To start the boys golf regular season, Cheyenne Mountain sophomore Brayden Destefano shot a 2-over-par 74 at Pelican Lakes. Apparently that round make him angry because he’s been seeing nothing but red since then.
Red numbers that is.
In four of his five rounds this season, Destefano has shot under par while leading the Red-Tailed Hawks to a dominant run as team. After shooting 2-over at the Windsor Invite, he was a 1-under 70 at the Hawks’ home tournament at the Country Club of Colorado.
Then things got fun. He went for a 9-under 63 at Murphy Creek, setting the tone as the Hawk’s shot a staggering 199 as a team. At 17-under par for the group, it’s the best single tournament score for the Hawks since John Carricato took over as coach in 2015. The heater continued as Destefano shot 66 at Meadow Hills then another 66 at Overland Park.
In his last three tournaments, he has finished tied for first or as the outright winner. With golf courses seemingly defenseless against him, he’s the ideal choice as the first Whataburger Athlete of the Week of the high school sports year.
The crazy part is that his performance is just one piece of this Cheyenne Mountain machine that looks like it’s ready to make a run at another Class 4A boys golf title in October. Having the likes of a Charlie Doyle and Ethan Ivany pushing him each day has made for the ideal competitive atmosphere for Destefano.
“Even though we’re trying to beat each other, we’re still happy for each other,” Destefano said. “We like seeing each other strive and achieve what our goal is. Even though, I’ve beating Charlie a little bit, it just helps out team out in the long run. He’s going to beat me more this season, but a battle between teammates helps a lot.”
At last year’s state tournament at The Bridges in Montrose, Doyle was the top finisher for the Red Hawks, finishing 5-over for the tournament. He shot a 68 in the final round, behind only state champion Noah Richmond who fired a 65 which was highlighted by going for 28 on the front.
Destefano was a top 15 finisher and ended his tournament at 8-over. With the numbers he has been putting up lately, going 8-over seems like a lifetime ago. As evidenced by his 63 at Murphy Creek, Destefano seems more likely to shoot 8-under.
But he’s not getting too far ahead of himself. This Cheyenne Mountain team has ambitions of capturing a state title that eluded them last year. They won their last crown in 2022 at Pelican Lakes and seem in line to tackle Tiara Rado in Grand Junction in early October.
For now, Destafno is taking things one tournament at a time. He knows that at some point he’ll see Doyle’s name above his and Ivany is playing at a level that would make him a No. 1 for most teams in the Pikes Peak Region. They’re not satisfied with one or two players have a good two-day run at state.
They want everyone with a red number next to their name and hand on a team state championship trophy.
“This year we have a lot more of a chance,” Destefano said. “We’re in a better state mentally and physically. We’ve all gotten better and we’re all more confident in our games.”
