COMMERCE CITY | While not particularly outstanding from a team standpoint, Tuesday’s opener of the Centennial League boys golf season saw some individuals from Aurora programs get off to a strong strong.
Defending league individual champion Davis Bryant of Eaglecrest and Grandview senior Danny Taggart finished in a tie for second place by shooting a 2-under-par 70 at Buffalo Run Golf Course, one stroke off the pace set by Arapahoe’s Jay Yano.
Cherokee Trail senior Brad Scalia — like Bryant and Taggart a returning Class 5A state qualifier — fired a strong 71 to nab fourth and help lead his team to a tie with Mullen for third place, tops among Aurora teams. Freshman Beam Boonta carded a 77 in his first varsity tournament and Jack Stephenson shot 87 to help the Cougars finish with a team total of 325.
Led by the trio of Chris Kennedy (80), Kyle Colen (82) and Cole Johnson (84), fourth-place Smoky Hill ended up nine strokes behind Cherokee Trail, while Grandview came in four shots behind the Buffaloes with Michael Bak’s 86 the next-best score behind Taggart.
Bryant was far and away the top finisher for Eaglecrest, which placed seventh with Tyler Haman shooting 102, while Mason Moore (102) and Jackson Smith (104) led the way for eighth-place Overland.
Arapahoe bested Cherry Creek by 15 strokes to take a significant lead in the team chase with four tournaments remaining.
The next Centennial League tournament is slated for 7:30 a.m. Aug. 22 at South Suburban Golf Course.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
CENTENNIAL LEAGUE BOYS GOLF MEET NO. 1
Aug. 16 at Buffalo Run G.C.
Team scores: 1. Arapahoe 292, 2. Cherry Creek 307, T3. Mullen 325, T3. CHEROKEE TRAIL 325, 5. SMOKY HILL 334, 6. GRANDVIEW 338, 7. EAGLECREST 403, 8. OVERLAND 443
Top 10 individuals (par 72): 1. Jay Yano (Arapahoe) 69, T2. DAVIS BRYANT (EAGLECREST) 70, T2. DANNY TAGGART (GRANDVIEW) 70, 4. BRAD SCALIA (CHEROKEE TRAIL) 71, T5. Turner Johnson (Arapahoe) 74, T5. Jack Tickle (Arapahoe) 74, T7. Alex Yano (Arapahoe) 75, T7. Asher Nolting (Cherry Creek) 75, T7. Cade Kilkenny (Cherry Creek) 75, 10. Tom Packer (Arapahoe) 76
Aurora team-by-team results (in order of finish)
Cherokee Trail (325): Brad Scalia 71, Beam Boonta 77, Jack Stephenson 87, Chase Street 92, Trevor Loos 107; Smoky Hill (334): Chris Kennedy 80, Kyle Colen 82, Cole Johnson 84, Michael Sau 88, Riley Osburn 102; Grandview (338): Danny Taggart 70, Michael Bak 86, Brandon Armitage 88, Charlie Hall 94, Jack Cooper 95; Eaglecrest (403): Davis Bryant 70, Tyler Haman 102, Lucas Lonergan 114, David Rikkers 117, Dominic Couta 140; Overland (443): Mason Moore 102, Jackson Smith 104, Quinn Hiatt 110, Justin Weiman 127
Other team-by-team results (in order of finish)
Arapahoe (292): Jay Yano 69, Turner Johnson 74, Jack Tickle 74, Alex Yano 75, Tom Packer 76; Cherry Creek (307): Asher Nolting 75, Cade Kilkenny 75, Hunter Tuite 77, Jimmy Ringsby 77, Matt Lefebre 81; Mullen (325): Michael Phenicie 80, Nic Mayhan 80, Jack Dowdle 81, Jimmy Carpenter 84, Josh Rymkiewicz 86