Golf: Lead trio will bolster deep squad for Tigers

With a trio of experienced golfers leading off the scorecard and a host of unproven talent fighting for the remaining varsity spots, it's no wonder that the Tigers are feeling pretty good about their prospects heading into the year.

"We each have our own specialties and talents," junior Eric Guzman said. "We have a lot of strong players clumped up in the last few spots. It'll be good."

Douglas coach Brent Eddy agreed.

"It's a good group of kids," Eddy said. "There's a lot of potential for every one of them. They all work hard and it's a group of great personalities. We have high hopes."

Douglas is looking to qualify for state for the first time in a long time, but in order to do that, the Tigers will have to finish among the top two teams at regionals.

And in order to do that, they'll have to qualify for regionals.

"We're looking to do some damage at regionals, but we have to get there," Eddy said. "That's out first goal, is simply making the cut.

"We missed it last year, we had some bumps late in the year, so we'll be looking to push through this season."

The top four teams from the Sierra League will advance to regionals this year, and if Douglas can make the cut the Tigers will head into the championships with a large advantage.

The two-day Northern 4A Regional Tournament is set for Genoa Lakes, Douglas' home course, this year.

"That's huge," Eddy said. "We haven't even been able to have a home league tournament for the last six or seven years, and now we're getting to host zone.

"Obviously it's a big advantage for the home team. It's a great opportunity, but we need to take care of business during the regular season to make it that far."

Of course, Douglas isn't basing their high hopes simply on the fortuitous postseason scheduling.

The Tigers return two regional qualifiers from last year, Guzman and sophomore Thomas Wicker.

Wicker was a first-team all-region honoree and qualified for state during his freshman campaign.

"It was kind of a tough adjustment to play with 18-year-olds last year," Wicker said. "I had a lot of tournament experience, so it wasn't completely new to me, but it was still an adjustment.

Guzman was a second-team all-region honoree last year and built upon his breakout performance at regionals two years ago when he finished 30th overal as a freshman.

"I just jumped out and had a sold round," Guzman said. "I was really calm for regionals. Everything just kind of worked out and I played solid golf."

Along with Wicker and Guzman, Douglas gets a healthy Troy Shields back for this season to round out its top three.

"I was injured every other year, I've broken each of my knees in seperate incidents (non-golf related)," Shields said. "So I'm looking forward to playing a full year.

"I took this past offseason off and so far I've come out with my best scores for the beginning of a year. I guess I just needed a break."

Eddy said his top three have provided a level of leadership that he hopes will trickle down to the scorecards of the rest of the team.

"With three solid guys like that, you get kids that understand the game really well," Eddy said. "All three of them have been around the game enough that they can help coach while they're out there during practice. It's a nice thing to have."

While the top three are set, Eddy said the remaining 11 players on the roster will be battling it out all year for the remaining varsity spots.

"We have a bunch of kids right on the bubble that will be looking to step into those four, five ans six slots," he said. "In order for us to be successful, we're going to need to get scores in the low 90s and high 80s from those postions.

"It's hard to take 100s and still be competitive. This year, we have a good mix of kids who will be hitting that 80 and 90 range.

"It'll be a matter of kids separating themselves and playing a lot. We'll do a lot of qualifying and we'll go out and take who's hot for the day. Everyone will get an equal shot."

Andrew Lococco has been penciled in to the fourth spot after shooting an 88 at a recent tournament at Lakeridge but the remaining spots will be up for grabs between Trevor Wentz, Cody Hines, Aaron Leising, Aaron Allen, Christian Neilander, Drew Hamlett, Nate Imelli, Nick Mortensen, Matt Alley and Cody Logan.

"It's a real dynamic group," Eddy said. "It's a year where you could see some kids come out of nowhere and step up into a varsity spot. There could be a lot of growth as a team.

"Trevor Wentz was a pleasant surprise when he tried out. Cody Hines put in a lot of work during the offseason and has shown a lot of improvement. Andrew is right in there. I'm excited to see what they'll do."

Wicker has shined early on, shooting a 78 at a preseason icebreaker at Genoa Lakes and winning the Spanish Springs Invitational Monday with a 72.

"I think I'm playing a lot better now than I was last year," Wicker said. "I'm more confident this year. I put in a lot of work during the offseason and overall my game is better."

Shields has also had a solid opening, shooting an 80 at Genoa and an 81 at Spanish Springs.

Guzman turned in a 98 at Genoa and an 85 at Spanish Springs.

Wentz, who had a 97 at Spanish Springs, and Hines, who put up a 98, have been the early 4 and 5 players for Douglas.

"This is the strongest team we've had since I've been here," said Shields, who has been with the program since his freshman year. "If we're going to make it to state, this will be the team to do it. It's a good group."