Dominique Galloway, left, and sister Jacque Galloway show off their medals.
Photo by J.B. Gallegos for Moji Photography, courtesy of New Mexico Activities Association
Several impressive winning streaks were extended last week as the prep golf season came to an end in New Mexico.
*
Deming won its seventh-consecutive girls team championship, even though it moved up to the largest class (6A) for the first time.
*
Dominique Galloway rolled to her third-consecutive Class 6A individual girls championship for
Cleveland (Rio Rancho) and she's only a junior.
Ben Albin, Albuquerque Academy
Courtesy photo
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Las Cruces senior
Davis Chung posted his third-straight Class 6A boys individual victory.
* In the smaller classes (A-4A), the
Hope Christian (Albuquerque) boys team captured its fourth-consecutive crown and
Sean Carlon won his third individual title in a row.
* Back-to-back titles were won by the
Cleveland (Rio Rancho) (6A) and
Albuquerque Academy (5A) boys and Academy leader
Ben Albin, who will attend the University of Notre Dame after shooting 141 for a six-stroke victory.
The Deming girls defeated Cleveland by a margin of 675-731 over 36 holes, even though Cleveland had the No. 1 and 2 finishers and Deming's two-time defending (Class 4A) state champion,
Darian Zachek, shot 156 for third place.
Deming coach James Williams pointed out, "Depth was the big thing. Our 3-4-5 girls just clobbered 'em. Our depth has carried us for seven years. What makes me so pleased is that we had three different groups of girls (produce seven titles). It felt good - really good. It was a more difficult site than we had played on."
Williams paid tribute to champion Dominique Galloway, who blew the field away with a two-day score of 70-70-140. The runner-up was her eighth-grade sister,
Jacque Galloway, who carded 77-78-155.
"She is a great player with tons of experience," Williams praised. "She had her A game and had just come back from an LPGA tourney in Texas. Her little sister has got the potential to be better. I really wasn't surprised by their scores."
Even Cleveland coach Jim Tillery was a little surprised by Galloway's dominance.
He admitted, "I didn't quite expect her to play that way. She made it look easy. That (Pinon Hills in Farmington) is one of the top 15 golf courses in the country. She has a long, fluid swing that generates a lot of power. She is a good putter and has a good all-around game."
The 5-foot-5 Galloway already has made a commitment to the University of Texas.
Davis Chung, Las Cruces
Photo courtesy of Mike Cruz
Though he's a senior, Chung of Las Cruces matched Galloway on the boys side by notching his third title in a row in the largest class (6A). The New Mexico State University recruit shot 148 for a seven-shot victory. Chung, who placed second as a freshman, is the first large-school male golfer to three-peat since Roswell's Dee Green from 1984-86. He lost just one tourney during his senior year.
Las Cruces coach Mike Cruz said he is "very happy for him. It was quite an accomplishment. What impresses me is that he won at three different golf course and none was his home course."
Hope Christian, led by three-time medalist Carlon, dominated the smaller classes, defeating another small-school power,
Socorro, 635-660. Carlon, headed for the University of New Mexico, shot 147 for a 10-shot victory.
Coach Jon Lehman proved a prophet with honor five years ago - after an incorrect scorecard cost his team a title - when he said, "We're not going to lose again. He (Carlon) actually put our team on his back during his sophomore year and we started winning and winning. We only lost six tournaments in the last three years."
