Don’t expect the Demons to be taken by surprise this week.
Tuesday’s opening round of the two-day CHSAA Class 4A Western Golf Regional at Gypsum Creek Golf Course in Gypsum will mark the fourth time this year the Durango High School boys golf team has played the course, even eschewing an early-season tournament in order to get a practice round in.
“We had a good practice round session (Monday),” Durango head coach Kirk Rawles said in a telephone interview from Gypsum. “We went around and looked at the course one more time. All the guys kind of got the cobwebs out.”
The familiarity can’t hurt as DHS, ranked No. 9 in Class 4A in the most recent chsaanow.com boys golf poll, tries to qualify for state as a team, either as the top finisher in the team score competition or as four individuals.
“Really, if – given the history of regionals – everybody kind of hits their stroke average ... between 75 and 79 for the four we have up there, even if we didn’t win as a team, we could all go as individuals and could play as a team,” Rawles said.
Cory Gillespie – a first-team all-league selection – will join Cameron Barnhardt, Trevor Bogus and Bo Ward as the Durango quartet vying for a spot at the CHSAA Boys 4A State Golf Championship starting Sept. 30 at Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen.
Rawles said Durango selected the team by taking every player’s top nine scores from the 10 events played and taking the four with the lowest stroke average. A late surge by Bogus and Barnhardt, including their play in the rain last week at home at Hillcrest and Dalton Ranch, helped them lock up the final two slots for a deep DHS roster.
“They just finished a little bit stronger. ... Basically Cameron and Trevor kind of secured their spots after playing well in the rain at Dalton Ranch,” Rawles said.
The competiton should be tough, with No. 5 Montezuma-Cortez along with Montrose, Steamboat Springs and Rifle – all receiving votes – in the field. But Rawles, confident in his squad, said the Demons seem calm and ready to go once play tees up Tuesday.
“I think these guys are ready. We’ll just tee it up and see what happens,” Rawles said.
rowens @durangoherald.com
