Mavericks, Dragons golfers advance to region
Area golfers opened postseason play Monday at the District 4-AA championships, and will continue their runs on Oct. 1 at the Region 2-AA championships.
The Anderson County boys took third Monday at Beaver Brook Golf and Country Club in North Knox County’s Halls Crossroads community.
The Mavericks’ top scorer was senior Caden Williams, a transfer from Powell High School. He finished 3-over-par, firing a 73 and placing fourth in the individual standings.
Peyton Warwick carded an 82, while Luke Baldwin and Gavin Drake both shot 86.
The Mavericks will advance as a team to next week’s region championships, which will be held at Oak Ridge Country Club.
“It was a great day for us today,” Anderson County Coach Patrick Leverton said.
“Our boys finished third in the district, and all three of our girls advanced to the region as individuals,” he said.
“I’m proud of them. Team-wise, the boys and girls have worked super hard, and they’ve all improved year over year,” Leverton said.
“Caden is a senior, and he’s worked extremely hard,” he added. “I’m proud of all the boys for the year they’ve had. They’ve all been working super hard.”
Clinton had two boys advance to the region, both shooting in the 70s Monday. Senior Braden Wolfe shot a 74 on the par-70 course, and sophomore Grant Hannah finished with a 75.
“I couldn’t be prouder of those two,” Dragons Coach Matt Cain said. “They’ve both worked hard, and Braden has been our leader all season.
“Braden has worked really hard on his own,” Cain said. “We had a match where he didn’t play as well as he thought he should have, and he immediately went to the driving range to practice. We had another match where he didn’t putt well, and afterward, he went to the putting green to work on his putting.”
The Lady Mavericks will send three players to Oak Ridge on Tuesday. Sydney May was Anderson County’s top finisher with an 87. Molly Jackson recorded a 105, and Coy Tomlinson finished at 115.
Kinley Crowley, Clinton junior, also advanced to the region.
Leverton and Cain are anticipating next week’s region tournament.
“These kids get the chance to play at Oak Ridge, and that’s great because it’s such a nice course,” Cain said.
Leverton agreed. “We haven’t played there as much as Oak Ridge has, but we had a pretty good match when we played Oak Ridge earlier in the season,” he said.
The Wildcats and Lady Wildcats were set to compete at the District 3-AA tournament on Tuesday at Egwani Farms in Rockford. Results were not available at press time.