CORTEZ – The Panthers boys golf team faced a deluge of changes even before the first tee shots were struck back in early August.
M-CHS welcomed a new head coach, a revamped varsity rotation and a restructured postseason – all of which offered new learning curves for a youthful Panthers squad. M-CHS took the challenges in stride, molding the program’s next group of golfers while still upholding the high standard held by Panthers golf.
In their final home tournament of the season, the Panthers took third place as a team Wednesday afternoon at Conquistador Golf Course.
The Panthers still have one more regular-season tournament to go when they head to San Juan Country Club in Farmington on Sept. 29 for the Piedra Vista Fall Invite. However, the qualification window in CHSAA’s reformatted postseason process will be closed by that point, meaning Wednesday’s round was the last opportunity to improve their state rankings.
Beginning this year, CHSAA eliminated the regional tournament qualification process, replacing it with season-long scoring averages from all of the 550-plus golfers in the Class 3A classification to determine the top 84 individuals earning spots in the state championships at Eagle Ranch Golf Club on Oct. 6–7.
Sophomore Zye Kuenzler, the program’s lone varsity returner, shot a 74 in the IML Panther Invite to secure his place in the state field. The trip will be Kuenzler’s second appearance as he looks to build on his 55th-place finish from last fall.
“It’s nice to go out and put up a good number on our home course,” said Kuenzler. “I had to fight a bit to get my swing to where I needed it.”
Kuenzler dropped in two birdies on the front nine as part of a 36, then added three more on consecutive holes on the back nine to briefly pull within two strokes of leader Johnathon Smith of Pagosa Springs.
Pagosa Springs won both the individual and team (228) titles, with Smith earning medalist honors as the tournament’s lone under-par scorer (3-under 69).
Kuenzler is in good company to help lead M-CHS back to its lofty perch – the Panthers won’t lose anyone on their roster to graduation this spring. Classmate Brooks Story pushed Kuenzler at the top in several tournaments this year, closing out the home competition with an 83 to lift M-CHS to a team score of 242.
Fellow sophomore Rylan Maloney continued his upward scoring trend with an 85, while a bevy of Panthers began posting scores in the 80s and low 90s.
Freshman Malachi Padilla shot a 94, while junior Gavin Gill and sophomore Lucas Zufelt each posted rounds of 96 – showing encouraging signs for first-year head coach Jarrett Watkins and the future of the program.
“We’ve got a lot of guys who hadn’t played tournament golf before this year, so it’s great to see the improvements from everyone,” added Kuenzler. “And we know that’s what we’re going to need to build this program back to where it’s been.”
Even with plenty of ups and downs during a full season, Kuenzler and the Panthers pulled together, even when players stumbled through a challenging round.
“I learned to not be so tight out there,” said Kuenzler. “And remind myself that I can battle back from pretty much anything.”
In the short term, Kuenzler will look to carry the M-CHS banner to the I-70 corridor for the Class 3A championships – an honor he doesn’t take lightly.
“It’ll be a lot of fun, but you’ve got to put together good rounds, so you’ve got to be loose and go after birdies,” said Kuenzler.
State tournament action begins Monday morning, Oct. 6, with the 84 competitors playing 36 holes over the two-day event.
