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Boys State High School Roundup

Evergreen senior Tyler Long caps nearly perfect season by going bogey-free en route to 3A state high school title; other state champs: Gavin Amella (5A), Brayden Destefano (4A) and Kameron Gilbert (the first 2A winner)

By Gary Baines – 10/8/2024

A look at the iWanamaker rankings of boys high school golfers in the state illustrates plenty about the jaw-dropping season Evergreen senior Tyler Long had in capping off his prep golf career.

Long sits atop the state high school rankings — regardless of classification — by a lot. His scoring average for the year was about 2.5 strokes better than the next-best player.

IWanamaker notes that Long didn’t shoot a tournament score higher than 69 this season — and that he won — or at least shared the title — at all eight high school events in which he competed. And he shot 66 or lower six times in his nine competitive rounds.

With all that being the case, it’s not hard to guess how the future University of Colorado player finished off his high school golf career — with a dominant individual victory on Tuesday in the Class 3A meet at Walking Stick Golf Course in Pueblo, along with a second straight state team title for Evergreen.

After placing fifth and second at state the past two years, Long claimed his first individual state high school championship. The four-time Jeffco League season-long individual champ posted scores of 67-68 for a 9-under-par total and a four-stroke victory.

Over 36 holes on Monday and Tuesday, the 2024 AJGA Colorado Springs Junior winner went bogey-free, making nine birdies.

This is how iWanamaker has Long’s tournament scores over the course of the 2024 prep season: 66, 66, 65, 64, 63, 69, 64, 67 and 68.

Sophomore Griffin Didier of Basalt (69-70) finished runner-up in 3A, while Peak to Peak junior Jack Brayman (71-69) was third, five behind Long.

Evergreen ran away for its second consecutive state team title as the Cougars checked in at 12 under for two days, 17 ahead of Resurrection Christian. Joining Long on the winning team were fellow seniors Liam Houlihan (fourth place overall), Luke Sabina (fifth) and Lincoln MacKay (seventh).

5A at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora: Junior Gavin Amella of Castle View led wire-to-wire in posting a one-stroke individual victory in the Class 5A state meet. 

In a tournament where 13 players finished under par for 36 holes, Amella went 66-67 for a 9-under-par total. Grandview senior Michael Rosman (67-67) placed second. Fairview junior Miles Kuhl, who qualified for the 2024 U.S. Amateur as a 16-year-old, tied for third place — four back of Amella — with Columbine senior Alex Lest and Cherokee Trail junior Dalton Sisneros. Lest won the CGA State Junior title at CommonGround in late June.

Amella made four straight birdies on the front nine on Tuesday (5-8) and stood 5 under par for his round at that point. He then made eight consecutive pars before going bogey-par on his final two holes for the victory.

Amella placed eighth at last year’s state meet and represented Colorado in the boys Junior America’s Cup this past summer.

Cherry Creek, a dominant team in the 1970s but without a boys state golf title since 1981, got back in the championship column with a three-stroke victory over runner-up Cherokee Trail. The Bruins finished 3 under par over two days as a team. It marked Cherry Creek’s ninth boys state high school title, which ties the Bruins for the most ever in Colorado boys golf with Regis Jesuit and Kent Denver.

This year’s Cherry Creek team was comprised of all seniors: Henry Starr (12th place), Wyatt Isgrig (15th), Dalton Schwartz (22nd) and Andre Dumonteil (26th).

4A at Tiara Rado Golf Course in Grand Junction: Cheyenne Mountain swept the individual and team titles in Class 4A.

CM sophomore Brayden Destefano, the first-round leader, stayed atop the leaderboard as a 1-under-par 70 on Tuesday gave him a winning total of 4 under. He made four birdies and three bogeys on day 2.

Destefano held off hard-charging senior teammate Charlie Doyle, who rebounded from a first-round 75 with a 5-under 67 on Tuesday, when he closed with three straight birdies. Placing third was Grand Junction senior Ky Korte (72-73).

Cheyenne Mountain — with a team of Destefano, Doyle, senior Ethan Ivany (sixth place) and sophomore Fenn Mullins (21st) — recorded a two-day total of 3 over par, which left the Redtail Hawks 18 ahead of Grand Junction and 29 in front of third-place Windsor.

CMHS — which has Colin Prater, a 2024 U.S. Open qualifier and a three-time CGA Amateur champion, as an assistant coach — scored its fourth state team title in boys golf. 

2A at The Club at Rolling Hills in Golden: Senior Kameron Gilbert of Strasburg will go down as the first individual state champion in the new 2A Classification, which this year joined the 5A, 4A and 3A state meets.

