Boyd-Buchanan sweeps region golf titles

photo Madison Balthrop of Boyd Buchanan watches her fairway shot Thursday at the Bear Trace golf course at Harrison Bay.
photo Tate Truong of Hixson High School watches his shot from the fairway Thursday at the Bear Trace golf course at Harrison Bay.

Boyd-Buchanan School can start planning another parade.

Its boys' and girls' golf teams were part of a procession through the elementary school before heading off to play in the state tournament last year.

They could do it again.

The Buccaneers swept the Region 3-A/AA team titles Thursday at the Bear Trace at Harrison Bay and will compete in the Class A/AA state tournament Sept. 23-24.

"I've been sending out notes to everybody," Boyd-Buchanan coach Ed Connelly said. "Last year was the first time we had both teams advance to state, and to repeat it again this year is phenomenal."

The Lady Bucs dominated their four-team field by shooting a 173, which topped second-place Polk County by 11 strokes. Boyd-Buchanan senior Madison Balthrop earned medalist honors with a 3-over-par 75. Lydia Campbell added a 95, sending them and Chandler Hiland to Manchester's Willowbrook Golf Course as a team.

"I'm really pleased," said Balthrop, the medalist Monday in the District 5 tournament on the same course. "But I didn't play the back nine as well as the other. It was also harder today because we had to wait so much."

The Boyd-Buchanan boys shot a 325 and beat runner-up Collegedale Academy by five strokes.

Senior Trent Mansfield led the Bucs with a 75, four shots better than his Monday score.

"My nerves weren't any better, but my score was," said Mansfield, who was second individually. "Everyone on the team just did their job. We didn't play spectacular, but it was good enough."

Jake Campbell shot a 79, Jack Wood -- who had ACL surgery in the spring -- shot an 84 and Ethan Hiland added an 87 for the Bucs.

"I know Trent and Jack played well -- Jack came back to playing on two legs instead of one -- and Ethan is playing a lot better than he did last year," Connelly said.

Hixson junior Tate Truong won the individual competition with a 73. He made three birdies and four bogeys in the best round of his competitive career.

"I felt really relaxed, I wasn't stressed out and everything was flowing smoothly," said Truong, who also played in the state tournament last year. "My driver was good and my putting was exceptional.

"It's rare to go to state once. It's even rarer to go twice."

Truong will be joined at Willowbrook by advancing individuals Thomas Hayes and Brady Tull of Collegedale and Ben Brackett of Sequoyah.

Mattie Cardin of McMinn Central, Lauren Passmore of Polk County, McCall Price of Silverdale and Ali Barker of Hixson advanced to state as individual girls.

Boyd-Buchanan will have its teams there -- all eight golfers and who knows how many friends and family members.

"Everybody is closer this year, more like a full team," Balthrop said. "It should be fun."

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

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