Only six golfers from District 11's Class AAA field can move on to regionals. Half of them are from Northampton.

Evan Notaro, Kevin Kunkle and Carter Test all played well enough at Monday's District 11 Championship to earn a spot in next week's PIAA Eastern Regional field.

Notaro took second place at 107, three shots off the lead. Kunkle was fourth at 111 while Test placed fifth with a 114.

Notaro, a senior who won the 2010 district title, sincerely congratulated winner Nick Maff of Bethlehem Catholic, who shot a district record four-under par to win the Class AAA district gold.

"I played good," said Notaro. "He played better. It happens. It's golf. He had a really good round."

Notaro didn't play his best, but he kept himself well under the cut for regionals. He shot even par (36-36) on his first two nines and one under (35) on his final nine.

"I played pretty well today," Notaro said. "I was struggling off the tee, but I was hitting my irons really well and I was putting really well. I can't complain about that.

"I wanted to stay around even, but I don't play with a number in mind. I just take it one hole I time, but I knew if you stay around even you're definitely in."

Notaro looks forward to finishing his career with a few more good rounds. In addition to regionals and, if he play well enough, states, he will also compete in the Lehigh Valley Tournament of Champions in hopes of winning a second straight Lehigh Valley Player of the Year award.

As his senior season winds down, he can reflect on a stellar high school career.

"It's amazing thinking back that I wanted to win districts and I wanted to win player of the year and I actually did it," Notaro said. "It's really great. I'm really happy I had the chance to do that and I took advantage of it."

He led the Kids to the first district team title in program history last week and he will leave the program in good hands next year, when a group of talented juniors and sophomores will compete for Notaro's spot at the top of the line up, a spot he held for the past four years.

Kunkle, a junior, is a candidate to take that spot. He played well each of the last two weeks to earn a spot at regionals, which will be played Tuesday at Golden Oaks Golf Course in Fleetwood.

"It was definitely a goal," Kunkle said. "The past few years I've made it to districts and not been able to play well in districts. To play well is a big confidence boost."

Kunkle shot 111 (35-41-38). He made six birdies, 13 pars, seven bogeys and a double bogey. His length off the tee helped him at Shawnee as he birdied four of the eight par fives that he played.

"I was hitting driver pretty well and a lot of the par 5s are pretty short," he said. "It's awesome because it's my first year moving on. I'm ready to play well at regionals."

Kunkle said he came into this year's tournament with more confidence than year's past.

"I was nervous, but not as nervous as I have been," he said. "Not to be cocky, but I feel like I am a top-six player in this district."

He could have easily gotten shaken when he bogeyed his first hole Monday. But he bounced back with a par and back-to-back birdies.

"That was a big confidence boost," Kunkle said. "When you have confidence you can play well. It helps you do everything better."

He was pretty sure during his final nine holes that he was inside the regional cut line and he did his best not to let it get to him.

"You think if I can just stay here I'm going to definitely make it," he said. "You don't want to think ahead of yourself but at the same time you need to be cautious of what you're doing."

Test also got that feeling during his round. He hoped to make regionals, but he wasn't sure how realistic of a goal that was.

"I did better than what I thought I would do," he said. "I played good. I hit fairways and greens and made putts. I did what I really tried to do - put up a good number and hope it was good enough to make it."

When he realized during his round that his score was probably good enough to advance to regionals, he fought back the nerves.

"I just tried not to make too many mistakes," he said. "It was pretty nerve wracking."

Monday's round should help prepare Test for next and week and, if he gets through, the 36-hole state tournament.

"I'm just looking to do well in regionals, play my best, play like I did today and you never know what happens," he said.

The top 24 players in a field of 50 Class AAA boys will advance from next week's regional to the PIAA Championship Tournament, a two-day event held October 22-23 at Heritage Hills Golf Resort in York.

Freedom's Helen Hsu won this year's District 11 Class AAA girls title with a 126, nine shots better than Emmaus' Kelsey Patterson in second place.

In Class AA, Wilson's Collin Hagenbuch won the boys title at 108 then beat last year's champ, Cole Miller (Northwestern), on the fourth hole of a playoff. Central Catholic's Franca Hurtado won the girls Class AA title.

District 11 Golf

Championship Results

Boys

Top four earn medals; top six move on to regional

Class AAA

1. Nick Maff (Bethlehem Catholic) 104, 2. Evan Notaro (Northampton) 107, 3. Chad Hess (Parkland) 110, 4. Kevin Kunkle (Northampton) 111, 5. Carter Test (Northampton) 114, 6. Bret Howey (Nazareth) 115.

Class AA

1. Collin Hagenbuch (Wilson) *108 won on fourth playoff hole, 2. Cole Miller (Northwestern) 108, 3. Eamon Marone 113, 4. Nick Vecellio (Northwestern) 117, 5. Michael Weinert (Tamaqua) 121, 6. Kyle Buchman (Notre Dame GP) 123.

Girls

Top four earn medals

Class AAA

1. Helen Hsu (Freedom) 126, 2. Kelsey Patterson (Emmaus) 135, 3. Loran Pritchard (Whitehall) 139, 4. tie Kiran Signh (Bethlehem Catholic), Emily Unrue (Easton) 142.

Class AA

1. Franca Hurtado (Central Catholic) 126, 2. Justine Paul (North Schuylkill) 134, 3. Emily Rodgers (Central Catholic) 162, 4. Samantha Firestone (Pen Argyl) 167.

Girls Regional qualifiers

Class AAA

Hsu, Patterson, Unrue.

Class AA

Hurtado, Paul, Rodgers.