North Murray High School's Brandon ParrishNorth Murray High School golf coach Keith Robinette cannot physically be in two places at the same time Monday.
Oh, he'd love to be able to watch the Lady Mountaineers play in their first state tournament in Augusta, Ga. But he'll be watching the boys play across town in their first state event because that squad has four seniors and the girls' team has none.
"I figured I'd go watch all of the seniors' last rounds," Robinette said. "The pressure is off when you get to the state tournament, especially after coming up short of it the last two years. Hopefully the guys will have a good showing."
Each tournament consists of one 18-hole round, unlike the Tennessee state championships, which cover two days.
Neither team from the 3-year-old school is a favorite to win a state title, although the North Murray boys beat Armuchee in the region tournament and had the best Class AA regional score in the state by three shots. The Lady Mountaineers were second to Calhoun to earn their spot in Augusta.
Difficulty and variety of courses, conditions and dates all play big factors in regional scores. Experience is a major factor at the state level when all other variables are equal.
"There will be teams in both tournaments who have been there time after time, and I think they have advantages," Robinette said. "But I know my guys won't be intimidated."
North Murray senior Brandon Parrish was the Region 7-AA medalist with an even-par 72, and junior teammate Colby Hipp was the runner-up, one shot back.
"We've been fortunate to have some success, but we want to be humble," Robinette said. "We've been focusing on the things that we can control, and this group can do that."
The Lady Mountaineers have even less pressure. Jocelyn Blair competed in the state last year as an individual, but otherwise this is a first for a young group.
Calhoun's Kaitlyn Smith had one of the two lowest girls' scores in all the Class AA regionals, a 4-over 76.
A repeat performance could result in more hardware -- for her and the Lady Yellow Jackets.
Contact David Uchiyama at duchiyama@timesfreepress.com or 423.757-6484. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/UchiyamaCTFP.