Chad Hess wanted to win the Lehigh Valley Conference Tournament. And he knew if he played his best it was within his reach. But a steady breeze and a few shots he'd like back left him at 4-over par 76 and in a tie for second place Monday at Allentown Municipal.

The Parkland junior was awarded fourth place by a match of cards.

"It was a struggle out there," said Hess. "You lose shots, you get shots back. You just had to fight through it. I was grinding out there and getting the lowest score I could. I can't complain about 76."

Hess, who shot the same score a day earlier in Lehigh Valley Amatuer Championship qualifying at Green Pond, knows the Allentown Municipal course well and thought he had a shot at this year's LVC crown.

"The win is in the back of my mind," Hess said. "I play here a lot, almost every day. I had my eye on a 72, getting even par."

His prediction was accurate for the winning score. Emmaus junior Grant Schumaker took this year's title with a 72. He needed just 30 putts to get the job done and earn exemption into the District 11 Class AAA Championship Tournament.

"There's so many good players in this tournament," said Schumaker. "It feels really good to be on top.

"I knew that from this yardage I just have to fight for pars and not try to go for pins. If you can you make a birdie, make a birdie, but I was just trying for as many pars as I could."

The LVC tournament was played from Allentown's blue tees, which are listed at 6,546 on the scorecard. The distance wasn't a problem for Hess. He just let a few shots get away and wasn't able to make enough birdies.

"I got up and down," Hess said. "My approach shots weren't where I wanted them to be so I had to chip over the bunker or over the water. I got up and down a lot more than I usually do.

"The wind was a little factor. I'm not coming all the way through, not completing my swing and it shows. The ball is spraying to the right. The few times it happened, that's when it cost me."

Parkland finished Monday's tournament in third place as a team at 418, three strokes behind Northampton (415) and well behind regular season and tournament champ Emmaus at 399.

While Hess was the only Trojan medal winner (top 10), several Parkland players shot respectable scores.

Junior Nick Shoup carded an 83 Monday. Classmate Adam Sutovich fired an 85. Junior Mike Perkins shot 86, while senior Colin Pratt had an 88 and junior Ryan Gray brought in a 90.

Central Catholic's Franca Hurtado won the girls tournament at 80, beating Freedom's Helen Hsu (87) by seven strokes.

Hess and several of his teammates move on to Monday's District 11 Class AAA qualifying tournament at Woodstone. He will also compete in this weekend's Lehigh Valley Amateur Tournament, where he is seeded 12th in the 64-player championship field.

"My goal is to get through the first round," said Hess. "As long as I can win my match on Thursday I'll be satisfied."

Lehigh Valley Conference Golf Championship Results

1. Grant Schumaker (Emmaus) 72, 2. Evan Notaro (Northampton) 76, 3. Kyle Wambold (Emmaus) 76, 4. Charles Hess (Parkland) 76, 5. Bret Howey (Nazareth) 76, 6. JT Barker (Bethlehem Catholic) 78, 7. Mitch Racosky (Liberty) 78, 8. Kevin Kunkle (Northampton) 80, 9. Nick Maff (Bethlehem Catholic) 80, 10. Mike Schultz (Allen) 80.

Girls

1. Franca Hurtado (Central Catholic) 80, 2. Helen Hsu (Freedom) 87, 3. Emily Rodgers (Central Catholic) 89, 4. Ashley Ressler (Emmaus) 89, 5. Loran Pritchard (Whitehall) 92.