Greeley – John Johnson has it good.
Really good.
After 23 years of teaching and coaching at Greeley Central, Johnson retired. Well … kind of.
The one thing he couldn’t give up was his golf team, and who can blame him?
Johnson’s golf-happy Wildcats stunned the Class 4A field a year ago at Wellshire Golf Club, not only taking home the team title by nine shots over Kent Denver but crowning an unknown freshman, Nick Umholtz, as medalist.
With two sophomores and two juniors headed to Steamboat Springs’ Haymaker Golf Course for Monday’s first day of the state tournament, Johnson hopes history will repeat itself.
“They are great kids and they are very receptive to our ideas, and that makes it even more fun to work with these guys,” said Johnson, in his 16th season of roaming the fairways with the ‘Cats. “They are just quality kids and they are a pleasure to be around every day.”
Those ideas are something most high school golfers let go in one ear and out the other. The grip-it-and- rip-it age of how far you can hit it doesn’t apply here. The Wildcats’ course management style is what won them a state title in 2005, and is a key to their success this year.
“Sometimes I don’t even take my driver out, because I know I have Mr. Reliable, it’s my 2-iron,” sophomore Parker Edens said. “I can pull that out anytime, and I know I’m going to hit it good.”
Said junior Brandon Tomasovich, who won the Northern Regional at Broomfield’s Eagle Trace with a 3-under-par 69: “J.J. is always out there, coaching and keeping us calm. It is something he loves to do and he does it well.”
The Wildcats, who sneaked into the state tournament last season after finishing third behind Yuma and Northridge at regionals, went to state overlooked. It’s not the case this time around and they know it.
“We know what it takes to play a good round of golf,” junior Jordan Burgess said. “Last year is over, and right now we haven’t won anything. We can’t go in there thinking we’ve got the thing won, it won’t work.”
An older and wiser Umholtz knows the pressure is on him to perform. But the ever-confident Umholtz is approaching this with an open mind.
“The expectations are supposed to be high,” said Umholtz, who won the state’s longest playoff last season over Steamboat’s Paul Berry and Aspen’s Teddy Karlinski in six holes. “If I have any confidence going into to Steamboat, it’s how I’ve been playing lately. I have the confidence to know I can handle the pressure and play with the guys.”
Greeley Central will be paired with two of its closest team competitors on Day 1. Kent Denver, with Gunner Wiebe leading the way, and Pueblo West (behind Zach Zaremba) will know how they stand every step of the way Monday.
Berry and his Sailors mates won the Western Regional, and if ever there was a home-course advantage, this would be it. Cheyenne Mountain finished 1-2-3-4 at its regional and should be in the mix. Ralston Valley and Pueblo South also won regional team titles.
The 5A team picture could be very intriguing at Pinehurst Country Club. For the past five seasons, it was a battle for second place, as everyone else was chasing ThunderRidge.
The Grizzlies have been impressive to date, but are vulnerable next week. With just three players qualified instead of the customary four rewarded to the top two teams in each of the regionals, ThunderRidge will have to be at its best to make it six in a row.
“They are going to have to go out there and earn it,” ThunderRidge coach Jim McCord said. “All three of those guys (Tyler Parsloe, Sean Woodside and Josh Hardman) are going to have to show up and play well. There is not a whole lot of room for error.”
A case could be made for just about every team in the field to end ThunderRidge’s stranglehold. Air Academy and Chaparral both trumped the Grizzlies at the Colorado Springs regional last week.
Legacy, Loveland, Overland, Cherry Creek, Dakota Ridge and Pomona all qualified teams, and there is not a weakness to be found.
“It’s as wide open as I’ve ever seen,” McCord said.
But all eyes should be on Legacy’s Steve Ziegler. The Stanford-bound senior, who carded a 7-under-par 64 this season at Windsor’s Highland Meadows Golf Club, brought Green Valley Ranch to its knees last year and was seven shots clear of runners-up Branden Barron of Chaparral and Riley Andrews, the 2004 champion.
Medalists at last week’s regionals include Ziegler, Cherry Creek’s Matt Rubin, Pomona’s Bryan Kruse and Kory Harrell of Air Academy and Tyler Coates of Durango in the Springs regional.
State golf
Monday-Tuesday
Class 5A: At Pinehurst Country Club, 6255 W. Quincy Ave.
Class 4A: At Haymaker Golf Course, 34855 U.S. 40, Steamboat Springs
Format: Two days, 36 holes of medal play for individuals and teams (three players score)
Defending medalists: Steve Ziegler, Legacy, 5A; Nick Umholtz, Greeley Central, 4A
Defending team champions: ThunderRidge, 5A; Greeley Central, 4A
Staff writer Jon E. Yunt can be reached at 303-954-1354 or jyunt@denverpost.com.
