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Basalt High boys golf eighth, Aspen fifth at 3A state tournament; Exelbert ninth individually

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Austin Colbert
The Aspen Times
In action earlier this season at River Valley Ranch, Basalt golfer Garrett Exelbert eyes his putt as it heads toward the No. 9 hole during the Longhorns Invitational.
John Stroud/Post Independent

The Aspen High School boys golf team scratched its way to a fifth-place finish in the Class 3A state tournament on Tuesday at Pinehurst Country Club in Denver, while Basalt finished eighth in the season finale.

Vail Mountain took home the 3A championship, a first for the program, by shooting a collective 445 to narrowly hold off Resurrection Christian by a single stroke. Colorado Academy was third (454) and Kent Denver fourth (457), with the Skiers shooting 464 in a tight race for that fifth spot.

In sixth was Peak to Peak (465) and seventh Montezuma-Cortez (466), while Basalt, which includes players from Glenwood Springs High School, shot 467.

Locally, the top individual finishers were Basalt junior Garrett Exelbert from Glenwood Springs and Aspen senior Carson Miller, each shooting 10-over 150 over the two days to tie for ninth place. AHS senior Sky Sosna tied for 11th with 151, the only other player between the two schools to finish in the top 20.

Basalt junior Jase Joslin shot 157 to tie for 29th, while junior Alec Claassen and sophomore Jackson Stewart each shot 163 to tie for 42nd.

Aspen had entered the tournament as the defending state champion, its 2021 title having followed the program’s first back in 2018.

Individually, Montezuma-Cortez senior Thayer Plewe shot a 6-under 134 over the two days for the championship after finishing as state runner-up the past two seasons. Resurrection Christian freshman Clint Summers was second at 1-under 139 and third was Liberty Common junior Ryan Woodley at even par 140.

Vail Mountain senior Felix Gruner and junior Stewie Bruce each shot 148 to tie for fifth place in leading the Gore Rangers to the state championship.

Rounding out Aspen’s scoring were sophomore Ryan Rigney (163, T42) and senior Peter deWetter (171, 61st).

Later this week, area high school tennis teams, including Aspen and Basalt, will begin regional play on Thursday in Grand Junction, with the tournament concluding Friday. The boys 4A state championship is Oct. 13-15 in Pueblo.

acolbert@aspentimes.com

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