Fossil Ridge, Windsor boys golfers notch top-5 finishes at Colorado state championships
For the second straight season, two Fort Collins-area teams placed in the top five at the Colorado high school boys golf state championships.
Fossil Ridge couldn't quite defend its Class 5A title on home turf at Collindale but still posted a fourth-place finish that was just seven shots off the pace of champion Rock Canyon.
Windsor earned the same spot in 4A, finishing in fourth place 12 shots back of Evergreen.
In 5A, Fossil Ridge's Austin Barry finished fifth individually, while Rocky Mountain's Sam Kainer-Darst took sixth place.
Here's a full look at the state championship results:
Fossil Ridge scores another top-five finish
The SaberCats desperately wanted to win this one. Defending champs, in their hometown, on a very familiar course.
"We put a lot of pressure on ourselves at basically our home course," Barry said.
They couldn't pull off a repeat, but this program has established itself as a 5A power with a third straight top five finish and fifth in six seasons.
Barry led the way this week with his second straight top-five at state after a runner-up finish last fall.
He struck the ball well throughout his opening-round 72 but missed some putts. His second round was defined by a loose driver, but he rallied to shoot another 72 for a two-day total of 2-over-par 144.
"I hit a lot of great shots and just missed some opportunities," he said. "I was just trying to make par today."
Fossil Ridge was still in contention on the final holes, but Rock Canyon and overall winner Charlie Tucker (6-under-par) held strong.
Kaden Davenport was the SaberCats' next-best finisher, tying for 14th with a two-day score of 150 for 8-over-par. Landon Houska tied for 25th at 11-over with a 153 total.
"We didn’t string together good rounds," Barry said. "It wasn’t bad, but we weren’t at our best."
Cole Rogers shot a two-round total of 163 (21 over par) in his first state tournament appearance.
The SaberCats will be right back here, because all four Fossil golfers at state returnnext season. Plus, the trio of Davenport, Houska and Barry were already on last year's title team.
"It’s so exciting to have players that you know are top-level competitors," Fossil coach Jamie Menefee said.
"I felt great the way the team competed all year long coming off the (state championship)," he said. "We just never had that tournament where they all played near their best together."
Rocky's Kainer-Darst steps up at state
It was a massive showing at state for lone Rocky Mountain qualifier Sam Kainer-Darst, who only started playing golf his freshman year.
The senior finished strong in the final round, going 2-under-par over his final eight holes to surge into sixth place with a final-round 72.
"That was really fun to finish like that," Kainer-Darst said.
His two-day total of 146 (4 over par) was the second-best finish of any local player regardless of classification at state this season.
Playing on his home course, Kainer-Darst opted to hit several 2-irons off the tee to keep the ball in the fairway and avoid Collindale's notorious trees.
It paid off, as he made just six bogeys in 36 holes on a course that gave the field fits. Afterward, Kainer-Darst was elated with a great cap to his high school career.
"If you had told me before the tournament I'd (finish top 10), I would have been surprised, honestly," he said. "But at the same time, this is my home course and I knew how to approach it.
Windsor delivers another top-5 finish
Windsor improved its state finish by one spot from last season and briefly threatened for the 4A team title during the final round.
The Wizards were within five shots early in the back nine Tuesday at Bridges Golf & Country Club in Montrose but ultimately settled for fourth with a two-day team score of 26-over-par 452.
Kellen Ball tied for 10th, another top-10 finish for the junior after a 4A runner-up finish last year. He shot a two-day total of 149 (5 over par), capped by a final-round 74.
Tadese Keyworth was one stroke back at 150 following a second-round 77 that dropped him out of the top 10 to a tie for 13th. Connor Kosola also closed with a solid round of 1-over-par 72.
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Notable 5A results
Team finishes:
1st: Rock Canyon - 440 (+14)
T2: Cherry Creek - 445 (+19)
T2: Cherokee Trail - 445 (+19)
4th: Fossil Ridge - 447 (+21)
5th: Valor Christian - 451 (+25)
Individual finishes:
1st: Charlie Tucker (Rock Canyon) - 136 (-6)
5th: Austin Barry (Fossil Ridge) - 144 (+2)
T6: Sam Kainer-Darst (Rocky Mountain) - 146 (+4)
T14: Kaden Davenport (Fossil) - 150 (+8)
T25: Landon Houska (Fossil) - 153 (+11)
T52: Max Riley (Poudre) - 161 (+19)
T59: Cole Rogers (Fossil) - 163 (+21)
T81: Matthew Iverson (Fort Collins) - 178 (+36)
Notable 4A results
Team finishes:
1st: Evergreen - 440 (+14)
2nd: Grand Junction - 446 (+20)
3rd: Riverdale Ridge - 447 (+21)
4th: Windsor - 452 (+26)
5th: Cheyenne Mountain - 454 (+28)
Individual finishes:
1st: Noah Richmond (Montrose) - 139 (-3)
10th: Kellen Ball - 149 (+5)
T13: Tadese Keyworth - 150 (+6)
T21: Connor Kosola - 153 (+9)
T69: Ethan Tippets - 173 (+31)
Notable 3A results
Resurrection Christian ran away with the 3A team title at Rain Dance National Resort & Golf, winning by 19 shots.
Timnath was the only Fort Collins-area team to qualify as a school and finished 13th.
Team finishes:
1st: Resurrection Christian - 456 (+24)
2nd: Peak to Peak - 475 (+43)
13th: Timnath - 574 (+142)
Individual finishes:
1st: Om Mathur (Peak to Peak) - 147 (+3)
T2: Jack Carter (Res. Christian) - 149 (+5)
T10: Ryan Woodley (Liberty Common) - 162 (+18)
T23: Michael Woodley (Liberty Common) - 169 (+25)
T32: Mason Hollingsworth (Timnath) - 173 (+29)
T57: Jackson Summers (Timnath) - 185 (+41)
T81: Davis Walter (Timnath) - 216 (+72)
More: Regional titles from Fossil Ridge, Woodley lead 16 Fort Collins-area state golf qualifiers
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Colorado golf state championships: Fossil Ridge, Windsor earn top-5 finishes
