Baylor finished runner-up in the Division II-AA Girls' Golf Championship. Pictured from left are head coach Gary Partrick, Katie Grace Tuder, Carlee Rogers, Justine Emond, and assistant coaches Rheagan Hall and Blakesly Brock
photo by TSSAA
Winning state golf championships is nothing new for Baylor’s girls’ program, having claimed 20 titles over their storied history.
Entering Friday’s final round of the Division II-AA Girls Golf Championship at Sevierville Golf Club trailing St. Mary’s Episcopal by nine shots, Baylor hoped to put pressure on the leaders with a fast start.
The Lady Raiders trimmed the margin to six after two holes and appeared poised to make a charge. But Baylor struggled to close their opening nine, shooting 9-over to swell the deficit back to a dozen strokes at the mid-way point.
Displaying their championship pedigree, the Lady Raiders did not go without a fight over the final nine holes. Senior Justine Emond fired a flawless 3-under back nine score on her way to a round of even-par 70, while sophomore Katie Grace Tuder rallied to shot even par on the back side to finish at 5-over 75.
Junior Carlee Rogers closed with a 6-over 76 as Baylor compiled a 12-over 292 for the tournament, nine shots behind the 3-over 283 registered by St. Mary’s.
The title was the second golf championship for the Turkeys, with the Memphis school last winning in 2016. The runner-up finish was the third in a row for Baylor and 8th overall to go along with their 20 titles.
Catherine Bowie of Hutchinson School earned individual medalist honors with a score of 4-under-par 136, finishing three shots clear of Hana Barber of St. Mary’s. Baylor’s Emond finished in a tie for 3rd at 4-over 144 with Jada Lin of St. Mary’s
Rogers tied for 8th with her two-day total of 9-over 149, while Tuder placed 10th at 14-over 154.
GPS had a pair of golfers playing as individuals with junior Katherine Potts improving by three shots over Thursday to close at 27-over 167, while 8th grader Harper Wakefield concluded her play at 52-over 192.
Class AA Boys
Ever since they met in kindergarten, through endless rounds of golf as junior golfers, and over the course of their high school careers at East Hamilton, Tucker Wick and Griffin Law had envisioned winning a state championship together.
They were a dynamic senior duo poised to make history for the Hurricanes at the Class AA Boys state tournament, seemingly peaking at just the right time. Instead, the outcome resulted in a time of reflection over their lifelong journey.
East Hamilton had its best team finish in its sixth appearance, finishing 3rd with a total of 606 after improving by six shots on Friday. Brentwood posted a 9-over-par 585 to win its second straight championship and fourth overall, finishing 20 shots clear of runner-up Bearden’s 605.
“We definitely are disappointed with how we played,” Wick said. “Honestly, we felt like we were good enough to be No. 1, but we just didn't play our best. We were there to win, and we fell short. There was no thought of losing. We all wanted to win, and we all felt like we were able to. It just wasn't our week, I guess.”
Wick shot 71 on Friday to finish 3rd at 3-under 141, two shots behind the 5-under 139 recorded by medalist Owen Hill of Cookeville. Law placed 7th with a total of 3-over 147 after a second round 74.
“It's bittersweet because that was the last time I’ll play with Griffin as teammates,” Wick said. “At the same time, I think we're both really excited to move on to the next step. We understand that we fell short of our goal, but at the end of the day, that's not what identifies us. We still follow one Creator, and we know it’s just a golf tournament.”
Law will continue his golfing career at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, while Wick will play collegiately for Lee University. Their impact is something the coach Jeff Stetzler will long cherish.
“The legacy of Griffin and Tucker at East Hamilton will be everlasting,” Stetzler said. “They were disappointed in their performance this week, but they will go down as probably two of the best players ever to have played for our school and for any school in the Chattanooga area. I’m so proud of them for all they have accomplished in Junior golf and we can’t wait to see how great they will be in college and beyond hopefully.”
