ONIDA – He owns an athletic resume that is second to none and now Gavin Colson is in search of one more gem.

The senior at Sully Buttes would like to cap off his prep career with another major accomplishment, winning a second State B golf championship.

During his career for the Chargers, Colson was a starter on the Class 9B State Championship football team, was a starter on this year’s State B Boys’ Basketball Tournament squad, and has played in five state golf tourneys, where he was third as a freshman, champion as a sophomore, and runner-up last season.

“It’s pretty awesome,” Colson said. “Growing up, that’s exactly what you dream of is to play in each of the state tournaments and I got to watch my siblings do the same things. … We’re pretty blessed to have a great sports culture in Onida.”

His brother Willie Colson played on a state championship golf team, while sister Audrey Johnson and brother Grant Johnson won state championships in basketball.

However, Colson has something that can trump his siblings and likely all other high school athletes. He has already bowled three 300 games and last year had the highest average in South Dakota for a youth male bowler at 219.

“I don’t like to sit around and do nothing,” Colson said, “so I’m usually busy playing a game, playing sports, something like that.”

Colson said it is difficult to try to select what his favorite accomplishment has been.

“It’s impossible to choose one over the other,” he said. “Every single one is very nerve-wrecking and something really awesome to be able to do.”

He said putting in the work is a common denominator in being successful at each sport.

“There’s some muscle groups that you building during basketball and football that definitely carry over to golf,” Colson said. “People don’t think of golf as being a very physical sport, but you have to be pretty physically fit to play at a high level.”

Of course there is a mental component to each one of his sports as well and Colson is battle tested, having competed under the brightest lights possible.

“The mental aspect of each of the sports that I play definitely carries to each of the other sports, so that’s something that’s very valuable. … I play in all kinds of tournaments in different sports, so that builds that mental game and it’s what’s driven me.”

Colson has learned how to turn nervous energy into production regardless of what activity he is competing in.

“Everybody gets nervous a little bit,” he said, “but you learn to handle it a little differently and a little better each time.”

Winning a state football championship, especially over rival Faulkton in the title game in 2024, is something Colson will never forget.

“Football is a sport where there’s so much rivalry,” Colson said. “A different kind of competition vs. some of the other sports, so it’s really cool having that atmosphere.”

Colson crossed another goal off his list when the Chargers made it to this year’s State B basketball tourney in Aberdeen.

“That’s always been a dream of mine. Every one of my siblings has gone to a state basketball tournament. I was the one left to do it,” Colson said. “Growing up, that was the coolest atmosphere. The coolest thing to go to was the state tournament and to be able to play in it is even cooler.”

Colson, who bowls two-handed, has turned heads with his accomplishments on the lanes. He began beating older competition as a young teen at the bowling alley in Pierre, where he has played on a league while growing up.

“People are always shocked when they get beat by a 13-year-old in bowling,” Colson said. “Nobody expects that, but it’s something that definitely can happen and did happen. So, it was really fun playing those people and being able to beat them.”

Colson talked about the unique atmosphere surrounding someone chasing after a perfect game.

“When you start to have 9-10 strikes in a row, people start getting out their phones,” Colson said. “They start kind of surrounding you a little bit, non-chalantly a little bit, not to make you nervous or anything.”

Then there is golf, where Colson has already fulfilled a life-long dream.

“I’ve always liked golf. I’d say that’s probably my favorite sport is golf,” Colson said. “Growing up that was the goal, to win a state championship in golf.”

As you might expect, Colson already has a hole-in-one, that taking place at Red Rock in Rapid City.

Colson is heading to Arizona State this fall and does not plan on playing organized sports, although he will likely compete in some club golf tournaments.

That means that this spring will be his final chance to compete in an organized sport.

While Colson knows what it takes to win a state title, he said the competition will be fierce at this year’s state tournament.

“There’s a lot of good competition. Since my seventh grade year, it’s crazy how much better Class B golf has gotten,” Colson said. “It’s way more competitive than it was just a few years ago. It’s awesome to see this growth of golf, especially at the Class B level.”

Of course, the goal is to finish off his final season at the top.

“That’s the ultimate goal is to win a state championship again,” Colson said. “Being that I’ve done it before, that’s the bar. That’s what we’re trying to achieve.”

Colson was selected as one of 50 golfers to represent the United States at an international tournament in Australia this summer.

“I’m looking forward to that this summer,” he said.

Colson, who is the student council president at Sully Buttes and National Honor Society vice-president, is also a member of the school band, marching band, jazz band, and has his own band called Colson and Co. where he sings and plays the guitar.

With his list of accomplishments, one has to wonder if there is anything Colson can’t do.

“I always say that I haven’t done the things I haven’t tried,” Colson said.