BY JESSE SMITHEY
The spots are filling up fast.
The TSSAA State Golf Championships will be held Oct. 5-9 at Sevierville Golf Club, and teams and players have been snatching up opportunities of late to get into the field.
Here are the programs and individuals from the 5Star Preps coverage area who have advanced.
Brad Rose Golf Instruction is the proud sponsor of 5Star Preps golf coverage. Brad has sent 100s off to play college golf, as well as instructed PGA Tour champions and U.S. Amateur champions.
REGION 2-AA
The Hardin Valley Academy girls program advanced to state by winning the Region 2-AA Tournament on Monday at Island Pointe Golf Club in Kodak. The Lady Hawks fired a 167 to top second-place Farragut by seven and third-place Campbell County by 21.
Addisyn Newman captured medalist honors, as the HVA junior shot 76 to edge West standout Reese McMahan by one shot.
McMahan, William Blount’s Bella Jones (82) and Farragut’s Sophie Williams (87) advance to the state tournament as individuals.
On the boys’ side, Bearden won the Region 2-AA Tournament with a winning mark of 304. Hardin Valley and Maryville each finished five shots back. William Ibbotson signed for 72 to lead the Bulldogs to the win.
HVA junior Arjun Patel won medalist honors in a deep boys’ field, shooting a 70.
Patel, and Maryville’s Wil Huddleston and Raymond ReBell all advanced to state as individuals. Huddleston and ReBell each carded a 73.
The Division I, Class AA state tournament will be Oct. 8-9 at Sevierville Golf Club.
REGION 2-A
The Anderson County boys’ golf team won the Region 2-A Tournament Monday at Springbrook in Niota.
Led by Maddox Tackett’s 74, the Mavericks’ winning score of 308 cleared runner-up Alcoa by 15 and third-place Kingston by 23.
Luke Baldwin (76) and Hoyt Chadwell (77) and Hunter Turpin (81) helped comprise the 308 for AC.
Alcoa’s Cade Bruce won the boys’ medalist honor with a round of 72. Bruce, Fulton’s Beckett Stout (74) and Wartburg’s Caleb Armes (77) advanced to state as individuals.
In the girls’ division, Alcoa won the Region 2-A Team championship with a 157. Sophia Parson (78) won medalist, joining with teammate Ella Stone (79) to give Alcoa a resounding win. Midway finished second at 174 and Kingston third at 176.
Midway’s Emery Edgemon (81) and Kingston’s Lauren Ballentine (88) and Charlotte Knies (88) advanced to state as individuals.
The Division I, Class A state tournament will be Oct. 5-6 at Sevierville Golf Club.
DIVISION II-A EAST
The Grace Christian Academy girls and First Baptist Academy boys claimed Division II-A East Region Tournament titles at The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay last week.
Grace’s 149 winning mark proved good enough to top runner-up CAK by 13 and third-place Boyd-Buchanan by 24. Lydia Walker won medalist and led Grace to a team win with a 71. Leah Rowe shot 78 to round out Grace’s total.
Both Grace and CAK advance to the Division II-A Girls State Tournament on Oct. 5-6 at Sevierville Golf Club. Girls individuals who also advanced were: Silverdale’s Silverdale Lydia Deal (80) and Hannah Deal (83) advanced as individuals.
FBA’s boys posted a 282 to claim a region championships.
Alex Green (67), Maxwell Green (69), Luke McGee (70) and Brady Morris (76) paced the Eagles to the team win. CAK finished runner-up at 290 and also will advance to state. CAK had three players — Tyler Stafford, Roddy Sturgeon and Tanner Varney — sign for 72. Aiden Cooper rounded out the 290 with a 74.
Silverdale’s Jonathan Hasty won medalist honors with a 66. He and Tri-Cities Christian’s Benjamin Hall (66) advanced to state as individuals.
REGION 1-A
Greeneville’s golf programs and some select area players showed well at the Region 1-A Championship at Clinchview Golf Club.
Both Greeneville teams won region championships and advanced to the Oct. 5-6 Division I, Class A, state tournament at Sevierville Golf Club.
The Lady Greene Devils, who are the defending state champions, got rounds of 76 and 79 by twin sister Kamryn and Kylee Renner, respectively, to capture the win. Seymour finished runner-up at 175 thanks to an 84 by Hollan Gresham. She, Volunteer’s Baylyn Rose (84) and Gibbs’ Ivey Collins (87) advanced to state as individuals.
On the boys’ side, four Greeneville players carded rounds of 79 or better, and the Greene Devils’ 309 edged Grainger by a handful of strokes.
Nathan Howlett led Greeneville with a 76. while Carson Waters and Andrew England each shot 77. Bryson Ricker rounded out Greeneville’s total with a 79.
Grainger’s Tripp Johnson won the boys’ individual Region 1-A championship, shooting a 68 for the runner-up Grizzlies.
Johnson, who was also medalist at the District 3-A Tournament, advances to the state tournament along with South Greene’s Keanan Hankins (71) and Cumberland Gap’s Casen Bolinger (75).
REGION 1-A
The Science Hill boys’ and Dobyns-Bennett girls won the Region 1-AA Tournament at The Golf Club of Bristol.
D-B shot a 160 to clip rival Science Hill by one in the girls division. Brentley Marsh and Kennedy Burton led D-B with 80s. Cassidy Mullins paced Science Hill with a 79. Mullins, Daniel Boone’s Kara Cretsinger (81) and Tennessee High’s Ava Blevins (80) advanced to state, along with the D-B girls’ team.
For the boys, Will Sanders’ 72 led Science Hill to a winning total of 304, which was 17 shots clear of runner-up Sevier County.
Tennessee High’s Declan McSheehy fired a 71 to win boys’ medalist. He, Dobyns-Bennett’s Jake Fowler (72) and West Ridge’s Jayden Foster (72) qualified for state as individuals.
Grady Smelcer led runner-up Sevier County with a 78.
The Division I, Class AA, state tournament will be played Oct. 8-9 at Sevierville Golf Club.