GRAND JUNCTION | On a dramatic day at Bookcliff Country Club in Grand Junction, the Cherokee Trail boys golf team made history.
The Cougars had fallen agonizingly close to winning the Class 5A state championship in the previous two seasons, but settled for second both times when other teams came through in the clutch.
On Oct. 7, it was Cherokee Trail’s mix of seasoned veterans in seniors Brayden Forte and Dalton Sisneros and state newcomers in freshman Jeffrey Chen and senior Braydon O’Neill that got it done.
Coach Ryan Stevens’ Cougars — who had played like the state’s top team all season, but got off to an abnormally slow start in the opening round — shot 10-under-par as a team on the final day to get into a tie for first, then outlasted Denver East to bring home the program’s first title.
“It wasn’t the sort of start we wanted, but it gave us the fuel we needed to be the hunter and not the hunted,” Stevens said. “It was such an amazing two hours (in the final round). Not often in golf do you scoreboard watch like that and see it unfold in real time right in front of you. It’s something I’ll never forget and I’m so happy for the kids.
“For all the hard work, dedication and professionalism, to see it capped off like that, it made me tear up plenty of times. All the credit goes to them, they were just nails.”
Most nails in the biggest moment was Forte, a four-time state qualifier and San Diego State commitment, who had been the classification’s top golfer by average all season.
He put the finishing touches on his already memorable prep career with a clutch performance to help his team when it needed it most. As the last Cherokee Trail player on the course, Forte erased a one-stroke deficit to the Angels when he put his approach shot within two feet of the cup on Hole No. 18 and sank the putt for a rousing eagle.
“There was a long wait on the 18th tee, which is a hard driving hole,” Forte said. “Stepped up, hit the shot in the right side of the fairway and had about 272 (yards) left. We had to wait awhile because there was a ruling on the green and I just told my coach, I see this shot right at this blue car and I’m going to hit it right at it.
“I did just that, it rolled nicely and I made the eagle. It was crazy.”
Forte’s eagle finished off a round of 7-under-par 64 that put him at in third place in the final standings behind Fairview teammates Miles Kuhl and Ash Edwards.
But Denver East — in search of its first state golf championship since 1952 — recovered as senior Elijah Johnson came through the final hole in the next group and sank a birdie putt to force a playoff for the top spot.
A team playoff that featured both Forte and Sisneros had not gone the Cougars’ way back in 2023, when Cherry Creek prevailed to take the second place trophy, even though both teams officially finished in a tie for second.
This time, Cherokee Trail — which had four players to the three for Denver East — played with ice water in its veins.
First, Chen — whose older brother, Anthony, had been a part of the two runner-up teams, but did not make the top four this season — made a birdie putt, which came after Johnson had made one for the Angels. Forte sunk a birdie putt as well and after Denver East’s Murphy Rowen made par, Sisneros sealed it with a birdie putt that swirled around the cup and went down.
Sisneros shot 140 to finish eighth for his second straight career top-10 finish after he tied for third in 2024. In his state tournament debut, Chen shot 147 to tie for 24th and O’Neill (also a first-timer) carded a total of 152 to tie for 38th.
The Cherokee Trail players had Aurora-area company in the top 10, as Eaglecrest senior Gregory White — a four-time state qualifier — shot 1-under-par on the second day to earn a spot in a five-way tie for ninth place with a two-day total of 1-under 141.
Just two strokes out of that group was junior Will Farber, who placed 16th in his first season with Regis Jesuit. Senior Brady Davis shot seven strokes better in the second round than in the first to finish in a tie for 24th to help the Raiders finish 11th as a team. Junior Henry Criste was the third qualifier for coach Craig Rogers’ team and he shot 159 over two days.
Coach Kurtis Bailey’s Grandview team finished in 15th place as a team with help from a pair of two-time state qualifiers in junior Dominik Fedotov (who finished 46th) and sophomore Sam Silver (who took 58th) plus a first-time qualifier in senior Carter Guy Hays in 67th.
Smoky Hill junior Reece Nuwash shot 74 on the final day to finish in a tie for 34th.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
2025 CLASS 5A BOYS STATE GOLF TOURNAMENT FINAL RESULTS
Oct. 6-7 at Bookcliff Country Club
Team scores (par 213-213 — 426): T1. CHEROKEE TRAIL 219-203 — 422 (wins team playoff); T1. Denver East 218-204 — 422; 3. Arvada West 219-217 — 436; 4. Arapahoe 216-221 — 437; 5. Erie 225-216 — 441; 6. Chatfield 221-221 — 442; 7. Columbine 222-221 — 443; 8. ThunderRidge 222-222 — 444; 9. Valor Christian 219-226 — 445; 10. Ralston Valley 217-229 — 446; 11. REGIS JESUIT 225-224 — 449; T12. Cherry Creek 226-227 — 453; T12. Fossil Ridge 226-227 — 453; 14. Denver South 226-231 — 457; 15. GRANDVIEW 236-231 — 467; 16. Rock Canyon 237-231 — 468; 17. Lakewood 244-237 — 481
— Full Class 5A state team and individual results, here