Bearden boys and HVA girls get job done when it counts
Harmon and Newman are top Division I-AA qualifiers
By Steve Williams
After Halls and Maryville swept district titles the week before, the Bearden boys and Hardin Valley girls stole the show in the Region 2-AA tournament and earned berths in the TSSAA state tournament, which gets underway today at the Sevierville Golf Club.
The Lady Hawks were Johnnie-come-lately champs too as they earned their first trip to the state in school history. The Bulldogs advanced to state last year after a 40-year drought.
Bryce Harmon shot an 8-under-par 64 to lead Bearden to a 284 team score and nine-stroke advantage over Halls and Maryville (293 each) at the Oak Ridge Country Club on Oct. 1. The UT-Martin commit also was low medalist by a two-stroke margin.
“Staying focused and keeping calm were the main things,” Harmon said that led him to his best-ever score in high school play. “It was a pretty easy day to be honest. I was able to keep the ball in play and straight a lot.”
Bearden’s foursome also included Charlie Culbertson’s one-under 71, Conner Hall’s 74 and Dane Helzer’s 75.
New Bearden coach Billie Davis said he was really proud of his team.
“They finally put it all together. They played their best golf today and they deserve it.
“Bryce was on a mission,” added Davis. “He loves this course. It sets up well for him. He minimizes his mistakes and he went out there and played his heart out today for us.”
Other boys qualifying for state as individuals were Oak Ridge’s Jack Bentz (66), HVA’s Jake Sheffield (69) and Halls’ Evan Caldwell (70), who won a playoff with Maryville’s Jack O’Quinn for the final spot.
Freshman standout Addisyn Newman led the young Hardin Valley team to its title with a two-under-par 70. Sophomore Rylee Taylor added a 77, including a birdie on Hole No. 18, for a team total of 147, which was three strokes better than Maryville (150).
“I’m really proud of them,” said HVA Coach John Williams. “They’ve worked hard all year long. These girls put in the work back in the spring and just really exceeded our expectations. They play well together. They’ve got a lot of grit to them.
“There are a lot of really good girls in this tournament and so it’s really just a credit to their hard work to be able to pull it out against some of the best in the area.”
Other girls making state were Maryville’s Rylie Tucker (70), William Blount’s Sophia Gambini (75) and Farragut’s Harper Holmes (75).
Newman won a playoff with Tucker for top individual medalist with her birdie on Hole No. 1. She said she hit a gap wedge with a three-quarter swing 93 yards on her second shot to get within nine feet of the cup.
When asked what the key was to winning the tournament, Addisyn said: “A lot of practice really got me through. I go to fairways three times a day and find out what clubs I need just to perfect my swing.”
Trailing Bearden, runner-up Halls and Maryville in the boys’ team scoring were Oak Ridge 297, West 307 and Anderson County 326. For the girls, West (155) placed third behind HVA and Maryville, followed by Farragut 156, Halls 156 and Gibbs 160.
Only the team champion and the top three individuals not on the first-place team advance to the state tournament.
Bearden’s boys team and Hardin Valley’s girls team and Region 2-AA boys and girls individual qualifiers will be among those competing on Thursday and Friday at The Sevierville Golf Club’s Highlands Course.
