Crimson Cliffs wins 4A boys golf state title by 28 strokes; Desert Hills places 2nd

Written by Jeff Richards
October 13, 2022

HURRICANE — With juniors Boston Bracken and Lincoln Markham leading the way, the Crimson Cliffs boys golf team reclaimed the state 4A championship on Thursday. 

Crimson Cliffs players and coaches hold up trophy and banner after winning 4A boys golf state tournament, Hurricane, Utah, Oct. 13, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

Crimson posted a collective 3-under score of 285 on Day 1, then followed that with an even-par 288 on the second day for a total of 573. The top four Mustang golfers all place among the top eight individual medalists.

Bracken eagled the 18th and final hole on Wednesday, finishing with a 6-under score of 66 for the round. Then, on Thursday, he sank an eagle putt on the 18th for the second day in a row. That enabled him to break even for the day and edge teammate Markham by two strokes for top individual medalist honors. 

Bracken at 6-under and Markham at 4-under were the only two golfers to finish under par for the tournament, which was contested at Sky Mountain Golf Course in Hurricane.

Bracken came in at par or better on 31 of the 36 holes during the tournament, including 10 birdies and two eagles. 

Crimson Cliffs coach Cody Felts said Bracken briefly became displeased with himself for needing eight strokes to finish the par-4 13th hole on Thursday.

“He just has this knack for coming back,” Felts said. “He was upset with taking that quadruple bogey on that hole, but he just knew he had to make it up.”

“He just has a way to hit big shots when he needs it most,” Felts said. “He never quits. He just keeps fighting and fighting.”

Felts said that Bracken and Markham, who are close friends on and off the course, have made each other better golfers through their friendly rivalry.

Weston Andelin of Desert Hills successfully chips in a birdie shot from the edge of the rough, which went into the hole from more than 30 yards out, on the 8th hole at the 4A boys golf state tournament, Hurricane, Utah, Oct. 13, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

“To see the scores that Lincoln was shooting two years ago compared to now is remarkable,” Felts said. “I think a lot of that is the two of them competing together and really being really good friends and driving each other. It’s been fun to see.”

Felts said it was especially exciting to see his top two golfers battling it out for the top of the leaderboard both days, always staying within a couple of strokes of each other.

“I was happy the way it all played out,” he said.

Felts said he’s also grateful for the spirit of camaraderie and friendship that exists among all of his players.

Meanwhile, Desert Hills finished in second place with a two-day team score of 601 – 25-over par. The Thunder were led by sophomore Brock Porter’s 71-74-145 and senior Boston Dixon’s 74-74-148.

Third place went to defending champion Ridgeline. The Riverhawks, who were led by senior Zach Skinner’s 4-over score of 73-75-148, finished with a team score of 614.

Crimson’s victory marked the third state title in the four-year history of the school, which first opened its doors in fall 2019.

The runaway win for the Mustangs was in sharp contrast to last year’s tight finish at Birch Creek Golf Course in Smithfield. At the 2021 state 4A tournament, Crimson Cliffs and Ridgeline finished in a tie for first place with 597 strokes each, after which the Riverhawks won the sudden-death playoff hole by two strokes to claim the title.

“I’m not gonna lie, it did motivate our boys,” Felts said. “It didn’t feel good for them to lose last year. They felt like they certainly had a chance to do it but just didn’t pull it off.”

This time around, the Mustangs led wire to wire, building a 16-stroke lead the first day and extending it to 28 the second day.

“We certainly didn’t think that we had it wrapped up or by any means think that it was a done deal,” Felts said of the comfortable lead the Mustangs enjoyed heading into Thursday. “But it was nice to have a little bit of a cushion.”

“I was really impressed with how well they prepared and played in the practice rounds,” he added. “They came in ready to play.”

4A boys golf state championship

Sky Mountain Golf Course Oct. 12-13

Top 9 overall team scores

  1. Crimson Cliffs, 573.
  2. Desert Hills, 601.
  3. Ridgeline, 614.
  4. Dixie, 630.
  5. (tie) Sky View, 633.
  6. (tie) Cedar, 633.
  7. Snow Canyon, 638.
  8. Green Canyon, 647.
  9. Hurricane, 652.

Top 11 individual medalists

  1. Boston Bracken, Crimson Cliffs, 138.
  2. Lincoln Markham, Crimson Cliffs, 140.
  3. Brock Porter, Desert Hills, 145.
  4. (tie) Boston Dixon, Desert Hills, 148.
  5. (tie) Zachary Skinner, Ridgeline, 148.
  6. Preston Heward, Crimson Cliffs, 149.
  7. (tie) Staten McMurdie, Dixie, 150.
  8. (tie) Dylan Winona, Crimson Cliffs, 150.
  9. (tie) Jarren Phillips, Crimson Cliffs, 152.
  10. (tie) Braylon Bingham, Cedar, 152.
  11. (tie) Michael Stirland, Hurricane, 152.

Photo Gallery

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeff Richards, a native of Salt Lake City with family roots in Panguitch, lived in Moab for 20 years before joining St. George News in 2017. Jeff is a longtime journalist and secondary school teacher. He and his wife Penny are the parents of five daughters. They also have three young grandsons and one granddaughter. Jeff and his family enjoy swimming, camping, sightseeing, reading, and taking pictures.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @stgnews@moabjeff@stgnewssports

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