One of the defending state high school champions is ranked among the top 10 junior golfers in the country. Arguably his top challenger last year will play in a different state tournament this time around. And one school will be shooting for its fifth consecutive state team championship.
Those are just a few of the storylines for the three boys state high school championships, all of which will be contested Monday and Tuesday (Oct. 4-5). Valley Country Club in Aurora will host the 5A meet, while the 4A will be at the Club at Flying Horse in Colorado Springs, and the 3A at Eaton Country Club.
All three individual champions from 2009 — Caleb Barker of Highlands Ranch High School (5A), Wyndham Clark of Valor Christian (4A) and Peter Hassan of Alexander Dawson (3A) — are back to defend their titles.
The top junior golfer in the state, based on national rankings, will compete in the 4A tournament as Clark (pictured) tries to capture the championship again as a junior. The winner of the 2010 CGA Stroke Play Championship as a 16-year-old, Clark is ranked the 10th-best junior player in the nation by Junior Golf Scoreboard and No. 15 by the American Junior Golf Association Polo Rankings.
Here’s a closer look at each of the three state tournaments:
CLASS 5A at Valley Country Club: David Oraee, one of the top high school players in the state not named Clark, moved up from 4A to 5A this year by virtue of the number of students at his school, Greeley West. Immediately, he’ll become one of the favorites to take home the state championship.
Oraee, ranked 160th in the nation by Junior Golf Scoreboard, earlier this week won the first CJGA Collegiate High School Invitational, held in conjunction with the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational college tournament in Erie. He also recently captured the 5A Northern Regional title. In June, Oraee claimed the championship in the AJGA Aspen Golf Classic. Last year, he was fifth in the 4A state high school tournament.
Also in the 5A field is senior Brendan Connolly of Rock Canyon, who in early September won a prestigious AJGA tournament in West Virginia. That victory helped moved Connolly up to 35th in the national AJGA Polo Rankings. Like Oraee, Connelly won a 5A regional tournament.
Tyler Engel of Regis Jesuit, another player ranked by the AJGA, also figures to be a contender for the 5A title, along with Barker, the defending champion.
Overall, five of the top 10 finishers from last year’s 5A state tournament are competing again, plus Oraee.
In the team competition, a two-year reign by Douglas County will end as the Huskies didn’t qualify a team for state this season.
CLASS 4A at the Club at Flying Horse: Clark will try to add to his stellar golf resume by winning a second state high school title. Among other things Clark has accomplished in 2010, he won an AJGA tournament in May, finished third in the international Junior PGA Championship and became the youngest winner of the CGA Stroke Play Championship since 1971. Clark claimed his high school regional tournament title with a score of 69.
Among Clark’s challengers figure to be Montrose’s Drew Trujillo, the 4A runner-up last year and a regional winner in 2010; Air Academy’s Cam Harrell, who twice has placed in the top five at AJGA events this year; D’Evelyn’s John Ahern, runner-up in both the CGA Junior Match Play and the national PGA Junior Series event in Colorado Springs; and Clark’s Valor Christian teammate Spencer Sheets, who qualified for the 2010 U.S. Junior Amateur.
In all, six of the top 10 finishers from 2009 return to the 4A state meet.
With Clark and Sheets leading the way, Valor will try to win its second straight state title.
CLASS 3A at Eaton Country Club: Eaton, which is hosting this year’s state tournament, will try to end the four-year state championship run by Kent Denver, which won in 4A in 2006 and 2007, and in the new 3A classification in 2008 and 2009. Only one high school in the history of Colorado golf — ThunderRidge, from 2001 through 2006 — has won more than four consecutive state team titles.
Hassan, a surprise individual champion last year, hasn’t claimed any tournament titles this season, but did qualify again for the state meet.
Among the pre-tournament favorites are nationally-ranked Andrew Cornella of St. Mary’s in Colorado Springs, the 2009 3A runner-up who was co-champion in a 2010 regional tournament; Jefferson Academy’s Steven Kupcho, winner of the 2010 Colorado Junior PGA Championship and a regional co-champion this year; Eaton’s Steven Babb, who shot 69 in a regional meet; and Kent Denver’s Ethan Freeman, who placed fourth last year.
Overall, seven of the top 10 3A finishers are back at state this season.
