DENVER | Regis Jesuit senior Bo Wardynski played his last Class 5A boys state golf tournament and Eaglecrest freshman Andrew White played his first and the results turned out the same Oct. 8.
Both Wardynski — a returning state qualifier — and the precocious White, making his state debut, finished in a tie for 14th place with total scores of plus-10 150 when the second round of play concluded at Pinehurst Country Club.
Wardynski had hoped to lead Regis Jesuit back to the top as a team — it finished fourth last season after winning the state championship the previous three seasons — but the Raiders ran into difficulties on the opening day that limited their ability move up.
With Wardynski leading the way after shooting a 74 on the second day, coach Craig Rogers’ team finished fifth overall.
White recorded birdies on three of his first four holes in the final to get within a stroke of the overall lead before he made some admitted stakes that added a shot or two here or there to his score.
Still, he finished with the highest state place for a freshman at Eaglecrest, surpassing Davis Bryant (who went on to win a state championship as a senior in 2017), who was 30th in 2014.
With a top-10 spot on his mind, Cherokee Trail senior Beam Boonta tried to follow up his opening round 74 with a better performance, but hardly any putts dropped for him on the day. He finished his third state tournament with a 79 that left him in a tie for 20th place in a group that also included Regis Jesuit junior Teddy Hummel, who also finished with a plus-13 153 total over two days.
The top performer on the second day was Regis Jesuit junior Ryan Occhionero, who shot a plus-3 73 — the best score for any of the eight players on either day — to improve by 10 strokes from the previous day.
With a round that included three birdies and could have been better if not for a double bogey on No. 16, Occhionero moved up into a tie for 34th.
Grandview sophomore Kenny VanWormer was just a stroke behind Occhionero for top Aurora honors in the second round with a 74, which was a nine-stroke improvement and upped him to a tie for 37th in the final standings. He birdied three of his first six holes to make his move.
Regis Jesuit’s state contingent was rounded out by junior John Fredericks, who shot nearly identical scores on the two days and finished in a tie for 46th with a total of 159.
Cherokee Trail junior Mason Bernard played in his second career state tournament and rebounded from an opening round 88 with an 81 that earned him a spot in a tie for 73rd overall.
Courtney Oakes is Sentinel Colorado Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports