Eagle Salome wins third golf title, Utash third for LLHS

SANTA ANA PUEBLO —It was another state golf title for Rylee Salome, a final putt to end an illustrious high school career for Grady Cox and a third-place finish for freshman Jonah Utash, who helped Los Lunas to an impressive fourth-place finish.

All in all, an eventful two days at Santa Ana Pueblo.

For Salome, a Belen junior, a 45-minute break because of lightning and heavy rain only delayed the inevitable at the Santa Ana Golf Club.

“That was interesting,” Salome said about the horn that sent the golfers to the clubhouse during the storm. “I was a little disappointed that we didn’t get to finish, but I just tried to stay calm and think about what I was going to do.”

What Salome did next, after trailing by a stroke to start the day, was finish off her third straight individual 4A State Golf Championship. She did it with a bogey free final round of 68.

“Yesterday wasn’t my best,” Salome said about her score of 76, “but I stayed in it and was able to get it done today. My ball striking was really good today.”

Good enough to pull away from first-round leader Anya Parasher, of Albuquerque Academy. Salome now has a chance to become the third player to win four state girls titles. Belen’s Avery Latter tied for 16th.

The first round was a struggle for the Belen girls’ team, seventh out of eight teams. However, the Eagles improved by 25 strokes Tuesday and finished in sixth place. Academy easily won the team title.

In the boys 4A tournament, Cox, who will play collegiately at Austin Peay State University in Tennessee, was also trying for a third individual title. Cox won medalist honors for Belen as a

freshman and sophomore but was denied by one stroke last year. This year, his effort for a trifecta wasn’t meant to be.

“Golf happens,” Cox said of his two up and down rounds. “Sometimes it lips out when you think it should lip in.”

Cox opened with an even par 72 and closed with 75 to finish fourth, nine shots behind champion Skyler Woods, of Kirtland Central.

On the final hole as a high school golfer, Cox rolled in a 4-foot putt, and gave a little arm wave in celebration.

“I’m just really glad I didn’t three putt that last hole,” he said. “That would have left a little bit of a bitter taste.”

As Cox walked off the green, his eyes swelled red with emotion as he hugged his parents, coach Donald Marquez and numerous others.

“I’m very thankful to have spent the time that I have with this team. I’m going to miss it, but I’m ready to move on.”

A couple minutes to the north, the 5A Championship was concluding at Twin Warriors Golf Club. Los Lunas isn’t considered a golf school, but that perception may be changing.

After the first round, LLHS was only one shot out of third place in the boys’ competition, with Jonah Utash, a freshman dual-sport athlete for the Tigers, in position to challenge for an individual championship.

The team faded a bit over the final 18 holes but finished in an eye-opening fourth place, 28 strokes behind champion Volcano Vista.

“Throughout the year, these boys really came into their own,” said Los Lunas coach Robb Sexsmith.

The Tigers were led this season by his son, also named Robb, who tied for 13th place. Utash helped propel the Tigers to the next level.

“He pushed the boys a lot,” Sexsmith said of Utash’s arrival this season. “They want to get better around him.”

Utash, who said he started to take the game seriously during the pandemic, fired rounds of 72 and 77 to grab third place, just three shots back of La Cueva’s Jake Yrene.

It’s rather amazing considering Utash finished his opening round Monday mid-afternoon, raced to Volcano Vista High School, where the Tigers had already started the deciding game in a best-of-three baseball playoff series, and pitched the last two innings of a 15-8 LLHS victory.

Nerve-wracking?

“During the golf round, I wasn’t thinking about (baseball) at all,” Utash said.

This cool-as-a-cucumber attitude, along with excellent play off the tee, pulled Utash to within one of the lead after the first 18 holes.

Day two was more of a struggle.

“A little rough there at the end,” he said. “I wish I could have done better, but it was fun,” despite a quadruple-bogey.

No doubt more fun is on the way, in both golf and baseball. The Tigers continue Thursday in the 5A State Baseball Championship.