Pomona’s Olinger wins state 5A title

Jeffco proved to be the center of the golf universe after the league produced the best golfer in the state as well as the state’s second best team.

Pomona’s Grant Olinger captured the 5A individual state championship shooting a 1-over par after an unbelievable second day comeback at Colorado Springs Country Club.

Olinger shot a first day 76 –; which is fantastic for a weekend hacker, but was a big number for the Pomona senior. However, he rallied to shoot a final round 67, one shot better than Coronado’s Isaac Petersillie.

Fort Collins’ Peter Paugh finished third at 4-over and Monarch’s Josh Hill finished at 5-over.

But it was Coronado who won the 5A team state championship finishing with a 446 in front of second place Lakewood (467). The Tigers put together one of the best season’s in school history getting solid efforts from Griffin Barela (+9) and Jack Castiglia (+15).

“We have a great group of players this season and several of those players are underclassmen so we will have a pretty good team over the next couple seasons,” Lakewood coach Alan Gonzales said.

Also in 5A Ralston Valley finished as the fourth best team in the state as Roy Carslen (+9) led his team to a surprising finish.

4A state golf obviously went to Valor Christian, who had four of the top six individual finishes at Walking Stick Golf Course in Pueblo. The Eagles have dominated 4A Jeffco as its newest member this season.

But an older member of 4A Jeffco also fared well last week as Golden finished as the 12th best team in the state with a final team score of 512.

The Demons’ Willie O’Brien (+24) and Parker Skiles (+28) both helped led their team to the respectable showing.

D’Evelyn also had a strong showing after Nich Michas finished tied for 33rd with his 18-over par. And Green Mountain’s Dustin Ossello (+32) and Gabe Goodman (+34) both paced the Rams who ended its season on a high note.

In the 3A state tournament Sterling won as a team finishing 27-over par while its individual champion was Dawson School’s Yale Kim (+2) who beat Vail Christian’s Cooper Gould in a playoff.

Faith Christian’s lone state qualifier Kevin Tulley finished 34-over.

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