Juniors Luke Greller and James Teters finish in 34th and 69th, respectively, at two-day competition

WOODBURN – A pair of Newberg High golfers earned spots in the Class 6A boys championships May 19-20 and improved on their marks from the previous year.

Newberg junior Luke Greller tallied a two-day total of 157 to finish in 34th place from among the nearly 100 golfers at the OGA golf course near Woodburn. James Teters, also a junior, shot a 171, good for a tie for 69th place among the field.

Greller and Teters qualified for state based on their scores over the course of the Pacific Conference season, NHS coach Joel Matykowski said in an email. The third-year coach added that the OGA course proved a good fit for the state championships.

“It has some challenging holes for sure, but there are also a lot of good scoring opportunities on other holes,” he said. “(It’s) a little tougher than some of the courses we play during the season, but not overly so.”

The Tigers have the advantage of practicing daily on one of the state’s top municipal golf courses – Chehalem Glenn – which can’t hurt when preparing for competition.

“It is extremely valuable to have a nice course nearby, where the guys only have to drive about five minutes from school to get there,” Matykowski said. “Other schools have to travel much farther just for practices. … (Chehalem Park and Recreation District) is fantastic; very accommodating and really helps foster youth golf.”

The advantage may have helped last year when Greller’s older brother, Ray, finished third in the Class 6A state championships.

NHS team just misses qualifying for state

The overall NHS team competed to advance to state May 13 in a district qualifier that included teams from the Pacific Conference, Portland Interscholastic League and the Metro League. The top three teams advanced to state; Newberg finished a close fourth and failed to earn a berth to the state championships.

A program on the rise

Fifteen NHS students turned out for the boys golf team this year, a sign that the team is progressing.

“I think we are doing well,” Matykowski said. “Interest has picked up and I have several incoming freshmen that have exhibited interest. I’m hoping for around four freshmen to come out and possibly find a sophomore or two as well to fill out the squad.”

The Tigers finished third in the Pacific Conference for the second consecutive season in 2025.

“So about the same, but we were more solidly in third this year over the course of the season,” Matykowski said. “Last year we had a shot at the league title until the last couple of weeks. We’re hoping to fight hard for the title next season.”

The coach added that he is pleased with the team’s performance this season.

“I am, but as with any competitive endeavour, one can always look back and think about where some shots could be made up,” he said. “We use those thoughts and looking back on rounds to help propel us to better scores the next time around at a particular course.

“I think we had potential to do better, but it didn’t work out for us this year, as we were up against two strong programs. With some work in the offseason, we are shooting for lowering our scores to be more consistent over the course of a round, and the season as a team.”