media by photo courtesy Thomas Brieske

Coach Ron Saul, Charlie Tucker ’24, Mason Conrad ’24, Coach Dave Vahling, Nick Mayday ’24, Nathan Kim ’24 and Trey Kahrhoff ’24 hold up the CHSAA championship banner on Collindale Golf Course Oct. 3. The team had a total score of 440 strokes, finishing +14 strokes to par. “The season has been going great and I’m so proud to win with my five seniors,” Vahling said. “We were all a bit nervous but confident we could win.”

The warm sun and cool breeze flow through the course as golfers walk up to their next hole. They tee up their ball and swing back. Golf balls fly over the fairway and they cheer, triumphant.

On Oct. 2 and Oct. 3, the varsity boys golf team competed in the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) 5A State Championship. It was the first-ever State Championship win in Jaguar golf history.

“We got second place last year because we lost to Fossil Ridge, so we really wanted to win,” varsity golfer Mason Conrad ‘24 said. “We really wanted to perform and already had a five-shot lead going into the second day, so I definitely felt some pressure on the team.”

The two-round tournament was held at Collindale Golf Course in Fort Collins. The Jags had a total of 440 strokes. Starting the second day, the Jags had a five-stroke lead, beating Cherry Creek and Cherokee Trial at 445. The tournament lasted two days with a sunny, 80-degree Monday and slightly windy Tuesday that slowly warmed up to 65 degrees.

“The weather was pretty good both days, and I knew that if we performed how we practiced, we were going to play fine,” varsity golfer Nathan Kim ‘24 said. “Winning definitely felt great and I know that we were proud of each other regardless of the outcome because of how hard we’ve worked towards this.”

Four Jags played in the tournament: Charlie Tucker ‘24, who had 136 strokes and won the individual state title; Mason Conrad ‘24, with 152 strokes and 24th place individually; Nathan Kim ‘24, with 153 strokes and a tie for 25th place individually; and Trey Kahrhoff ‘24, who had 156 strokes and tied for 37th in individuals. 

“I was really trying to stay in the moment and focus all my attention on the shot at hand,” Charlie Tucker ‘24 said. “I had the same nerves the entire tournament, from my first tee shot to my final putt in round two, and I just focused on what I could control, which definitely helped my mental game.”

After finishing with a score of 69 during the first round, Tucker led the school to victory, ending with a six-under-par score of 136. His title win goes down in history as the first-ever individual state title win for a Jag. 

“Charlie was in the last tee-time, so we all stayed to watch in support,” Conrad said. “After finishing my round, I tracked the scores and saw that we were in the lead. When Charlie sent that final putt, we stormed him on the course and celebrated. It was a really great feeling to win as a team.”