.

“It was a tight tee shot, with water about 5 yards off the fairway to the left,” Evans said of his eagle on No. 5. “Monday, my shot went right in there. I was talking about this shot all night, whether I should hit 3-iron off the tee and stay short or go driver and blow by it.

“I was feeling pretty good after the birdie, so I pulled out the driver. I hit it real good but to the left. I thought I was in the water, but I wasn’t. I was underneath a tree a little bit, about 185 yards out.

“I knew I needed a low shot, so I hit a 7-iron low and to the right. I got way under it and skied it, and it sat right on the green about 15 feet out, and I made the putt. It wasn’t the prettiest hole, but it was a good one.”

The rest of the day, unfortunately, was a struggle for Evans. He bogeyed No. 7 and No. 8, finishing the front nine at an even-par 36. Werner surged into the lead at that point and never let it go, finishing with a two-day total of 70-68—140.

Evans, meanwhile, continued to fall down the leaderboard.

He carded bogeys on No. 12, No. 13, No. 14 and No. 16 before finishing with a double-bogey 7 on the par-5, 446-yard No. 18.

“I was disappointed in the way I finished,” Evans said. “There were a couple of shots where I just had bad lies.

“The back nine, I played more strategy, tried to hit shots in the fairway. One (landed) on the side of a hill, another was right in the middle of the fairway but in a divot. The last hole, I hit a perfect shot, right toward the green, would have been a great number, but on its way down hit the last branch on the top of a tree and kicked way left.”

Schuylkill Haven’s Talan Spittler and North Schuylkill’s Jude Maziekas also competed at the PIAA meet, with Spittler placing 49th and Maziekas taking 61st.

Spittler, a senior, had a pair of birdies, on the par-4 No. 2 and the par-5 No. 5 to finish the day at 7-over 79. He carded a two-day total of 17-over 82-79—161.

Maziekas, a junior, recorded a birdie on the par-4 No. 16, carding seven pars and seven bogeys on his way to an 86. His finished with a two-day total of 84-86—170.

“It was a good trip, good to share it with my family, good experience,” Maziekas said. “I was happy to make it as a junior. I didn’t play like I wanted to, but it’s good experience for next year.”

Moving forward, Maziekas said he needs to give himself better chances to make birdies, thus lowering his score.

“I need to play more aggressive,” he said. “I played too safe the whole year. I didn’t give myself enough birdie chances, I was too far away. That will give me a chance to shoot how I want to shoot.”

PIAA Golf Championships

At Penn State University

CLASS AA BOYS

(Top 10, plus Schuylkill golfers)

1. Nick Werner, Wyoming Seminary 70-68—138

2. (tie) John Curran, Devon Prep 73-67—140

2. (tie) Charlie Weidner, Lake Lehman 71-69—140

2. (tie) Jonah Schollaert, OLSH 69-71—140

5. Alex Talmadge, West Shamokin 74-68—142

6. (tie) Landon Mauser, Shady Side Academy 77-66—143

6. (tie) Ethan Dai, Quaker Valley 68-75—143

8. Rocco Bautti, Neshannock 74-71—145

9. (tie) Alan Evans, Schuylkill Haven 68-78—146

9. (tie) Santino Toscano, Wilmington 71-75—146

9. (tie) Jason Dirita, Archbishop Carroll 72-74—146

Other Schuylkill golfers

49. Talan Spittler, Schuylkill Haven 82-79—161

61. Jude Maziekas, North Schuylkill 84-86—170