For the Montezuma-Cortez High School Panthers golf team, the 2013 Western Regional Championship was bittersweet.
Bitter in that the team was unable to secure its fourth-consecutive regional championship. Sweet in that the team’s lone senior was crowned regional champion.
Playing at Gypsum Creek Golf Club on Tuesday, Sept. 17, the Panthers shot a combined score of 239, good enough for third place in the region. Durango placed first overall with a score of 228, while Steamboat Springs finished second with a score of 230.
Although the Panthers’ finish was not good enough to qualify the team for state, head coach Micah Rudosky was not disappointed with his team’s effort.
“The team played about as well as I expected,” said coach Rudosky. “I think we had a nice season.”
Leading the Panthers in the regional tournament was first-team all-conference performer Jakob Rudosky, whose score of 72 was good enough qualify him for state for the fourth-consecutive season. The even-par score was also good enough to place the senior first in the region by two strokes.
“(Jakob Rudosky) had a great win,” said coach Rudosky of his son’s round. “He finished out and played solid.”
Shooting the second-best score for the Panthers was first-team all-conference performer Hayden Plewe, whose score of 81 rendered him second alternate to go to state. Unfortunately for Plewe, a spate of bad luck on the 16th hole doomed what promised to be a very impressive round.
“Plewe made a 10 on (the 16th hole),” Rudosky explained. “He played solid golf. He got to one hole and some things happened. That’s kind of golf. There is no question that he is one of the top players in our western region, and he deserves to be there at state.”
Rounding out the Panthers’ varsity scorers were Tristan Shelby and Levi Gross, who shot 86 and 97, respectively.
With the team’s season now over, coach Rudosky reflected on the Panthers’ 2013 season
“We had some wins out there,” said Rodosky. “We had some younger players on the team, and we had a great turnout for the team this year with 13 players. Moving forward, we’ve got to be out there working hard throughout the summer.”
The 2013 season was a good one for M-CHS golf. With 4 of 5 varsity players returning for next season, the team’s future looks bright.