A new season means new opportunities for up-and-comers. Junior Oliver DeMars has his fair share of varsity appearances this year. After the departure of Jackson Benge last season, a spot was left to be filled. DeMars and a few others have been consistently filling this fifth spot. This season marks the first time DeMars has gotten some consistent minutes on varsity. Some highlights from his season so far include an 83 at the Grand Island Invitational and an 80 at the Shives Invitational, where the Warriors won for the third year in a row. That being said, Oliver has been nothing short of a successful addition to the varsity squad. Head Coach Jered Hellman has worked with DeMars for three years now. He reflected on how DeMars has grown not only overall, but also this year as a varsity athlete.
“Oliver has gotten a lot tougher on the golf course,” Hellman said. “In golf, toughness is shown through how you handle adversity—how you bounce back from a bad shot, how you carry yourself when things aren’t going your way, and the body language you display when you’re not playing your best. Over the past three years, Oliver has matured significantly as a student-athlete. When you combine that growing maturity with his work ethic and commitment to improving his game, you start to see lower scores and more consistency in his play.”
Oliver’s journey with golf has been a long and prosperous one. Starting at a young age, DeMars took to the sport and had a strong drive to improve. Additionally, he always had the goal of playing at a higher level, which is what the varsity circuit has allowed him to do.
“Golf has always intrigued me and been a huge part of my life,” DeMars said. “There are a ton of moving parts, and that means that there are also a lot of different things to get better at. I think that is the most challenging part of the sport, but it has always been a challenge I have embraced. Now, as I’m competing against more consistent players, I remember that challenge more than ever.”
Oliver is the only junior in the program who has played on varsity this season. That being said, there is a surprisingly large number of seniors on the team. The end of this season will mark the departure of four Westside seniors. For a golf team, this is a lot of absences to fill, certainly for one grade. DeMars and another junior, Landon Wigington, will be the only seniors on the team. This leaves Coach Hellman to contemplate the role Oliver will take for his senior year.
“There’s no doubt we’re losing the most decorated senior class in Westside history,” Hellman said. “Trevor Gutschewski, Christopher Whittle, Leo Kroeger, and Cole Christensen have left a lasting legacy and have a real shot at going out as three-time state champions. That’s going to leave some big shoes to fill, and Oliver is in a great position to step into one of those roles. He knows he needs to keep working hard on all aspects of his game and continue trusting the process. If he takes his work ethic to the next level, I’m confident he’ll be a major contributor to the 2026 Warrior Golf Team.”
As for DeMars, he does not doubt that he will be able to fill the roles of his predecessors. Looking ahead, Oliver reflected on the role he sees themselves taking in his final season as a Warrior.
“It’s really important to me that I can be someone the new kids can look up to,” DeMars said. “When I was a freshman, Porter Topp was that person to me. Having a figure like that to look up to made the jump to high school golf so much easier. Remembering the importance of that time in my journey through sport, all I want to do is make sure that the next generation has the same experience. I just want to be able to build a tradition that can last for years to come.”
Of course, DeMars has a very strong bond with all of his teammates. Tye Treadwell, a sophomore on the team, is one of Oliver’s closest friends and has been for some time now. From hanging out casually to practicing their craft, Treadwell and DeMars are bonded very strongly.
“Having a guy I can count on at all times makes the game way different for me,” DeMars said. “Tye is one of my best friends, and being able to compete on the same team with him makes our friendship stronger. We try to get out and play as much as we can together. Our main goal is always to improve, but I think that we both just enjoy hanging out together. That’s just a nice bonus.”
Treadwell has been playing varsity since the start of his freshman year. Now that Oliver is getting consistent varsity appearances, Treadwell appreciates the importance of friends to push you to your best. That being said, he views their friendship with an equal amount of admiration.
“Ollie and I work well together,” Treadwell said. “We both have similar personalities and goals for ourselves. These similar goals make it easy for us to push each other to be the best athletes we can be. Growing and improving is nice, but doing it alongside one of your best friends is always a lot more enjoyable.”
Oliver’s journey has been full of trials and tribulations. He believes that building himself up to where he is now is one of the things he is most proud of accomplishing in his life.
“I’ve been going through the motions of improving in this sport for a long time now,” DeMars said. “I feel like I have done my best at being consistent, and that consistency has fueled my drive to improve as a competitor and as a teammate.
Hellman agrees. DeMars and are now in their third year of working together and they both understand the grit that Oliver has shown over the years.
“Oliver started his journey with us as a freshman,” Hellman said. “He’s had a passion for golf for a long time, so it was expected that he’d be a part of our program. He played on the JV team during his freshman and sophomore years and has worked incredibly hard to earn opportunities to compete in varsity events this season. His progress has been steady, and his dedication is paying off.”
Overall, Hellman has nothing but positive things about DeMars. He shines not only on the course but in the classroom as well, striving to create a standard for the future of Westside golf.
“Oliver DeMars is a great example of a student-athlete,” Hellman said. “He has surrounded himself with teammates who share similar goals and a strong work ethic both on and off the course. He has stepped up in the classroom and on the golf course, and as his coach, I couldn’t be prouder. None of Oliver’s success has come easily—it’s the result of countless hours of sacrifice, hard work, and dedication to his team, school, and community.”
