Logan Jones wasn't one of the top five players for the Dublin Jerome High School boys golf team when it competed at the Division I state tournament in 2008.

But this past season, Jones became the Celtics' No. 2 golfer, posting a 74.2 scoring average and earning medalist honors five times. Then, at state Oct. 24 at Ohio State, the senior shot a team-best 5-over-par 77 to tie two others for 11th in chilly, windy conditions, as Jerome finished eighth (330) behind champion St. Charles (309).

Jones' hard work and improvement didn't go unnoticed, as on Oct. 10 he received a scholarship offer from Ohio State men's golf coach Donnie Darr. Jones made a verbal commitment to the Buckeyes eight days later, and on Nov. 11, the first day of the NCAA's fall signing period, he signed a national letter of intent.

"I never would have dreamed, even a year ago, that I would someday play golf at Ohio State," Jones said. "I missed making my middle school team in seventh grade, I spent a year on the freshman team, a year on the varsity B team and I wasn't in the top five for our varsity team by the end of last year.

"I'm a good story for normal golfers who have to work hard at their game and don't know if they have a shot at playing in college, because I never gave up. It wasn't easy to get to where I am today, so it's very rewarding."

Jones will join 2007 Jerome graduates Michael Cress and Evan Wood on Ohio State's squad.

"Donnie Darr is a great golf player and coach, and Logan already has a good friend at Ohio State in Michael Cress, so this is a good fit for him," Celtics coach Matt Schneider said. "Logan's such a hard-worker and he's already improved so much, and he's going to keep getting better at Ohio State. He's a very consistent player. He hits balls so straight off the tee and right down the middle of the fairway every time. To succeed at the next level, he just needs to get stronger and add distance for the longer courses, and he needs to stay with his short game and keep putting every day."

Knowing that only three of the 16 golfers on Ohio State's roster are seniors, Jones understands he will need to earn playing time as a freshman next year.

"Ohio State already has a lot of great golfers, so my goal is to try to play in a couple of tournaments as a freshman," he said. "Then, my goal will be to play in most of the tournaments my sophomore year, and all the tournaments as a junior and a senior. I'm not sure if I want to try to play professionally after college. I'm going to major in biology, and if I don't play professional golf, I'm probably going to become a doctor."

Also on Nov. 11, Jerome senior Shane Stewart signed a letter of intent to play for Penn State. He had verbally committed to Nittany Lions coach Greg Nye in early October after taking a second unofficial visit to Penn State.

"Coach is bringing in good players and he's looking at big goals for the future," Stewart said. "I really like the campus and I had lunch with some of the players, and they're great guys, so it's a good fit for me."

After playing for the varsity B team as a sophomore, Stewart earned first-team all-OCC-Cardinal Division honors with a 73.25 league scoring average as a junior. Like Jones, he wasn't selected to play for the Celtics in the postseason.

This past season, Stewart decided to play in amateur golf tournaments across the country rather than play high school golf.

"I wanted to play college golf and I felt the best way to do that was to play in individual tournaments where I could be seen by college coaches throughout the year," he said. "It had nothing to do with the guys on Jerome's team, because I'm good friends with all of them. I met Penn State's coach my sophomore year, and I wasn't a Penn State-caliber player back then, but I took my game to a new level this year.

"As a freshman, I just want to play in a few matches and improve my putting, because my long game is one of the best in the nation. I want to be in the mix my sophomore year, and I'd like to become a leader on the team as a junior and senior."