Colorado boys state golf starts off championship events

Perhaps rightfully so, Grant Rogers feels a bit overshadowed.

The Boulder junior golfer just won the Class 5A Western Regional - his second regional title in three years - and has qualified for the state tournament for the third time.

But the majority of the hoopla surrounding the state tournament (Monday and Tuesday at Murphy Creek Golf Course in Aurora) surrounds three-time defending champion Regis Jesuit (Aurora). The Raiders boast a cadre of upper-echelon golfers, including University of Kansas-bound Spencer Painton. Defending individual champion Kyler Dunkle of Douglas County (Castle Rock) also is back in the fold.

But don't count out the 6-foot-6 Rogers, who doubles as a pitcher for the Boulder baseball team.

"I think I'm playing really well right now," Rogers said. "The last five rounds have been even or under par, and I'm really trying to keep that going. I just want to keep playing solidly, focus on the next shot and not try to get too far ahead of myself."

Rogers won a playoff with George Washington (Denver)'s Erik Young to capture the regional crown and also has a Longmont Junior City championship (2012) to his credit. He has been a key cog for a No. 2 Boulder squad that has qualified its entire team for state each of the past two seasons under coach Rick Uhlir after a 17-year drought.

Rogers, whose teammate Grant Dinkel also is making his third appearance at state and Alec Poorman his second, finished 13th as a freshman and 30th last season.

"We've all been there and we've all done it, so hopefully we do a little better than last year and see where it takes us," Rogers said. "I mean, Regis is the obvious number one to look out for after (three) straight championships and with two Junior Am qualifiers, but 5A is a strong field overall."

Rogers was referring to Regis Jesuit's Painton and Jake Kelley as Junior Amateur qualifiers. Painton also shot a 64 this season at The Club at Pradara in Parker.

While Regis and Boulder will duke it out, squads such as Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village), Ralston Valley (Arvada) and Columbine (Littleton) also could factor prominently in the team race.

On the 4A greens, Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch), Cheyenne Mountain (Colorado Springs) and Silver Creek (Longmont) all appear to be contenders for the crown (Monday and Tuesday at Hiwan Golf Course in Evergreen). Reigning champion Pueblo South also could factor in, but the Colts, who won state for the first time since 1978 last season, recently slipped from No. 2 to No. 7 in the rankings.

Valor Christian won the 4A Metro Regional as senior Josh Seiple shot a 67 and the Eagles shot a 209 (9-under) overall. Cheyenne Mountain features junior standouts Wilson Belk and Cole Anderson.

Silver Creek, which captured the title in 2011 and has developed into an annual contender, features senior Andrew Rademacher-Howe and emerging freshman Jackson Solem.

The classification will feature a new individual winner this season, as Pueblo Centennial's Jacob Allenback has moved on to Colorado State-Pueblo.

In 3A, Alexander Dawson (Lafayette) — or Dawson School, as it is being referred to beginning this school year — has been the favorite all season. That qualifies as gigantic news considering Kent Denver (Englewood) has won seven straight titles.

Shining most for Dawson have been Cole Folwell and Cameron Connor, who finished Nos. 1 and 2 in the 3A Northern Regional last week. The Mustangs qualified Christian Wagner and freshman Yale Kim for state (Monday and Tuesday at Pueblo Country Club).

"I'll be honest, I'm very, very excited," Dawson coach Arnold Lewis said. "I've been here a lot of years where you have one or two guys that have a really good shot, but we have a really balanced team this year. I'm excited to go to state where any one of four guys could win this state championship."

Dawson has had two former state champs — Trevor Owens in 2001 and Peter Hassan in 2009 — and Cole Nygren finished second in 2010. The Mustangs never have had a team state title though, although they finished third from 2009-11 and fourth last season.

A lot of that is because Kent Denver has had such a stranglehold on the title. With Ben Moore now at Emory University and Ethan Freeman at the University of Colorado — the tandem finished Nos. 1 and 2 last season — the Sun Devils are ranked sixth entering state.

That opens the door for players such as Folwell and Connor to make a push for the title.

"I think Cole Folwell, he competes constantly, no matter what situation he's in," said Lewis, who has coached at Dawson since 2002. "He just believes all the time that he's going to win. On the flip side of that, Cam's done it at the higher levels as well. He's just very experienced and very grounded."

Lutheran (Parker), Peak to Peak (Lafayette) and Metro Regional champ Holy Family (Broomfield) also boast impressive squads. Lutheran will enter state behind regional champ Hayden Nicholaides.

Peak to Peak's Behrod Keshtavar and Holy Family's Tyler Smiens also could find their way into the title mix. Wild cards include fifth-ranked Eaton and No. 7 Aspen.