Bethany Burns leads Lady Eagles back to state

photo Bethany Burns
Arkansas-SEMO Live Blog

Signal Mountain was stellar again.

The Lady Eagles advanced Monday to another golf state tournament -- their fifth in the six-year history of the school -- by winning the Region 4-A/AA championship at Fall Creek Falls Golf Course.

Signal Mountain shot a 166 with Bethany Burns earning medalist honors with a 75 and Haley Buttram adding a 91. Goodpasture was the runner-up, six strokes behind.

"Bethany led the way, and she's been real steady when it matters," Signal coach Rodney Mitchell said by phone. "They're where they need to be, which is positioned for a chance to win state."

The Class A/AA state tournament will be held next Tuesday and Wednesday at Willowbrook Golf Course in Manchester. Signal Mountain has won four of the last five girls' titles.

"All you can ask for is to get in," Mitchell said. "I believe we have a shot."

Notre Dame also will have golfers in Manchester, including boys' region medalist Reese Scobey. Chattanooga Christian will have representatives, too -- just not all who were expected. Anna Beth Harris advanced after shooting an 89.

But the decorated high school career of CCS senior Scott Stevens is over. Stevens, who will play next season for currently 21st-ranked South Carolina, shot a 76 but lost to Notre Dame's Zac Bombassi in a playoff for the final advancing position.

"He's not going to state, which I hate," CCS coach Jim Whitaker said. "But he shoots 76 -- he rarely does that -- and that will get you in playoff situations.

"Scott and Zac hugged -- they're buds -- and Scott was visibly upset. That's not how he wanted to finish his high school career."

Scobey, a junior advanced to the state event as an individual. He shot a 2-under-par 70 in the morning and then defeated CCS senior Lake Johnson, who has committed to play at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, with a birdie on the first playoff hole.

"I'm really happy for Zac, and Reese has been playing good all year," Notre Dame coach Jeff Fisher said over the phone. "The greens were a little tough because they aerated last week, but everybody struggled on the greens a bit. For Reese, it's just a matter if the putter is working to determine what he'd score."

The Signal Mountain boys were third at 319 with Jacob Bailey leading at 78. CCS finished third as a team. The Notre Dame girls placed third at 185.

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

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