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Demons conquer Cortez for third at Conquistador

A rarity on the typical Durango Demons’ fall golf schedule, home tournaments are few and far between.

Fortunately in 2014, the boys are enjoying their fair share of home cooking.

Durango High School has Cortez, Pagosa Springs and three home tournaments, including regionals, on this year’s slate. DHS finished third Wednesday at Conquistador Golf Club in Cortez with a 230 team score between juniors Cy Spicer (75), Cameron Barnhardt (76) and Cory Gillespie (79).

“It’s nice to be able to driver over there and drive back,” DHS boys golf head coach Kirk Rawles said of the regional tournament.

Rawles and the Demons will play Thursday at Pagosa Springs.

Since it was a day trip, Rawles and assistant coach Jim Foltz were able to pack the minibus with 13 players – five varsity players and eight junior varsity players. DHS has 32 golfers this season.

“It’s nice to get all of them away from Hillcrest,” Rawles said of their daily practice routine at Hillcrest Golf Club. “We can develop our own athletes, create our own competition; it helps us being so close to home.”

Montrose (221) won the tournament, while medalist Trevor Olkowski (70) and Grand Junction (224) finished runner-up. Durango beat host Montezuma-Cortez by four strokes, and Fruita Monument (243) finished fifth among the eight teams.

Spicer and Barnhardt finished fifth and sixth, respectively, while Spicer set a career low during his prep career and Barnhardt matched his prep low round. Daniel McElwain (88) and Erik Walker (89) rounded out the Demons’ varsity.

Lucas Robbins, a DHS sophomore, and Blake Ward, a DHS junior, both shot 83s to tie for first in the JV bracket. Kyle Pritchard, a DHS freshman, and Dillon Hoselton, a DHS senior, both shot 88s, and DHS sophomore Kobe Szura shot an 89.

“It was great to see five of (our JV golfers) in the 80s, and then a couple in the low 90s, too,” Rawles said. “These guys haven’t had a whole lot of tournament experience.”

DHS sophomore Robby Grogan shot a 92, and DHS freshman Nick Roberts shot a 93. DHS sopohomore Kyle Robinette shot a 103.

“We’re sort of using Cortez and Pagosa as a sounding board, so to speak, for our young kids,” Rawles said. “Some of those JV kids played really well.

“It’s really great to see that potential coming up.”

heraldsports@ durangoherald.com



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