Monte Vista and Vail Mountain Boys Golf: Claiming a New Classification
AURORA – This season the Colorado High School Activities Association has added a 2A classification for boys golf and will be holding a 2A Boys Golf State Championship for the first time.
This new championship opens up new opportunities for programs all across the state, like Monte Vista and Vail Mountain.
“I think it’s cool that we’re going to be competing against some schools that we’ve never competed against before, and that we’re going to be traveling to and seeing parts of the state we’ve never gotten to see before,” Vail Mountain boys golf head coach Shawn Ellenbaum said.
With the emergence of the new 2A classification, schools like Monte Vista and Vail Christian will be competing specifically against schools more like them in size. While Vail Mountain has already captured a 3A state title, doing so in 2022, Monte Vista has never won a boys golf state title.
The two programs previously competed against schools that were twice the size of Vail Mountain, with competition having enrollments of up to 772 last year. Vail Mountain’s enrollment for this cycle is 150, while Monte Vista’s is 250. The 2A boys golf classification enrollment cutoff for this year is 440.
In looking at least year’s 3A Boys Golf State Championship results, all but four of the top-14 schools that competed will remain in the 3A classification, while schools like Vail Mountain, Monte Vista, Vail Christian and Swink, which finished third, sixth, 12th and 14th, respectively, will have opportunities to rise to the top of the new classification.
“This move will give us a better chance at state, but it will not change the amount of work and effort we put into becoming better players and pursuing a championship.” Monte Vista senior Liam Ellithrope, who led the team at last year’s championship, said.
“I do feel that the move to a new classification will improve our chances at a state title, but golf is a very mental game,” Kaden Mellott, another senior and member of the Monte Vista team that competed at last year’s state championships. “It’s more about taking it one shot at a time and having confidence in your abilities. So, we have to stay confident with our game but also not be satisfied, and continue to improve no matter where we are ranked or predicted to finish at state.”
That effort to build their confidence is one emphasized by the Monarchs’ head coach too.
“This season, I want the boys to start giving themselves more credit,” Coach Romero, who returns all three of his top-three finishers from last year expressed. “They’re incredibly hard on themselves, which can be a strength, but they need to remember just how special they are. Their dedication and talent are remarkable, and I want them to recognize and celebrate their achievements more. Building that confidence is key to taking their game to the next level. . . These boys have dedicated so much time, effort, and energy to this game, and they truly deserve it. They’ve put in countless hours of work and that work often goes unnoticed, and I’m confident that this move to a new classification will give us the platform to showcase their hard work. I’m hoping we can bring that effort to light this year and achieve the success they’ve been striving for.”
Monte Vista has every reason to feel confident about its chances for 2024, but one of the many obstacles standing in its way is the aforementioned Vail Mountain squad.
Vail Mountain junior Porter Huff, who already boasts a gold medal for his skiing performance on the moguls at the Junior Olympics, feels ready to fill those shoes.
“Replacing last year’s group of seniors will be very difficult,” Huff said. “They were such an amazing group of players, and guys too, and it’s going to be much harder without them. That said, I do feel like I learned a lot from being able to watch them compete at all these different tournaments over the last season and from getting to compete alongside them.”
Plus, Huff’s head coach thinks the junior-year golfer is more than ready to take on that challenge.
“I have been really impressed with how Porter has stepped up,” Coach Ellenbaum shared, briefly before announcing to the team that Huff would be one of Vail Mountain’s captains. “He’s been teaching the other kids, giving them advice, coaching up their swings when he can, and just leading by example from the sand trap to the green. Then, on the road, he’s never complaining about doing three tournaments in a row, or whatever it may be. He is always there on time, ready to be on the bus with the kids, and keeping us in a positive mind frame the whole time we’re taking a 5 a.m. bus ride to Montrose, or wherever else.”
With leadership like that, maintaining its success from the last two years certainly feels possible for the Vail Mountain program.
Whether or not Vail Mountain and Monte Vista qualify for the state championship will be determined by the golf regional tournaments, which will run from Sept. 30 to Oct. 1.
CHSAA’s 2A Boys Golf State Championship will follow on Oct. 7 and 8 at The Club at Rolling Hills, in Golden.
