Start the Party: Boyd-Buchanan celebrates getting to state golf

Arkansas-SEMO Live Blog

Boyd-Buchanan did not throw a cross-campus pep rally last year when Madison Baltrhop and Lauren Foster advanced to the Class A/AA state championship year.

But both golf teams strolled through the campus as champions on Friday.

And they strutted with pride for good reason. The Boyd-Buchanan boys team and its girls team will begin competing for a state championship on Tuesday at Willowbrook Golf Club.

"We all wore our golf shirts and went through the elementary school -- they made signs -- and the band played and we went on stage," said Balthrop, who splits her time while also playing on the volleyball team. "It was pretty cool."

The Lady Bucs, the Boyd-Buchanan boys team and the Notre Dame boys team will all be playing for state titles over the course of 36 holes on Tuesday and Wednesday.

There are also five girls and seven boys from the Chattanooga area competing as individuals for medalist honors including Scott Stevens of Chattanooga Christian School who is being recruited by colleges ranked in the top 25.

"The band led the way and the little kids had eyes like saucers," Bucs coach Ed Connelly said. "Our teams may have walked in the back door. We're very fortunate to be going to state with both the boys and girls.

"This has been a great week. We've already got our victory."

A state championship trophy coming from the Class A/AA schools is more likely to come from another source than Boyd-Buchanan.

Notre Dame coach Jeff Fisher said he has a team that could win it all if his Irish make enough putts and avoid large scores. After all, he does have senior Alexander Riddle on his team. Riddle finished runner-up last year while playing as an individual after the Irish won the title in 2011 but missed the tournament as a team.

"I'm not going going to say we're going to kick everybody's tail," Fisher said, "But we have a legit shot. I think we're going to be competitive."

Contact David Uchiyama at duchiyama@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6484. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/UchiyamaCTFP.

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