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Rolling into regionals

Demons’ boys golf shooting to defend the title

Defending champions and on their home course, the Durango Demons are ready for their tee time.

Durango High School will host the Western 4A Regional Golf Tournament on Monday and Tuesday at Hillcrest Golf Club.

The Demons enter the tournament as the defending regional champions after they won at Gypsum Creek Golf Course last year.

“The experience is going to be key,” DHS head coach Kirk Rawles said after his team took second place Tuesday at Dalton Ranch Golf Club. “We will be ready.”

The Demons have had a strong season, having placed second at the Southwestern League tournament to go along with three tournament wins this year.

DHS will compete against Battle Mountain, Eagle Valley, Montezuma-Cortez, Montrose, Palisade, Rifle, Steamboat Springs and Summit.

“Montrose and Cortez always have good teams. Steamboat has a really strong team this year, and we haven’t seen Rifle or a few of the other more northern clubs,” Rawles said. “But we are playing our own game. The guys, hopefully, will play their personal best on game day, and that is going to be tough to beat.”

Ready to make their regional return are Cameron Barnhardt and Cory Gillespie.

“They have a lot of experience playing varsity golf last year and this year,” Rawles said. “They’ve put their time in and are as ready as they can be.”

Gillespie is the most experienced of the bunch, having reached the state tournament in each of his first two seasons..

“I am really excited for regionals to be here. I think we all feel very confident since we are the defending champs, and it is on our home course,” Gillespie said.

The Demons’ new additions to the varsity team are Daniel McElwain, Cy Spicer and Eric Walker.

Walker has the ability to break 80 on the par-71 Hillcrest course, and Spicer has proven ability to shoot in the 70s on the course he has played since he was age five.

“I’m happy that I am going to actually get the chance to play this year at regionals,” Spicer said. “And then hopefully I can play well enough to go to state.”

Regardless of the pressure of defending a title and playing on their home course, Rawles is confident the Demons have the right mindset to perform.

“We always keep it pretty light, and I think our kids play better when they’re having fun,” he said. “They are smart enough to grasp the small changes they need to make to get the one or two strokes we are going to need on gameday.

“High school golf comes down to that one day, and we’ve built enough blocks to have the guys ready.”

jlivingston@durangoherald.com

If you go

Who: Durango Demons’ boys golf

What: Western 4A Regional Golf Tournament

When: 10:18 a.m. today

Where: Hillcrest Golf Club



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