MONTROSE – With the calendar moving within a month of the 2A girls golf regional tournament, the Montezuma-Cortez and Dolores high schools are noticing improvements coming in leaps and bounds.
Now, with two tournaments in the next two weeks on their familiar surroundings at Conquistador Golf Course in Cortez, DHS and M-CHS look to consolidate their recent gains in front of their home fans.
Fresh off strong showings in Montrose, the Panthers look to build on tournaments where they claimed fourth at Black Canyon on Tuesday to follow up a fifth-place effort a day earlier at Cobble Creek. DHS took 12th in their second day of competition against most of the Western Slope’s golf programs, improving two spots in the team rankings over their performance on Monday.
Not only did both teams improve on the leaderboard as a team, but many of the Panthers and Bears saw significant improvement in their individual scores from Day One to Day Two.
Dolores seniors Siena Parr and Samantha Abate helped lead the way for first-year head coach Cheri Walker’s group, as they shaved strokes off their cards. Parr’s 105 (33rd place overall) at Black Canyon proved to be the best round of the 48-hour span for the Bears, while Abate improved from a 123 on Cobble Creek to a 121 a day later.
Junior Julianne Vega paced the Bears at Cobble Creek with a 109 to take 42nd in Monday’s field, while classmate Jadyn Gorsuch proved to be a model of consistency with rounds of 123 and 124.
For M-CHS, junior Amita Crowley led the way on both days, highlighted by her runner-up finish at Black Canyon, posting an 80 to follow her 81 on Cobble Creek. Tuesday proved to be a fantastic day for Crowley’s classmate Afton Unrein, who posted a personal best in a competitive round, firing at 84 at Black Canyon to take eighth in the field, placing two Panthers in the top 10.
Sophomore Dannika Goodall scored 103 and 107 as she continues to climb the leaderboard on a weekly basis, and freshman Tenley Bryan added scores of 121 and 123 for first-year head coach Jarrett Watkins’ team. Junior Keira Jago rounded out the M-CHS efforts with a round of 134 at Cobble Creek.
“Amita and Afton have been playing really well,” said Watkins, “and Dannika has already put together two personal best rounds this year.”
For a team with plenty of first-time high school golfers, Watkins is also pleased with the way his newcomers are challenging themselves.
“The younger girls are picking up the game at an impressive pace – I’m really proud of them,” Watkins added.
As a team, M-CHS improved from a 277 to a 271 between the two courses, while Dolores dropped 10 shots (355 to 345).
Both the Panthers and Bears look forward to competing on Conquistador on back-to-back Tuesdays, with M-CHS hosting the tournament on April 15, while DHS will take their turn on Apr. 22. A trip to Hillcrest GC in Durango on Monday, April 14 precedes the home tournaments, as M-CHS and Dolores look forward to building their confidence heading into the final few weeks of the regular season.
