Prep: Munk helps Green Valley open big lead at 4A golf event

Green Valley's Jared Munk was not included in this week's All-Southern Zone golf selections. But on Wednesday, the senior found himself in some very select company.

Munk finished the first day of the 4A State Golf Tournament in a tie for second place with a stellar two-over 74, lifting the Gators to a 14-stroke team lead at the event's halfway point.

"He came through as a senior today," Green Valley coach Del Sagers said. "He's always had a nice golf swing, and I was pleased with his effort."

Sagers expected low scores from seniors Dallas Massey and Avi Khrtri and junior Joey Matyas, and the three all-zone picks did not disappoint. Matyas shot a 75, Khitri came in with a 76 and Massey posted a 77 to help the Gators claim the lead.

But it was Munk's performance that helped Green Valley (381) stay so far ahead of rivals Durango (395), Bishop Gorman (403), Reno (406) and Bonanza (408). The Gators were even able to drop fifth-place finisher Nick Lorenz's 82 (only the top four scores count), no small feat given the day's extremely windy conditions.

"It was tough out there," Bonanza coach Dan Wieser said. "The wind was probably a steady 30-35 miles-per-hour. The last groups had wind all day."

Despite his squad's sizeable lead, Sagers said he urged caution when he met with his golfers at day's end.

"No lead is safe," said Sagers, whose club won state titles in 1994, '95 and '96 but lost on a tiebreaker to Reno last year. "We have to approach tomorrow like it's a new day."

Munk wound up tied with defending state champion Ben Auten (Bonanza) and Tyler Mays (Gorman) -- last year's state runner-up. With 18 holes remaining that threesome trails only Galena's Travis Whisman in the race for the individual title.

Reno's Carlos Concha finished with a 75 (tied with Matyas for fifth), while Durango's Tyler Nielsen took a 76 into the break. Galena's Jeremiah Galyon, Cimarron-Memorial's Mike Russell, Carson's Dan Rimmon and Massey all stayed within striking distance with 77s.

Durango freshman Chad Fosburg, who captured the Southern Zone title last week, came in with an 82.

Action is scheduled to resume today at 11 a.m., with the final group expected to tee off at approximately 12:45 p.m.

* FIELD OF DREAMS: Despite losing its top sponsor (Las Vegas Events), the Reebok Holiday Prep Classic has lured a top-notch field of 50 teams for next winter's event. The tournament, scheduled Dec. 19-23, will feature teams from 13 states, headlined by two-time defending champ Mt. Zone Christian Academy (N.C.), Oak Hill Academy (Va.) and Mountain View High School (Ariz.). Bishop Gorman, Cimarron-Memorial, Clark, Durango, Eldorado, Green Valley, Las Vegas and Palo Verde will represent the Las Vegas area in the tourney, which will be played at Durango and Cimarron-Memorial.

* COLLEGE SIGNINGS: Green Valley senior Dallas Massey, the Southern Zone's Golfer of the Year, has signed with Colorado State University. Massey averaged 36 strokes per nine holes this year, leading the Gators' to an undefeated regular season record. ... Jamar Brown, a 6-7, 180-pound center who helped Valley to its boys basketball title this winter, has signed with Casper College, a junior college in Casper, Wyoming. ... Matt Metz, a 1996 Bonanza graduate, has signed with Southern Colorado, as has Shonray Johnson, a 1995 Cheyenne graduate. Metz, who has spent the last two years at Walla Walla Community College, averaged 12 points this winter while Johnson earned first-team All-Foothills League honors at Mt. San Jacinto Junior College, averaging 19 points and six rebounds. ... Jimmy Anderson, a 1995 Durango graduate who spent the last two years at Mt. San Jacinto Junior College, has signed with St. Martin's College, a Division II school in Washington.

* WHERE ARE THEY NOW?: Denny Seybert, a 1996 Basic graduate, is the starting left fielder for a Saddleback College baseball team headed to the Southern California Regional playoffs this weekend. Seybert, who is hitting .365 with 30 RBI and 58 runs scored, helped the Gauchos (37-10) to a three-game sweep of Glendale in the first round of the playoffs. ... Ohio State senior Amanda Smeltzer, daughter of Las Vegas residents Ron and Joyce Smeltzer, recently received a pair of prestigious scholar-athlete awards. Amanda, a member of the Buckeye's three-time NCAA champion synchronized swimming squad, graduated from Lester B. Pearson High School in Ottawa, Ontario in 1994. Her father, Ron, is a former Canadian Football League coach and a current assistant football coach at Cimarron-Memorial.

* POLL WATCH: Green Valley improved to No. 5 in this week's USA Today Top 25 baseball poll, up two spots from last week. The Gators (30-2) remained the second-ranked team in the Western Top 10 rankings, behind only Clovis (Calif.), the nation's second-ranked club. ... Green Valley also moved up a couple of notches in the bi-weekly Baseball America Top 25 poll, from No. 9 to No. 7.

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