KINGSPORT, Tenn. – Tennessee High golf coach Bob Zeiger has been attending district tournaments for 38 years.
Twice his teams have won the state tournament, and only twice, to the best of his recollection, have the Viking boys not made it past the district tournament and into the region.
But reputation, the coach reminded, will get you nowhere in golf.
“You still have to go out and post four scores,” Zeiger said. “And it’s still nice to win.”
On Wednesday, his team got it half-right.
The Tennessee High boys’ golf team posted a collective 306 on Wednesday to finish tied for second at Cattails at Meadowview in the Conference 1-AAA Championship. The top three teams advanced to the region tournament at Clinchview Golf Course in Bean Station, Tenn., on Sept. 21.
“We haven’t played great this year, we’ve kind of been hanging around. It’s been tough for us to post four scores,” Zeiger said. “There were four teams here and three spots. We had to play good and beat somebody.
“Today is about surviving and moving on.”
TH tied Dobyns-Bennett for second place, while Science Hill finished in first place, three shots clear of the Indians and the Vikings at 303.
Volunteer’s Lucas Armstrong won the individual title by firing a 2-under-par 69. Armstrong’s performance was also enough to move him into a tie for conference player of the year honors, an award he shared with Science Hill’s Zach Botts.
“I really wanted to get player of the year, so I knew I had to beat Zach by two strokes and then I came out here and did it,” Armstrong said. “I was hitting every green and eventually [putts] started falling for me.”
The Vikings were led by junior Jace DeVault’s one-over 72, which was good for second place overall at the district tournament. DeVault also finished fourth in the District 1-AAA player of the year race, TH’s top finisher.
“It’s a pretty big deal,” DeVault said of qualifying for the region tourney. “The team has been talking about it all year, but we don’t want to stop until state.”
The Vikings received typically solid play from the Hanson twins, Glen and Greg, who posted a 77 and 78, respectively. Greg Hanson finished tied for eighth in the player of the year rankings.
The most valuable contribution for TH, however, may have come from Tyler Place, who shot a 79. Place played in the fourth spot for the Vikings, and TH needed a solid fourth score to hold off Sullivan South and ensure a spot in the region tournament.
Taking a cue from their male counterparts, the TH girls’ team qualified two golfers for the region tournament.
Sullivan South finished first in the girls’ team competition with a 148, followed by Science Hill, 155, and D-B, 189. The Rebels’ Lacie York took home top individual honor, posting a one-over 73.
The Lady Vikings grabbed the fourth spot, tying Daniel Boone at 214, but two TH players, Mary Averitt and Katie Corder, qualified for the region tournament after placing in the top five individual golfers not affiliated with qualifying teams.
Both Averitt and Corder fired 107s.
scampbell@bristolnews.com|(276) 645-2543
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