COLORADO SPRINGS | On the rare occasion where an Aurora team or individual wasn’t in contention to win a championship on the final day of the Class 5A boys state golf tournament — the first time that’s been the case in nearly a decade — Tuesday’s second round included a lot of low-pressure fun.
Regis Jesuit junior Bo Wardynski and Smoky Hill senior Chris Kennedy, who were in the same threesome for the last round of play, ended up having the most fun of anybody.
The Aurora pair — interestingly enough playing in a group with Chaparral’s Jonas Graham, son of Grandview volleyball coach Rob Graham — both ended up in the top 10 when the final putt of the day dropped at the Colorado Springs Country Club.
Wardynski shot a plus-2 73 to finish in a tie for seventh in his first trip to the 5A state tournament, while Kennedy capped his fourth state appearance with a career-high 10th-place finish after he shot 74 on the final day. Graham kept pace with the two with a 73 of his own to join Wardynski in a tie for seventh.
In 2017, local programs produced both the individual (Eaglecrest’s Davis Bryant) and team state champions (Regis Jesuit), but the Raiders — winners of three straight titles and seven of the last eight — found themselves eight strokes off the pace coming into the final day with three teams in front of them.
Raiders’ senior Walker Fuller had the top local performance in Monday’s opening round with a 3-over 74 that left him six strokes off the lead and behind six others players.
Regis Jesuit — which coincidentally enough also was denied the state title when the tournament was held on the same course in 2014 — finished without a first or second place trophy for the first time in a decade.
Behind Wardynski, the other three players for coach Craig Rogers’ Raiders finished within two strokes of each other. Fuller had a two-day total of 156, while seniors Eddie Custy and Freddie Ingham — who both shot 77 in the final round — came in at 157 and 158, respectively.
Cherokee Trail finished with a team score for only the second time in program history — the first time coincidentally came on the same course in 2014 — and coach Jason LeClaire’s Cougars ended up in 10th, one stroke behind fellow Centennial League member Cherry Creek.
Junior Beam Boonta, who tied for sixth individually last season, carded a 75 in the final round (153 for the tournament) to finish in a tie for 15th to lead the way for Cherokee Trail, while sophomore Mason Bernard tied for 46th at 161 and freshman Andrew Jang tied for 50th at 162.
The Grandview duo of freshmen Alex Chitkoksoong and Kenny VanWormer both improved on the second day and shot matching 82s, which brought them in one stroke apart for the tournament. Chitkoksoong had a score of 165 for two days, with VanWormer at 166.
Courtney Oakes is Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Sentinel Prep Sports
2018 CLASS 5A BOYS STATE GOLF TOURNAMENT
Team scores (par 213-213 — 426): 1. Fossil Ridge 229-221 — 450; 2. Lakewood 223-232 — 455; 3. Arapahoe 229-227 — 456; 4. REGIS JESUIT 231-227 — 458; 5. Valor Christian 236-223 — 459; 6. Fairview 236-227 — 463; 7. Highlands Ranch 236-229 — 465; 8. Liberty 234-237 — 471; 9. Cherry Creek 231-244 — 475; 10. CHEROKEE TRAIL 241-235 — 476; 11. Ralston Valley 242-237 — 479; 12. Legacy 247-240 — 487
Top 10 individuals (par 71-71 — 142): 1. Dillon Stewart (Fossil Ridge) 72-66 — 138; 2. Connor Jones (Mountain Range) 68-72 — 140; 3. Ty Findlow (Valor Christian) 74-70 — 144; 4. Ryan Liao (Lakewood) 71-74 — 145; 5. Brandon Bervig (Liberty) 72-74 — 146; 6. Tarek Salem (Highlands Ranch) 73-75 — 148; T7. BO WARDYNSKI (REGIS JESUIT) 77-73 — 150; T7. Jonas Graham (Chaparral) 77-73 — 150; T7. Ryder Heuston (Fairview) 76-74 — 150; T10. CHRIS KENNEDY (SMOKY HILL) 77-74 — 151; T10. Carson Kerr (Grand Junction) 76-75 — 151; T10. Caleb Busta (Arapahoe) 75-76 — 151; T10. Riley Rottschaefer (Arapahoe) 76-75 — 151
Other Aurora individuals: T15. Beam Boonta (Cherokee Trail) 78-75 — 153; T27. Walker Fuller (Regis Jesuit) 74-82 — 156; T29. Eddie Custy (Regis Jesuit) 80-77 — 157; T32. Freddie Ingham (Regis Jesuit) 81-77 — 158; T46. Mason Bernard (Cherokee Trail) 83-78 — 161; T50. Andrew Jang (Cherokee Trail) 80-82 — 162; T54. Alex Chitkoksoong (Grandview) 83-82 — 165; T61. Kenny VanWormer (Grandview) 84-82 — 166