It’s a clean slate for Coach Rich Barton during what he says will be his final season leading the Warrenton golf team.“We’re going to start fresh,” he remarked in regards to a team that doesn’t return a single member of its varsity Top 5 from a year ago.“It’s going to mean a lot of opportunities for a lot of young men to step up.”The Warriors welcome back one senior, Chris Groeber, who has spent his career on the junior varsity level.“He’s a good representative of the program and leads by example,” said Barton. “He’s gotten better every year, so I’m excited to see him come back out and be my captain.”But the most proven competitor is sophomore Dillon Keeven, who is the defending GAC junior varsity champion. Suddenly, he will be cast into the No. 1 role on varsity.“He’s very consistent,” said Barton. “He’s one of these young guys that doesn’t hit the ball a long way but he hits it straight. He manages the course very well and plays himself out of trouble.”Beyond Keeven, it’s wide open.“We’ve got seven kids who will compete for varsity time,” said Barton. “No. 2 through 5 will be wide open competition to see who’s ready to go.”Along with Groeber, junior Rob Hill will battle for varsity time.Additionally, a pair of first-year sophomore golfers, Ryan Adams and Taylor Lutz, will vie for varsity rounds.“Both have decided to come out for golf, and I think they’ll develop into fine golfers,” said Barton.Sophomore Conrad Schaumberg returns to the team in hopes of working his way into the Top 5 as well.“He’s improved quite a bit,” added Barton, who adds that Keagan Michaelson has also shown progress.“They both didn’t get much experience as far as competition wise last year, but it’s obvious they played during the offseason.”Also joining the team are freshmen Brendan Schanuel and Allen Shephard.Warrenton will also have its first girl golfer since Barton took over the program in 2008.Deanna Martin, a sophomore, transferred from a school where she previously played golf.“She’s been improving,” said Barton. “We’re excited to have her as a part of the program.”In terms of goals, Barton is aligning his expectations with reality — taking into consideration the inexperience factor.“I’d like to see us develop some all-conference performers and maybe even improve enough for somebody to qualify for sectionals,” said Barton. “If the kids keep working and improving, I’ll be satisfied.”The Warriors add a GAC competitor this season, with Wentzville-Liberty joining.WARRENTON GOLF STARTING FRESHDerrick Forsythe photo.