Staff Photo by Dan Henry / The Chattanooga Times Free Press- 5/20/15. Best of Preps | Dylan Lillard - Walker Valley High School - Golf - Taken in the TFP studio on Wednesday, May 20, 2015. Dylan Lillard isn't the fastest high school athlete.
Even the Walker Valley senior admits he's no track star.
But on a golf course, where the playing field is leveled, his attempt to chase down Sevier County's Spencer Cross resulted in a tie for fourth place in a field with about 70 golfers.
"I really started well today, but I didn't finish too well," Lillard said in a phone interview Wednesday. "I feel that I could have done better. But that's golf."
Lillard, who will play for Lee University, finished at 3-under-par 141 in the Class AAA state championship at Willowbrook Golf Course in Manchester.
He closed with a par round of 72 in the two-day event to tie Chase Kephart of Ravenwood. They were seven strokes behind Cross, who claimed medalist honors while playing as an individual.
"For a guy to follow up a 66 with a 68 is pretty strong," Lillard said of Cross. "He played great and he won."
Lillard lifted the Mustangs to a fifth-place finish. Walker Valley teammate Cade Puryear tied for 39th individually.
Brentwood won the team title at 12-over 588.
Houston won the girls' team championship at 2 over, led by medalist Jayna Choi at 4-under 140.
Only one Chattanooga-area participant finished in the top 10, with Cleveland sophomore Rheagan Hall 10th at 8 over.
Walker Valley's Katie Medley tied for 13th at 12 over, while Soddy-Daisy's Jayla Sims and Bradley Central's Olivia Williams were part of a three-way tie for 24th.
Contact David Uchiyama at duchiyama@timesfreepress.com or on Twitter at Twitter.com/UchiyamaCTFP