5A Boys Golf: Rock Canyon Secures First Team, Individual State Titles

FORT COLLINS — Four years ago, David Vahling knew that he had something special when he met his first freshman class as Rock Canyon’s head boys golf coach.

Although Vahling’s suspicions were confirmed last season when that group helped deliver a state runner-up trophy, the Jaguars still hadn’t met their full potential. Well, on Tuesday, Rock Canyon finally reached its peak as four seniors combined to secure the program’s first-ever Class 5A team state title.

“It was a great feeling to finally get her done,” a choked-up Vahling said. “We knew it was our best chance this year to do it because we had all these seniors, all these guys are graduating now.”

Rock Canyon’s veteran quartet ended the two-round tournament at Collindale Golf Course in Fort Collins with 440 strokes, five strokes ahead of Cherry Creek and Cherokee Trail at 445. Cherry Creek, however, won the playoff tiebreaker to steal the second-place finish.

Charlie Tucker led the way for Rock Canyon while becoming the Jaguars’ first-ever individual state title winner. After carding a 2-under-par 69 first round, the senior managed to cut two strokes off his second round, finishing the tournament at 6-under-par 136. Tucker credited his mental game for keeping him on track throughout the two days.

“I thought I had a good chance (to win it),” said Tucker, who finished tied for eighth last year. “I just needed to do what I needed to do and worry about that, not what anybody else was doing.”

Tucker’s stellar second round included five birdies on the front nine and another four on the back.

Fellow seniors Mason Conrad (24th-place, 152 strokes), Nathan Kim (tied-25th, 153 strokes) and Trey Kahroff (tied-37th, 156 strokes) rounded out Rock Canyon’s first state title-winning team.

“It’s awesome that that’ll be there for the school’s history,” Tucker said. “Being able to be the first ones to do that, it’s pretty cool for everybody on the team.”

Individually, Fairview’s Miles Kuhl and Cherokee Trail’s Brayden Forte tied for second with 142 total strokes. Each of the two sophomores shot a 70 in the first round and a 72 in the second.

Kuhl, who was in the same group as Tucker, credited his short game for keeping him on pace.

“My short game, I made a lot of putts,” Kuhl said. “Everything around the greens was great and that’s really what helped me.”

Chatfield’s Jesse Hand took fourth (143 strokes), Fossil Ridge’s Austin Barry was fifth (144), Rocky Mountain’s Sam Kainer-Darst and Regis Jesuit’s Ben Sander tied for sixth (146), Castle View’s Gavin Amella was eighth (147), and Mountain Vista’s Conner Scheich, Valor Christian’s Maxwell Eide, Highlands Ranch’s Billy Verstraate and Legend’s Spencer Schlagel tied for ninth (148).