Reese Phillips from Signal Mountain High SchoolSignal Mountain quarterback Reese Phillips fared well in an Elite 11 regional quarterback competition this past weekend in Atlanta.
"I know I did well, but I also know I didn't make the final four because those guys went through a two-minute drill before they selected the winner," said Phillips, a rising senior but still a relative unknown in national recruiting circles.
"You have to remember that Reese played just 10 games at quarterback last season," Signal coach Bill Price said. "People are still finding out about him."
Phillips, a 6-foot-2, 218-pounder who is still growing, received his first two official offers Monday -- from Middle Tennessee State and Memphis.
"Those are just the first two," Price said. "There will be plenty more."
Four recruiters are due at Signal Mountain this week. All are from major Division I schools, including three from the Southeastern Conference.
Calhoun wins region
The Calhoun girls' golf team won its fourth straight region championship Monday and will advance to the Class AA state tournament May 7 at Goshen Plantation Golf Club in Augusta.
Calhoun sophomore Kaitlyn Smith was the medalist with a 76 at Calhoun Elks Golf Club, and she and Kailey Duda shot a combined 164.
"It was nice for them to have their best round of the year at the region tournament," Calhoun coach Clay Stephenson said. "Kaitlyn shot her career low, and to do that in those windy and cold conditions was pretty amazing."
North Murray was second at 174 and also advances to the state. Jocelyn Blair shot 81 as Smith's runner-up. Tillie Hughes added a 93.
Dade County, Gordon Central, Coahulla and Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe were sixth through ninth out of 11 teams.
The Region 7-AA boys' tournament is today at Fields Ferry in Calhoun.
Bledsoe best in Duff
Bledsoe County's softball team went 6-0 over the weekend and won the Duff tournament in Cookeville. The Lady Warriors edged Lebanon 5-4 in the championship game when Faith Forgey capped a 4-for-5 effort late Saturday with a two-out RBI single in the 10th inning.
Forgey and Ritchie each had three pitching victories. Ritchie had 3-for-3 performances both Friday and Saturday during the four single-elimination games, when she totaled six doubles. Mackenzie Smith, Ashley Brown and Haley Fugate homered in single-elimination for the Lady Warriors (21-6).
"The two days were good overall," coach Jadryen Anderson said. "When we did make a mistake, we came back and did two things great. We never got down, and we played solid defense. I liked how we came out and hit the ball, no matter what kind of pitching we faced."
Mrs. Massey honored
Sandy Massey, the wife of Baylor football coach Phil Massey, will receive the Inspiration Award from the Tennessee Interscholastic Athletic Administrations Association at the group's luncheon today in Murfreesboro. She successfully battled leukemia.
"It's to honor her for her fight against the disease and for being an inspiration to those who rallied around her," Coach Massey said.
Bucs, 'Canes ranked
Boyd-Buchanan and East Hamilton are listed among teams in the Tennessee Baseball Coaches Association poll.
The Buccaneers are ranked fourth in Class A, and the Hurricanes are eighth in AA.