Signal Mountain Boys, Boyd-Buchanan Girls Runner-Up In State Golf

Golf can be a cruel game at times, displaying its fickle nature once again at Sevierville Golf Club on Tuesday afternoon.

With nine holes remaining in the Class A Boy’s Golf Championship, Signal Mountain appeared poised to add another trophy to the trio of state titles won in succession from 2018 to 2020.

Entering the day with a four-shot lead over Stewart County that swelled to as many as seven early in the round, the Eagles found themselves deadlocked with the Rebels as the final group made the turn.

But everything dramatically changed over the span of four holes. Starting at No. 14, Stewart County picked up 15 shots on the Eagles during that pivotal stretch to earn its first state championship after finishing runner-up last year.

The four Rebel golfers covered holes 14 thru 17 in a combined 2-under-par, while Signal Mountain struggled to an aggregate of 13-over at the same time.

Stewart County’s score of 20-over 308 on Tuesday resulted in a final tally of 37-over 613. Signal Mountain shot 325 the second round after opening with a 301 on Monday, earning their third runner-up finish with a final score of 50-over 626.

“We've been shooting 300 every round for the past month, but we just had a bad day at the worst time,” said Signal Mountain coach Rodney Mitchell. “It was a heartbreaker for them. They're a really good team and really great kids. They just had a bad day.”

The comeback was sparked by Stewart County’s Ayden Smith, who rattled off three straight birdies on his way to a final round 73. Smith’s two-day total of 2-over 146 was good for second among individual scorers despite bogeying his final hole. His late miscue put him one shot behind medalist Greyson Koch of White House Heritage and his final score of 1-over 145.

Brayden Helle’s 7-over 79 led the Eagles, and the junior finished 6^th overall with his 6-over 150 after an opening round 71. Tucker Cruise finished tied for 11^th at 10-over 154 after posting an 81 on Tuesday.

Scout Schlosser shot rounds of 77-83 to earn a 20^th place tie at 16-over 160. Benji Lewis fired a 10-over 82 on Tuesday, and Hugh Witherspoon’s 84 was the drop score after an opening round 80.

After amassing ten birdies during their opening round, the Eagles only managed a pair of birdies on Tuesday while Stewart County racked up 11.

“It was just a little bit of everything today,” Mitchell said. “I think it just took a toll at the end. Nobody was really playing the way that they've been playing for well over a month. It's just one of those golf days.”

With Schlosser, Witherspoon and regular starter Pearce Lusk graduating, plenty of talent returns for Mitchell to work with.

“We're going to be competitive again next year,” Mitchell said. “We didn't make what we hoped would happen this year, but we're really looking forward to getting back to work.”

Girls’ Class A Championship

Cascade captured the Girls’ Class A championship in their first team appearance, compiling a two-day score of 22-over 302 to win by seven shots over Stewart County.

Signal Mountain finished third with a total of 58-over 338, recording rounds of 166-172 to trail Cascade by 36 shots.

Maddie Gray of Westview and Shelby Smith of Stewart County tied for the individual crown at 8-over 148. Signal Mountain’s May May McGee finished 6^th with a total of 21-over 161 after posting rounds of 82-79.

The Lady Eagles’ Leslie Doherty withdrew after completing eight holes, and Lyla Adkins’ 93 helped contribute to the overall team score.

Girls’ Division II-A Championship

Boyd-Buchanan posted the low team round on Tuesday but was unable to overcome a 10-shot deficit entering the day to Christian Academy of Knoxville.

The Lady Bucs shot a 6-over 146 to finish runner-up for the third time in school history and are still seeking their first state title. CAK’s state championship was the program’s fourth, but their first since 2016.

CAK finished at 7-over 287, seven shots better than Boyd-Buchanan’s 14-over 294. Providence Christian finished third with a two-day total of 17-over 297.

“We never gave up even with a 10-stroke deficit,” said Boyd-Buchanan coach Charlie Troxell. “We decided to grind it out one shot at a time and focused on controlling our destiny. We played like we had nothing to lose.”

Isabella Johnson of Providence Christian won the individual championship at 3-under 137, one shot better than Trinity Christian’s Tori Robinson at 2-under 138.

Alli Troxell of Boyd-Buchanan shot a final round 6-over 76 to finish in a tie for 5^th at 6-over 146, while the Lady Bucs’ GibbieKay Cain placed 8^th at 8-over 148.

Cain shot a nifty even-par 70 on Tuesday, covering her first 16 holes in 3-under with a trio of birdies and 13 pars. However, an untimely double bogey-bogey finish brought the freshman’s round back level for the day.

Troxell, only an 8^th grader making her first state tournament appearance, got off to a rough start with bogeys on three of her first four holes. She managed only a single birdie at 11 and suffered four more bogeys to close her round of 76 after shooting even par on Monday.

“I was impressed how our young team competed at a high level against juniors and seniors,” Charlie Troxell said. “We had no goals for the week other than to play for each other.”

The future looks bright for the Lady Bucs given their youthful lineup, so Troxell expects his squad will capture their elusive first state title sooner rather than later.

“My five-year plan was to achieve runner-up in ’25 and then become state champs in ’26 and ’27,” Charlie Troxell said. “Our players had a different vision, and they were hungry for it now.”

Boys’ Division II-A Championship

Jackson Christian School secured its first boys’ golf title in Division II-A play by edging Franklin Road Academy, 586 to 591.

Bryson White of CAK was the individual medalist, putting together rounds of 69-71 to finish at 4-under par 140. A pair of Battle Ground Academy players earned the next two spots, with Brady Ray one shot back at 3-under 141 and Leo Froio two behind at 2-under 142.

Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com