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Vail Valley preps: Battle Mountain’s Brown earns golf honors

Chris Freud
Vail, CO Colorado
FILE Cameron Brown 1 DT 8-26-09
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EDWARDS, Colorado – Battle Mountain golf coach Cassie Desmone should pay better attention.

At the season-ending golf banquet, she was at the Battle Mountain table chatting with the kids and their parents as the final award of the season was being presented.

“The kids just told me I got Coach of the Year,” Desmone said. “I wasn’t even listening. I was all wrapped up in conversation. I was really surprised.”



“She’s very supportive and always positive,” said senior golfer Cameron Brown, who picked up an award or two himself. “She’s always there for you.”

Desmone, who’s coached the school’s golf teams for 11 years now, said somewhat in tongue-and-cheek that she “thanked Cameron Brown for Cach of the Year.”

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Brown got first-team all-league honors based on his season’s scoring average, while freshman Michael Wilhelm is on the second team.

Brown won four tournaments this season with regular-season victories at Bookcliff, Parachute and Devil’s Thumb and the regional crown at frigid Haymaker up in Steamboat Springs.

While the senior fell short of his goals at the state tournament, finishing tied for 21st, it was quite the season for Brown who hopes to pursue golf in college.

There are the obvious things about Brown, like the fact that he can crush the ball or spends tons of time at the range working on his own game or with teammates, but one other factor was apparent to Desmone.

“When I got back from state, you would have not believed my e-mail,” Desmone said. “There were so many compliments about Cameron. You wouldn’t know by looking at him whether he got a birdie or a bogey. I have never had a player who maintains himself like that on the golf course. He’s a complete gentleman.”

While Brown is off to bigger and better things, Wilhelm is just a freshman. He started the season on the school’s second JV team because he couldn’t make all of tryouts. After breaking 80 at the Battle Mountain Invite at Eagle-Vail, Wilhelm was on varsity to stay.

“It’s so cool that Michael is a freshman,” Desmone said. “He has so much potential and has such a strong mind. He’s something else.”

Sports Editor Chris Freud can be reached at 970-748-2934 or cfreud@vaildaily.com.


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