When he thinks back about the District 11 team golf championships, Northampton head golf coach Brian Davies relates the events to his own high school playing days.

"It was so exciting and tense, I could feel my heart pumping," recalled Davis about his team's performance in district play. "It took me back to the days when I was playing sports in high school. It was just that intense."

Intense was certainly the word to describe the final moments of team districts as Northampton edged Emmaus by one stroke 292-293 to capture the PIAA District XI Class AAA team title at Willowbrook Golf Course Oct. 3.

Northampton averaged 73 strokes per player to break the previous District 11 team record of 294 set by Parkland last year, and advanced to play in next week's PIAA AAA Subregional match against a District 12 team.

It was the third meeting between the two clubs this season with Emmaus winning the first two meetings. The Green Hornets gave the Kinds their first loss during the regular season and the edged them for the Lehigh Valley Conference (LVC) crown.

This time around, Davies convinced his troops to not allow a triple crown.

"I told them before the match that it was our time to beat them this season," Davies stated. "Our guys went out there and they were focused. The play was intense until the end."

Davies cited Tyler Smith's 18-foot birdie on the 18th hole as being one of the game-changing shots for the Kids.

"That shot was huge for us," said Davies. "We needed Tyler (Smith) to beat his man. Their fifth man beat our fifth man, and it would have come down to that if Tyler didn't sink that put. It was just one of those matches."

In addition, Evan Nataro, Kevin Kunkle, and Carter Test will advance to the PIAA East Region AAA tournament next Tuesday at Golden Oaks Golf Club in Berks County. Nataro finished three strokes behind Becahi's Nick Maff for the individual title.

"We are all having a good year," said Nataro. "I really can't complain about too many things this season. All of us have been playing well."

With a team title in the bag and a handful of individual golfers advancing to the regionals, Davies couldn't ask for too much more form his squad in his first year at the helm.

"It has really been a banner year for us," he said. "We hit some bumps during the year, but the LVC is always a very competitive conference. One just had to look at the team championships that were really LVC heavy with teams.

"This win (district) title is one these guys can cherish. The worked hard all season to get a prize in the postseason. We're moving forward and we still have some ways to go."