By Matt Browning

Blake Saffel from Wellington has been one of the top golfers in Class 4A since he was a freshman.

Saffel took 17th as a freshman in 2018 and took fifth as a sophomore in 2018. In 2021, he had the best scoring average in 4A for the Crusaders, who are the top team in 4A.

“We have had a really solid year as a team and we are all more driven coming off of a season that was taken away from us,” Saffel said. “A big goal for us as a team last year was to come out on top as 2020 state champions. The loss of the 2020 spring had us all devastated but we have come back this year determined and we are ready to keep moving forward.”

Saffel was a baseball player for the longest time and didn’t start taking golf seriously until he was in middle school. At that point, he was determined to get better everyday.

“I was always a baseball guy from a young age and I didn’t really start taking golf seriously until the age of twelve,” Saffel said. “I loved the game and I was addicted to the process of getting better. I spent every day on the golf course in the summer playing with my friends and improving my game the best I could. As I got older the game of golf came more naturally to me and just fell in love more and more.”