Deep pool of talent means everyone's a star at Sheldon.

Byline: Steve Mims The Register-Guard

Three years ago, Sam Dukeminier was a freshman pushing his way into the lineup as Sheldon finished second at the OSAA Class 4A boys golf tournament.

Now the veteran, Dukeminier is being pushed by the younger guys these days.

"Being a senior, I'm supposed to lead the team, but all the younger guys are doing better than me," he said with a grin. "It's a strong team even though we are real young. Next year should be as good or better."

It will be tough to top this season for the Irish, who set a Midwestern League record with a 4-under par round at Emerald Valley Golf Club last month and have a hold on first place after the first round of the district tournament on Monday. Led by Chris Polski's 70, Sheldon shot 302 to take an eight-stroke lead over second-place North Eugene heading into today's final round.

All five players on the team have shot under par during a tournament this season.

"I've got the best problem to have, and that is that any player could be our No. 1 guy," first-year coach Todd O'Neal said.

Consider that Dukeminier led the team with a 72 last week in the Great 8 at Emerald Valley and his younger brother, Jack, was low on the team with a 75 earlier this year at Coos Country Club. Trevor Moffitt shot a 69 to pace the team to its 4-under 284 in a league match while Justin Ahrens shot 72 that day. Polski led the Irish with a 73 earlier this month at Mallard Creek.

"We have a real deep team and a lot of guys that are right in there," Sam Dukeminier said. "The top five guys can beat each other any day, so it's not like one guy is way ahead of everyone else like last year."

Last year, it was Ted Whitney, now playing for Oregon, who led the Irish to the district title and a third-place finish at state.

O'Neal, the general manager and head pro at Emerald Valley, was hired this season to take over the successful program that has finished in the top 10 at state during each of the past four seasons.

"My comment after a couple of weeks was that they were probably the strongest team in the league, but also the team with the most room for improvement," O'Neal said. "That may sound weird because you think if you are a good team there is not a lot better to get, but these guys had a lot of talent and just needed to know how to focus it."

That focus was on display April 19, as the Irish shot 284 to set a league record. Moffitt led with a 69, followed by Jack Dukeminier (70), Ahrens (72) and Sam Dukeminier (73). The Irish won the 12-team tournament by 18 shots over runner-up Reynolds and finished 30 shots ahead of the nearest Midwestern team.

"I don't know if I was surprised by that," Moffitt said. "I knew we were capable of doing that, it was just a matter of time until we all played our best."

Moffitt, who played on the junior varsity last year as a freshman, worked with O'Neal in the past and has emerged as one of the top players in the district.

"Trevor's golf game stems from playing smart in a way where he doesn't leave himself making big numbers," O'Neal said. "He saves himself from a train wreck by not playing to the wrong side of the course. Most players don't think of that, they just think about going straight at it, but he plays a bit more mature for a sophomore."

Sam Dukeminier has been on the varsity roster since his freshman year and has played in three state tournaments. He was the district runner-up last year and was 19th at state.

"Sam is our senior anchor. He has the most experience on the team and is very, very intelligent," O'Neal said. "He has a love of the game from his family and has fun playing the game."

Chris Dukeminier, Sam's older brother, is a former district champion who now plays at Oregon. Jack Dukeminier made a name for himself in the junior ranks before he arrived at Sheldon, and he has made an immediate impact on the Irish as a freshman.

"I didn't expect to play in every tournament because everyone is so good, but then I played well in our tryouts and qualifying," Jack Dukeminier said. "I struggled in my first tournament and was kind of nervous, but I've been more comfortable and played better since then."

Ahrens and Polski are both juniors. Ahrens was in Sheldon's lineup at districts and state last year, while Polski was added to the mix this season as the Irish seek a fifth straight trip to state.

CAPTION(S):

Sheldon's (left to right) Trevor Moffitt, Chris Polski, Jack Dukeminier, Sam Dukeminier and Justin Ahrens shot a 4-under par as a team at an April tournament.