Castle Rock – The members of the ThunderRidge foursome can read one another’s minds.
After taking first (Riley Andrews), third (Luke Symons), and fifth (Tyler Parsloe) at the Class 5A boys state golf tournament last season, the Grizzlies are eyeing a possible sweep of the top four positions this year.
“It’s possible to go 1-2-3-4. Nobody is talking about it, but we are all thinking it,” said Andrews, who shot a 4-under-par 68 to win the 5A Colorado Springs regional golf tournament Monday at Red Hawk Ridge Golf Course.
ThunderRidge placed all four of its golfers in the top 12, and the Grizzlies and Durango were the two teams to qualify for state at the 15-team tournament. All four golfers from ThunderRidge and Durango qualify, and then the best 13 individual scorers advance to the championship.
Andrews, who shot a 65 this season, edged Durango’s Keenan Holt, who shot a 69. Symons was third (70), and Chaparral’s Branden Barron (71) followed in fourth.
Holt, who did not qualify for state as a junior and finished in the pack as a sophomore, missed a par putt and took out some aggression on the 533-yard, par-5 No. 18. Holt crushed his drive and was 95 yards from the pin.
“I was pretty angry after missing that putt. But then I missed a 6-foot eagle putt on 18,” Holt said.
A playoff among Nick Mason of Wasson, Derek Fribbs of Douglas County and Jordan Gallacher of Mountain Vista was needed to determine the final two qualifiers. The three finished with 78s, and Mason and Gallacher edged out Fribbs.
Richie Van Tine of Chaparral had the shot of the day. His second shot on No. 18 went into the water, but sitting 120 yards out in front of a sand trap that stretched to the green, Van Tine nailed his shot and one-hopped it for a birdie. He finished with a 79, good enough to set him up in a three-way playoff for the second of two alternate spots.
“That was the only way for me to make state. It was a one-in-a-thousand shot, and it happened this time,” Van Tine said.
Van Tine missed out, however, as Fribbs and Steve Embree of Mountain Vista landed the two alternate spots.
Colorado Springs regional
At Red Hawk Ridge, par 72
Team scores (top two teams qualify for state) – ThunderRidge 212 (Andrews, Symons, Parsloe, Perko), Durango 221 (Holt, Schreiner, Coats, Frisby), Air Academy 224, Chaparral 225, Douglas County 230, Mountain Vista 232, Doherty 239, Mitchell 241, Rampart 242, Highlands Ranch 246, Lewis-Palmer 247, Palmer 257, Coronado 258, Ponderosa 261, Wasson n/a.
Individual state qualifiers . Riley Andrews, TR, 32-36-68; Keenan Holt, Du., 33-36-69; Luke Symons, TR, 34-36-70; Branden Barron, Ch., 33- 38-71; Kory Harrell, AA, 33-39-72; David Sutula, AA, 35-37-72; Devin Schreiner, Du., 38-34-72; Brandon McCoy, M, 40-33-73; Tyler Parsloe, TR, 38-36-74; Nick Taraseiwicz, R, 36-39-75; Jack Mathis, Ch., 37-38-75; Adam Perko, TR, 38-37-75; Jordan Brown, MV, 39-36-75; Ryan Bosheven, DC, 40-35-75; Brandon Peters, HR, 37-39-76; Eric Berg, Do., 39-37 . 76; Nic Davis, DC, 40-37-77; Nick Mason, W, 43-35-78; Jordan Gallacher, MV, 43-35-78. (Alternates) Derek Fribbs, DC, 38-40-78; Steve Embree, MV, 40-39-79.