East Hamilton’s Isaac Koh shot 76 on Friday to close at 157, while Gannon Veale posted a 79 to finish at 161. Leo Vazquez’s final round 79 left him at 165 for the tournament.
First day co-leader Harrison Yost of Walker Valley followed his opening round 69 with an 82 on Friday, his total of 141 good for a tie for 21st. His teammate, Alex Robinson, shot 79 to land in a 16th place tie. Bradley Central’s Jaxon Chapman shot 84 for a total of 162.
Division II-AA Boys
McCallie coach Rob Riddle knew his squad would need to match their best round of the year to have a chance at winning the school’s fourth state championship. But in reality, no one was overtaking Brentwood Academy and its two-headed monster.
Carter Graham led the Eagles to their second straight team title by winning individual medalist honors at 13-under-par 131, two shots better than teammate Andrew Sciortino’s 11-under 133. BA’s total of 8-under 568 was eight strokes better than runner-up Memphis University School’s 576.
McCallie was 3rd with a two-day total of 5-over 581, while Baylor placed 5th with an aggregate of 37-over 613.
“We played to our average this week and knew we needed to be a few under par each day to have a chance at the title,” Riddle said. “We would have needed to match our season low of 10-under-par to put any pressure on the leaders. You have to tip your hat to BA’s top two players for finishing a combined 24-under-par for two days.”
McCallie’s Billy Boroughs put together consecutive rounds of 69, finishing at 6-under 138 to finish third in the individual competition, while fellow seniors Nate Coffman (145) tied for 6th and Jack Martin (149) was 11th. James Gayle (153) and Vidur Rajagopalan (156) rounded out the Blue Tornado performers.
“I am very proud of these guys and their commitment to each other and to the program over the past five years,” Riddle said. “They have all helped change the culture of our program and are some of the most unselfish guys I have ever coached.”
Baylor was led by Praval Bathi’s two-day total of 151 to tie for 15th, while Wyatt Manner’s round of 74 on Friday earned a tie for 18th at 152. Other Red Raider competitors were Brooks Englert (155), Max Johnson (156) and Harry McGuire (159).
Chattanooga Christian sophomore Brycen Blake closed with a 152 to tie for 18th.
Class AA Girls
Making their first team appearance since 1987, Ooltewah managed to finish 7th in the Class AA Girls competition.
The Lady Owls shot 164-165 over the two days to close at 49-over 329. Senior Delaney Ratchford was making her fourth state tournament appearance, closing her career with a round of 13-over 83 to shoot a combined 167. Sophomore Duck Troxell carded a 12-over 82 to finish at 162.
“This week has been the culmination of a really good season, and our girls accomplished so much as a team and individually,” said Ooltewah coach Jacob Ratchford. “Delaney and Duck are great golfers and they work tirelessly on their games, so they had some high expectations going into State. Unfortunately, things didn’t go their way if you were to look solely at the leaderboard, but they never quit.”
Extra holes were needed to determine both the team and individual champions. Page High School of Franklin won its first team championship in a one-hole playoff after ending regulation deadlocked with Murfreesboro Central at 21-over 301. Meanwhile, William Blount’s Sophia Gambini claimed the individual title with a birdie on the third playoff hole after finishing regulation tied with Poppy Pewitt of Dickson County and Hardin Valley’s Addisyn Newman at even-par 140.
Troxell finished tied for 26th Ratchford landed in the 31st slot for the Lady Owls. Other local golfers competing individually were Hixson’s Meredith Gailey with a final tally of 176, Elizabeth Cordle of East Hamilton at 181 and Walker Valley’s Ainsley Oliver at 191.
While the Lady Owls hoped for a better outcome, Ratchford reminded his squad of their true measure of success.
“There were definitely some tears for the girls coming off 18,” Ratchford said. “The one thing I remind them of often is that their identity isn’t found in what they shoot or where they finish in a tournament. I’ve told them their value and worth is rooted in who they are in Christ Jesus and that’s the most important thing.”
Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com