The first boys state high school tournament was held in Colorado in 1947, and from then through 1999 there was a single state meet. Things were separated into Class 5A and 4A starting in 2000, and 3A was added to the mix in 2008.

Gilbert backed up his first-round 79 with a 1-under-par 70 on Tuesday to claim the 2A title by three strokes. On day 2, Gilbert carded three birdies and two bogeys on the challenging Rolling Hills layout.

Senior David Thomson of Golden View Classical Academy finished second after rounds of 78-74, while Wray senior Corbin Sprague (79-76) was third. 

Golden View (+63 for two days) overcame Monte Vista (+65) and Sterling (+66) for the first 2A team championship. Golden View’s squad included Thomson, Collen Todd (seventh overall), Luke Chronowski (32nd) and Matthew Traudt (71st). 


Top Team and Individual Finishers at the Boys State High School Golf Tournaments


5A AT PAR-71 COMMONGROUND GC IN AURORA

Team (Best 3 Scores)

Cherry Creek 213-210–423

Cherokee Trail 219-207–426

Fossil Ridge 222-210–432

Valor Christian 215-217–432

Fairview 220-213—433

Individual

Gavin Amella, Castle View 66-67—133

Michael Rosman, Grandview 67-67–134

Miles Kuhl, Fairview 69-68—137

Dalton Sisneros, Cherokee Trail 69-68–137

Alex Lest, Columbine 68-69–137

Ash Edwards, Fairview 70-68–138

Ian O’Fallon, Valor Christian 67-71–138

Luke Wright, Pine Creek 70-69–139

Landon Houska, Fossil Ridge 72-67–139

Jesse Hand, Chatfield 70-69–139


4A AT PAR-71 TIARA RADO GC IN GRAND JUNCTION

Team (Best 3 Scores)

Cheyenne Mountain 214-215–429

Grand Junction 220-227–447

Windsor 225-233—458

Durango 235-232—467

Air Academy 235-241–476

Individual 

Brayden Destefano, Cheyenne Mountain 68-70—138

Charlie Doyle, Cheyenne Mountain 75-67–142

Ky Korte, Grand Junction 72-73–145

Tadese Keyworth, Windsor 71-76–147

Parker Shaw, Pueblo West 76-71–147

Ethan Ivany, Cheyenne Mountain 71-78–149

Jack Kaul, Grand Junction 72-77–149

Zack Lacrosse, Skyline 75-76–151

Drew Jepson, Durango 77-75—152

Hunter Simmons, Grand Junction 76-77–153

Billy Verstraate, Highlands Ranch 77-76–153
 

3A AT PAR-72 WALKING STICK GC IN PUEBLO

Team (Best 3 Scores)

Evergreen 207-213–420

Resurrection Christian 219-218–437

Basalt 224-222—446

Lutheran 229-220—449

Peak to Peak 226-225–451

Individual 

Tyler Long, Evergreen 67-68–135

Griffin Didier, Basalt 69-70—139

Jack Brayman, Peak to Peak 71-69–140

Liam Houlihan, Evergreen 70-72–142

Micah Livingstone, Resurrection Christian 73-71–144

Luke Sabina, Evergreen 71-73–144

Lincoln MacKay, Evergreen 70-75–145

Clint Summers, Resurrection Christian 72-73–145

Nicholas Brooks, Lutheran 75-71–146

Jackson Stewart, Basalt 74-73–147

Hayden Dorsey, Manitou Springs 73-74–147

Johnathon Smith, Pagosa Springs 73-74–147


2A AT PAR-71 CLUB AT ROLLING HILLS IN GOLDEN

Team (Best 3 Scores)

Golden View  Classical Academy 241-248—489

Monte Vista 246-245—491

Sterling 250-242—492

Wray 252-250—502

Gunnison 260-245—505

Individual 

Kameron Gilbert, Strasburg 79-70—149

David Thomson, Golden View Classical Academy 78-74–152

Corbin Sprague, Wray 79-76—155

Damien Baca, Las Animas 76-80—156

Carson Zummach, Gunnison 82-75–157

Isaiah Fowler, Frontier Academy 84-85–159

Collen Todd, Golden View Classical Academy 77-84–161

Noah Pearson, Swink 79-82–161

Kaden Mellott, Monte Vista 78-85–163

Connor Mellott, Monte Vista 82-81–163

Joshua Reeves, SkyView Academy 83-80–163



About the Writer: Gary Baines has covered golf in Colorado continuously since 1983. He was a sports writer at the Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder, then the sports editor there, and has written regularly for ColoradoGolf.org since 2009. The University of Colorado Evans Scholar alum was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2022. He owns and operates ColoradoGolfJournal.com

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