CLASS 5A

Liberty High School has not had a full team compete at the state boys’ golf tournament since 2006.

Twelve years later, not only did the Lancers field a team to the 5A state championships, but they pulled off an eighth-place finish behind a pair of seniors who improved even more from last year’s success.

Brandon Bervig, who entered Day 2 of the tournament in third place, went home with a fifth-place medal after shooting a 74 (+3) on the day. Fellow senior Lucas Howell improved on Monday’s +9 performance, cutting seven strokes to finish 15th overall (73, +2 Tuesday).

“Lucas played like he normally does today,” Liberty coach Stan Woodworth said. “Yesterday was one of his worst rounds in two years, but he played really strong all day today.”

Howell birdied the first hole of the day, then a slew of bogeys put him over par the rest of the way.

Bervig, on the other hand, completed both rounds shooting a 72 and a 74, respectively, jumping a whole 10 spots for a top-five finish.

“His driver was really fantastic today, but a couple of errant shots cost him a few strokes,” Woodworth said. “He nearly had three birdies in a row on the back nine, but he couldn’t make some of those short putts he usually does. But you can always look back and say ‘If I would have got this or that,’ but then you forget the ones you did get.”

Bervig started on the front nine Tuesday, which he had three birdies on in round 1, but he struggled with four bogeys before finishing the back nine with a par. He had two straight birdies on holes 10 and 11, and also birdied hole seven.

Teammates Tyler Barcelon and Alex McCoy finished 74 and 83, respectively, after uncharacteristic rounds.

“We had a really strong team this year that could have fought for a state title, but we just couldn’t put two good days together,” Woodworth said. “Our third and fourth players have shot in the mid-70s at that course before, and if they could have done that either day it would have been helpful, but they’ve never been in a state competition and it’s a little more intense and they play faster and longer. It was a good experience for them.”

CLASS 4A

At Flying Horse Golf Club: Woodland Park’s Lou Levy shot an excellent second round, improving from 91 (+19) on Monday. He shot a 77 (+5) on Tuesday to finish 40th overall and helped his team to an 11th-place finish.

Cheyenne Mountain’s Gabe Marmon improved on his first-round score by five strokes, finishing 27th (+19), and Coronado’s Andrew Merz took nine strokes off his second-day score to finish 47th overall.

Click below to see more highlights from the Class 4A state tournament.

CLASS 3A

At Boulder Country Club: The Classical Academy’s Liam O’Halloran completed another consistent round at Boulder Country Club, shooting a 74 (+4) on the second day of competition, good for an eighth-place finish, +6 overall.

His efforts led the Titans to a fifth-place finish in Class 3A. The program’s best finish came in 2008 when the Titans placed fourth. This season was the first time in eight years that TCA sent a team to state, and was just four strokes from fourth place.

“I’m very happy, but tired,” said TCA coach Bob Gravelle, who said the team bus broke down just as the team was pulling into the school parking lot.

O’Halloran started fast, with a birdie on the first two holes as he started Day 2 on the front nine. But he found trouble on holes 6, 7, 8, with a bogey on 6 and 8 and a double bogey on seven to put him +2 on the round with another nine holes to play.

He finished his round with three bogeys and a birdie on the back nine.

His 2018 state campaign was an improvement from what Gravelle called an “anomaly” in 2017, where he placed 27th.

“Liam is one of the best players in the state,” Gravelle said. “This year he set the school record for most tournament wins (four), lowest tournament average (71) and has the record for lowest tournament score (64).”

Freshman Ben Devolve improved his round-one score by five strokes to finish his first state tournament +21, finishing 27th overall.

“Ben was nervous on the first nine,” Gravelle said. “It was a learning experience but he has a lot of talent, and with him and Liam back we will have a team with a lot of potential.”

St. Mary’s Peter Stinar knocked four strokes off of Monday’s round to finish 31st.

LOCAL SCORES

Name, overall score — Round 1 | Round 2

CLASS 5A

LIBERTY

Brandon Bervig, 146 (+4) — 72 (+1) | 74 (+3)

Lucas Howell, 153 (+11) — 80 (+9) | 73 (+2)

Tyler Barcelon, 172 (+30) — 82 (+11) | 90 (+19)

Alex McCoy, 190 (+48) — 91 (+20) | 99 (+28)

CLASS 4A

AIR ACADEMY

Ethan Bloomfield, 186 (+42) — 89 (+17) | 97 (+25)

CANON CITY

Benjamin Marushack, 188 (+44) — 99 (+27) | 89 (+17)

CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN

Gabe Marmon, 163 (+19) — 84 (+12) | 79 (+7)

Keaton Hulen, 169 (+25) — 81 (+9) | 88 (+16)

CORONADO

Andrew Merz, 171 (+27) — 90 (+18) | 81 (+9)

Noah Keller, 183 (+39) — 90 (+18) | 93 (+21)

Jack Cintron, 176 (+32) — 81 (+9) | 95 (+23)

DISCOVERY CANYON

Kaden Ford, 167 (+23) — 82 (+10) | 85 (+13)

Josh Hampton, 173 (+29) — 85 (+13) | 88 (+16)

Scott Leveque, 174 (+30) — 83 (+11) | 91 (+19)

Lucas Hein, 183 (+39) — 89 (+17) | 94 (+22)

LEWIS-PALMER

Gregory Lewis, 173 (+29) — 83 (+11) | 90 (+18)

Justin Hudson, 176 (+32) — 88 (+16) | 88 (+16)

Noah Baca, 188 (+44) — 92 (+20) | 96 (+24)

Colin Westfall, 202 (+58) — 102 (+30) | 100 (+28)

PALMER RIDGE

Drew Laake, 153 (+9) — 79 (+7) | 74 (+2)

Trey Jones, 157 (+13) — 77 (+5) | 80 (+8)

Elijah Harp, 158 (+14) — 78 (+6) | 80 (+8)

Lance Phillips, 166 (+22) — 84 (+12) | 82 (+12)

WIDEFIELD

Joseph Stroup, 183 (+39) — 88 (+16) | 95 (+23)

WOODLAND PARK

Lou Levy, 168 (+24) — 91 (+19) | 77 (+5)

Zak Ludwick, 182 (+38) — 83 (+11) | 99 (+27)

Evan Cisneros, 182 (+38) — 89 (+17) | 93 (+21)

CLASS 3A

THE CLASSICAL ACADEMY

Liam O’Halloran, 146 (+6) — 72 (+2) | 74 (+4)

Ben Devolve, 161 (+21) — 83 (+13) | 78 (+8)

Ryan Beckman, 169 (+29) — 87 (+17) | 82 (+12)

ST. MARY’S

Peter Stinar, 162 (+22) — 83 (+13) | 79 (+9)

Luke Calvin, 178 (+38) — 85 (+15) | 93 (+23)

Liberty’s Brandon Bervig watches his drive on the third hole at the 5A state golf tournament on Tuesday, October 2, 2018 at the Colorado Springs Country Club. (Lindsey Smith, The Gazette)

Liberty’s Brandon Bervig competes at the 5A state golf tournament on Tuesday, October 2, 2018 at the Colorado Springs Country Club. (Lindsey Smith, The Gazette)

Liberty’s Brandon Bervig competes at the 5A state golf tournament on Tuesday, October 2, 2018 at the Colorado Springs Country Club. (Lindsey Smith, The Gazette)

Liberty’s Brandon Bervig watches his drive on the third hole at the 5A state golf tournament on Tuesday, October 2, 2018 at the Colorado Springs Country Club. (Lindsey Smith, The Gazette)