The Emmaus High School golf team came into the 2024 season with a goal of returning to the District 11 team tournament.

After spending most of the season just outside of the top four places in the district rankings, the Hornets recently moved into fourth place and will have to hold that position in their final two matches to secure the team district team tournament berth.

Emmaus headed into this week at 12-2 overall. The Hornets have remaining matches against Central Catholic (4-9) and Parkland (11-2).

The Trojans are fifth in the district rankings and will host the Hornets Thursday in a match that will likely determine the fourth playoff team. Nazareth (14-0), Northampton (12-1) and Southern Lehigh (10-0) hold the top three places in the district rankings.

Emmaus beat Blue Mountain in a nonleague match last Wednesday. The Hornets’ Evan Walters shot even-par 71 at Brookside Country Club to earn medalist honors by several strokes.

The Hornets’ Kyan DeLong shot 78, while teammates Silas Wellhoener (81), Ryan Maloney (82) and Karson Krasley (83) and helped the Hornets to a team score of 395. Blue Mountain shot 447 as a team, led by 87s from Owen Crossen and Dylan Knittle.

The rest of the Hornets line up in the match against Blue Mountain included Alek Festermaker (84), Matt Grim (85) and Ella Bloszinsky (103).

Emmaus went 2-1 at a match against Stroudsburg, Nazareth and Liberty last Tuesday in a match that was postponed from Aug. 9.

The Blue Eagles remained unbeaten with a team score of 387. Emmaus shot 393, followed by Stroudsburg (415) and Liberty (416).

Walters shot even par for the second straight match, carding a 72 at Shawnee Golf Course. Also accounting for the Hornets’ team scoring were DeLong (76), Wellhoener (78), Grimm (83) and Krasley (84). Zachary Heller (87), Fenstermaker (89) and Maya Shultz (89).

Nazareth had five players shoot 81 or lower in the match, led by 75s from Radek Remaley and Zach Miller.

Earning medalist honors at the match was defending District 11 Class 3A individual champ Hunter Probst (Stroudsburg) with a 4-under par 68.

The high school golf postseason begins next week in the Lehigh Valley when the East Penn Conference holds its championship tournament at Great Bear Golf Course. The District 11 qualifying tournament will be held eight days later with the district championship tournament slated for Oct. 1 at Steel Club in Hellertown.