By Michael Lindsay
The DeKalb County Tigerettes golf team is state bound following a dramatic Region 4-2A tournament championship Monday afternoon at the Bear Trace at Tims Ford in Winchester.
DeKalb County won the region title by a single stroke as they defeated Lincoln County 175-176.
“I’m just so proud of them,” said DeKalb County head coach John Pryor. “They struggled on their first 9, but they recovered on the back side. The course was a little tougher than we expected and they gutted it out.”
Junior Alison Poss fired in an 87 followed by freshman Chloe Boyd at 88 for the 175 total. Emily Anderson also shot a 117.
“I felt like we were the favorite coming in, so we had expectations,” Pryor said. “And when we didn’t play well, we were nervous. I was so happy we had that one stroke we needed.
“Allison was steady all day, but the difference was Chloe Boyd turning it around on the back,” Pryor added. “She was +12 on the front but +5 on the back. Her stringing some pars together on the back was it.”
This will be DeKalb County’s first trip to state since 2006 when the Tigerettes went in Class A. The 2023 Class 2A state tournament will be held Oct. 9-10 at Sevierville Golf Club.
“We’ll play a practice round on Sunday,” Pryor said. “These girls are all self-driven. I’m trusting them to prepare individually.”
Also on the girls side, Stone Memorial’s Sarah Bass finished fourth overall with a score of 85.
In boys action, the Cookeville Cavaliers wrapped up their season Monday as they finished second overall with a score of 308, falling to region champion Lawrence County who scored a 303.
Owen Hill finished tied for first with a 74, followed by Brant Kardatzke at 76 and Parks Fowler and Ty Harrison both shooting a 79.
Cookeville will be represented at state, however, as Hill’s 74 and Kardatzke’s 76 qualify them as individuals.
Upperman and Stone Memorial’s boys teams also competed in the region tournament as the Bees shot a 354 while SMHS fired in a 339.
