Boy's Golf: Ironwood Ridge getting ready for state
October 9, 2014 by Andy Morales, AZPreps365
The Oro Valley Ironwood Ridge boys are ranked in the top five in Division I and have pretty much secured the automatic bid that comes along with their top position in Section I. No other Southern Arizona team is within striking distance of making the D-I state tournament.
Making the 14-team tournament field will be even more difficult with Section III leader Avondale Westview being ranked 38th because the six section winners will earn an automatic bid and eight at-large teams will be added to the tournament field.
The Nighthawks are having another great year under Ryan Bais with wins at the Cactus Cup Invitational in September and the Tournament of Champions last weekend to go along with their fifth place at the Dobson Ranch Invitational and sixth place finish at the Aguila Invitational.
Bais will soon have the task of deciding which one of his standout golfers will represent the school in the state tournament that begins Wednesday, November 5 at the Aguila Golf Course in Laveen.
There is no doubt senior standouts Ruben Ruiz and Kenyon Kautz will be two of his choices. The duo posted the two lowest scores (38) in a match against Rio Rico and Sahuarita Walden Grove on Thursday afternoon at the Haven Golf Course.
Andy Hunter shot a 39 and Ryan Larson added 42 to give the Nighthawks a 157-184 win over Walden Grove.
"We are having a pretty successful season," said Kautz. "We have a good presence and we are feeling good heading into state."
Kautz earned All-Academic status on the Future Collegians World Tour this past spring and will be flying out on recruiting visits to New York and Georgia soon.
Ruiz is also busy with recruiting with Oral Roberts and Embry-Riddle being two of his top choices at this moment.
"My game is a continual work in progress," explained Ruiz. "We are getting ready for state and have great team chemistry and that means fun along with great golf."
Bais led Ironwood Ridge to a state championship in 2008.
Walden Grove is coached by former University of Arizona baseball standout Murray Hicks. Hicks was a member of the 1984 National Championship team and is the founder of the Desert Speed School. His son, Gentry Hicks, is a former Arizona state champion and state Golfer of the Year while playing for Canyon del Oro and is now playing for Utah.
Only in his third year at Walden Grove, Hicks sees plenty of positives in his team's future with plenty of young talent that will no doubt be in the mix over the next few years.
Sam Salisbury shot a 42, Gunner Chesney a 44, Josh Crest a 48 and Hogan Gloy a 50.
Danny Rodriguez had a banner year coaching the Rio Rico girl's soccer team last year and he is also the school's golf coach. The Hawks only had three players so they were unable to score as a team but they were led by Justin Fisher (42), Luis Rubio (53) and Ramses Ruiz (56).