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The Aspen High School boys golf team got its fall season underway Friday by winning the Battlement Mesa Classic, hosted by Grand Junction High School.
Competing for the first time since winning the Class 3A state championship last October at Boulder Country Club, the Skiers shot a combined 26-over-par 242 to win by a single stroke over Fruita Monument. Montrose was third at 31-over and Summit fourth at 43-over.
AHS sophomore Nic Pevny won the tournament by shooting 2-over 74. He won by a stroke over Montrose’s Jordan Jennings, who had won at a tournament at Devil’s Thumb only the day prior, when he shot 65.
Fruita’s Josh Stouder finished third at Battlement Mesa with a 78, while Aspen’s Cole Kennedy was fourth with 80. Aspen’s Will Stiller was the third scoring player for the Skiers, tying for 16th with an 88. Jake Doyle (T18, 89) and Lucas Lee (T28, 94) also competed for Aspen.
Absent was AHS senior Jack Pevny, who should be the team’s undisputed No. 1 player this fall, as he was competing in an American Junior Golf Association event in Oklahoma this week.
The older brother of Nic, Jack is the only returning player from last year’s state championship foursome. He finished fourth at the two-day tournament in Boulder, while teammate Jack Hughes, who signed to play golf at the University of Colorado after graduating last year, finished second.
Aspen also is replacing graduates Dominic Lanese, Dawson Holmes and Colter Zwieg from last year’s “dream team” that brought home the school’s first state title in golf.
The Skiers are next scheduled to compete Tuesday and Wednesday on the Front Range at tournaments hosted by Cherry Creek and Kent Denver. The Skiers tentatively have a home tournament scheduled for Sept. 3 and also will host regionals on Sept. 25 at Aspen Golf Club. The Skiers have won 10 straight regional championships.
The Basalt High School boys golf team didn’t play Friday, having started its season Thursday at Devil’s Thumb. BHS finished fourth behind a ninth-place finish by senior Blake Exelbert and a solid round from junior Tyler Sims, who tied for 11th.
The Longhorns are off until Aug. 21.
The remainder of the fall sports teams will officially begin practice on Monday.