PUEBLO – The M-CHS golf team demonstrated the resolve of a senior-led squad wanting to make a strong final stamp on their careers. On Tuesday morning at Walking Stick Golf Course in Pueblo, the Panthers posted an impressive showing that pushed the Panthers from outside the top 10 and into a tie for eighth as a team in the 3A state championships.
Led in scoring by seniors Vince Lopez and Gavin Frost, the Panthers bounced back from an opening day score of 245 to improve their team score by 11 strokes, prompting the leaderboard surge.
Lopez finished as the top Panthers golfer, taking 26th overall with rounds of 77 and 78 for a combined total of 155 (+11) for the tournament. The 3A Region 1 champion collected six birdies over the course of the 36-hole event, while enjoying his better stretches of the tournament on the course’s back nine, where he shot a 37 on day one, then followed with a 38 on day two.
Two strokes behind, Frost posted the best 18-hole round for the Panthers, firing a 75 on day two to improve upon his 82 from the day prior. Frost dropped in four birdies during his Tuesday outing, three of which came on the front nine as part of 34 that helped Frost jump into 32nd place (+13), his best showing of his state appearances.
Freshman Zye Kuenzler finished tied for 55th in his state debut, and like Frost, also made a big jump in his scoring on the second day. Kuenzler posted an 81 on Tuesday, collecting three birdies on his card to drop five shots off of his Monday round. His round vaulted him into the middle third of the deep 3A field with a two-day total of 167 (+23).
Senior Frankey Montoya also made a day two move as part of his inaugural state appearance, improving five strokes in his second round (92-87). Montoya’s second nine on day one proved to be his best of the tournament, as he shot a 40, before opening the next day with a 41 on the front nine, helping the Dove Creek student-athlete to a 74th place finish.
In a packed middle of the state field, the Panthers caught Mullen (479) and surpassed Colorado Academy (480), Discovery Canyon (480) and Palmer Ridge (484) after the Tuesday dust settled. Evergreen raced away with the team title, shooting 12-under-par as a team (420) led by individual state champion Tyler Long, who finished the entire 36 holes bogey-free on his way to a score of 135 (-9). The Cougars placed all four golfers in the top seven as they finished 17 strokes ahead of second place Resurrection Christian.
M-CHS graduates an impactful group in the Class of 2025, having earned the program another stellar year under first-year head coach Michael Doyle, including celebrating their regional title and extending their streak of top 10 finishes in the state.
