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Hudson Rozga proved on Monday that it’s not how you start that matters — but where you finish.

The Eagle Valley freshman shot a 71 to win the Moffat County Invitational at Yampa Valley Golf Course in Craig, leading the Devils to a second-place team finish in the process.

“The stars aligned for him,” said head coach Ryan Uhnavy. “Everything was firing for him on all cylinders.”

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Not right away, though.

An early bogey and double-bogey put Rozga three-over par through the first five holes. Uhnavy admitted he didn’t think the round would be anything special at that point.

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“Then, as I keep an eye on his score, I’m just watching him make all these birdies and crawl his way back to even,” the coach said. Having started on the ninth hole, Rozga opened on the course’s back nine with a 37. After a birdie and four-straight pars, Rozga sputtered slightly at the par-5 sixth hole — his third-to-last of the entire tournament. He hit a so-so drive and then ripped his four-iron into the sand trap.

But the hole served as a microcosm of the entire round: poor start, great finish. The freshman calmly lobbed his bunker shot 12 feet from the hole and drained the putt for birdie.

“So much could have gone wrong on that hole, and he executed every shot perfectly,” Uhnavy said.

The drama continued through the final two holes. Rozga didn’t hit the green on either the par-3 seventh or the 360-yard, par-4 eighth, but he got up and down for par on both, sealing the four-stroke victory.

“It was an intense three holes. Just love his focus through it,” Uhnavy said. “He’s just really good mentally and it was super fun to watch him hit that last putt for par.”

Vail Christian senior Sam Casey also rallied from a tough start. After opening with a bogey, par and double bogey, the Saint shot even the rest of the way to card a 75 and take the silver. Basalt’s Jackson Stewart (76) and Hudson Arnold (76) tied for third and teammate Parker Strelecki (80) was sixth as the Longhorns totaled 315 to take the team win. Ben Vito and Lawson Rumley both shot 82 to help Eagle Valley (324) claim second as Vail Christian (332), Battle Mountain (343) and Vail Mountain School (346) finished third, fourth and fifth, respectively.

Uhnavy, who was an assistant the last three years before taking over as head coach this fall, said his group has had a lot to celebrate recently. At the Vail Mountain Invitational last week, Vito broke 80 for the first time. Two days later, junior Brooks Wenninger shot a personal best (80) at Black Canyon in Montrose to win the Red Hawk Stableford junior varsity tournament.

“Just love the way he interacts with the other guys,” Uhnavy stated of Vito, one of three seniors on the team and a co-captain with junior Chris Marsh. “(He’s) always willing to talk shop and help out coaching the younger guys. It’s been really cool to see him step up as a leader and also play some really good golf.”

With the addition of a 2A class in Colorado this year, the Devils reclassified into 3A, for schools enrolling between 441 and 1,117 students. Eagle Valley is the school in its region, but claiming one of the two team state-qualifying slots at the 3A Region 4 tournament on Sept. 30 in Aspen won’t be easy.

The Devils — who sent Jonathan Boyer to state as an individual in 2021 and 2022 — will have to deal with a couple strong Roaring Fork rivals. Basalt has won its last three tournaments. The Longhorns defeated a top-ranked Grand Junction squad at the Vail Mountain Invite, and ran away with the Sailor Invitational on Tuesday behind . Aspen finished just three points off the win in Vail and was the runner-up in Steamboat Springs.

“We’re working our butts off right now trying to prepare the best we can,” Uhnavy said regarding the postseason. “Just trying to get these guys on the course as much as possible over the next few weeks. That’s really all we can do.”

In order to be a factor, Uhnavy said everyone will have to be sharp. Coming into the final few weeks of the season, it appears Rozga, Vito and Rumley are the favorites to be the scoring three. Marsh and senior Cole Good are battling for the final regional roster spot.

“(We’re) seeing a lot of guys be successful,” Uhnavy said. “There’s a lot of learning happening, but overall, happy with where we’re at.”

As for where they end up, a lot could rest on where their best player finishes — no matter how he starts.

“When somebody is hot, you get a win. And sometimes you just need to be patient and let it happen,” said Uhnavy, who wasn’t altogether shocked by Rozga’s performance on Monday.

“He’s never been under par before, so that was a huge accomplishment, but he has the talent and the skills. He’s amazing to watch,” the coach continued. “Knowing him and what he’s capable of, it’s not going to be the last time.”