After wonderful regular seasons, the Walker Valley High School bowlers won't be contending for team state championships this weekend at Smyrna, but the Mustangs and Lady Mustangs will be there in force anyway.
The Region 3 champion Walker Valley boys, who lost Monday in a team sectional against Region 4 runner-up Columbia Central, have five qualifiers for the TSSAA Division I individual tournament that begins Thursday morning. Three Lady Mustangs are qualified.
The Rhea County girls' team is the Chattanooga area's only Division I representative in the Friday-Saturday tournament, after Baylee Shipley represents the Lady Eagles in the individual event. McCallie and Girls Preparatory are going as region champions in Division II, and they have six and four individuals rolling Thursday.
McCallie's individual qualifiers are Jay Moorefield (196.6 game average), Sam Wood (194.6), Evan Majic (185.6), Eric Park (182.4), Jacob Sloan (181.4) and Jacob Benefield (178.7). Friendship Christian's Donny Turner leads the Division II boys' qualifiers with a 212 average.
Ranked No. 2 behind St. Benedict and just ahead of defending champion Friendship Christian in the D-II boys' rankings, McCallie is a legitimate state-title contender. The Blue Tornado beat FCS at Smyrna for the East-Middle Region title.
"I think we have a really good shot, but there will be stiff competition," McCallie coach Josh Deitrick said. "Like I told the boys, we've got as good a shot as anybody to win it, but we've got to earn it.
"Our team has been really good this year, more consistent than most years," Deitrick added. "Our whole starting team qualified individually, which I thought I would never see. And we've got a number of guys who've been there before and have a lot of experience. I hope the boys bowl to their ability, and I think they will."
Third in the team rankings behind Memphis-area powers St. Agnes and St. Benedict, GPS has Alyson Parris (153.4), Blakely Reid (149.1), Kaliya Ware (145.9) and Meagan Scott (144.5) in the girls' individual tournament, joined by Baylor's Kaylah Hughes (144.0). St. Benedict's Kerri King leads that field with a 184.5 average.
The Walker Valley boys competing as individuals are Briton Helton, whose 226.45 average is the second best in the state, Tanner Kincaid (211.0), Nathan Kirby (208.9), Dakota Dawson (206.9) and Dylan Dawson (198.1). Other area boys' qualifiers are Matthew Long (210.6), Austin Humes (190.5) and Nathan Cheek (186.6) of Soddy-Daisy; Jared King (201.5) and Logan Teague of McMinn County (201.2); Jack Freeman (201.4) of Chattanooga Christian; Kyle Dotson (211.7) and David Farmer (209.7) of Tullahoma; and Riley Phillips (192.8) and Axel Olivera (185.8) of Cumberland County.
Collierville's Ross Jenner (229.0) and the Hardin County girls' Ashley Channell (221.1) have the best Division I qualifying averages.
Joining Rhea's Shipley (175.5) from the Chattanooga area in the 9:30 a.m. EST quarterfinals Thursday will be Natily Haro (190.7), Angel Davis (165.8) and Nichole Hartman (154.4) from Walker Valley; Katrina Stickel (163.7), Sara Taylor (158.9) and Lacie Heater (149.0) from Soddy-Daisy; Haley Muncey (172.2) from Warren County; Taylor Noyce (163.3) from Tullahoma; Haley Crabtree (162.1) from Stone Memorial; Karmin Nevels (152.6) from Hixson; and Shayla Williams (137.3) and Leslie Barlow (133.2) from Cumberland County.
Contact Ron Bush at rbush@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6291.