All four members of Regis Jesuit’s third straight Class 5A state championship team make up the majority of the 2012 Aurora Sentinel All-City Boys Golf Team.
Coach Craig Rogers’ Raiders cruised to an eight-stroke victory over Ralston Valley after two rounds of play at the 5A boys state golf tournament Oct. 2-3 at Golden’s Rolling Hills Country Club, a win propelled by a veteran in senior Cole Cunningham and a trio of juniors in Spencer Painton, Chris Korte and Jake Kelley.
Cunningham was part of all three Regis Jesuit championship teams and while he wasn’t able to win the individual state championship he was after — like former teammate Gus Lundquist did in 2011 — he finished in the top six in all three of his trips to the state tournament. Cunningham, the 5A Metro East Regional runner-up, placed sixth with a two-day score of 8-over-par 150, adding to a resume that includes a third-place finish as a sophomore in 2010 and a tie for fifth last season.
Painton qualified for the 5A state tournament in 2010 as a freshman at Grandview — and finished in a tie for 28th, which earned him a spot on the All-City team that season as well — but appeared at state for the first time in his second season at Regis Jesuit after a third-place regional showing.
The junior — who is also part of Regis Jesuit’s powerhouse boys swimming program — made the most of his return to state, as he tied for second place with Monarch’s Eric Chen at 4-over-par 146.
Rogers had a large group of competitive golfers fighting it out to be in Regis Jesuit’s top group all season and it was Kelley and Korte who emerged to make the team for regional qualifying, much like Daniel Johnson and Ryan Schmitz did for the Raiders 2011 state winner.
Kelley and Korte each recorded 73s in the Metro East Regional and were steady in their state debuts. Korte matched Cunningham’s finish to give Regis Jesuit three placers in the top six, while Kelley’s 10-over 156 — which tied him for 17th — gave the Raiders a comfortable cushion over the runner-up Mustangs.
Grandview junior Devyn Solano made the All-City team for the first time as the top non-Regis Jesuit finisher in the 84-golfer state field as he tied for 40th with a 12-over-par total of 164.
Solano finished fourth among Centennial League golfers in stroke average and helped lead coach Randy Smith’s Wolves — who posted their first league tournament victory since 2006 at South Suburban — to a third-place team finish behind Cherry Creek and Arapahoe.
Graduated Eric McCreesh represented Grandview on the 2011 All-City team.
Notes: Cherokee Trail sophomore Mitch Nevin and junior teammate Ben Knapp were honorable mention as they finished 72nd and 76th, respectively. Each qualified for the state tournament for the first time.
Reach Sports Editor Courtney Oakes at [email protected] or 303-750-7555
2012 AURORA SENTINEL ALL-CITY BOYS GOLF TEAM
Cole Cunningham, sr., Regis Jesuit; Jake Kelley, jr., Regis Jesuit; Chris Korte, jr., Regis Jesuit; Spencer Painton, jr., Regis Jesuit; Devyn Solano, jr., Grandview
Honorable mention: Mitch Nevin, soph., Cherokee Trail; Ben Knapp, jr., Cherokee Trail
