McCallie's Jay Moorefield and McMinn County's Logan Teague are the only Chattanooga-area bowlers in the individual finals this morning at the TSSAA state tournament in Smyrna, but Moorefield is seeded second after the Division II semifinals and will play in the division's fourth ladder match.
He is assured of no worse than third place.
Teague is in the first ladder match in the Division I boys' finals, after grabbing the sixth and final spot with a 1,538 total for his four quarterfinal and four semifinal games. He shaded Walker Valley's Tanner Kincaid by six pins.
Teague's 843 in the quarters led the eventual finalists, but he averaged only 173.8 a game in the next round. He starts this morning against Lipscomb Academy's Chase Ford, with fourth-seeded Josh Meeke awaiting the winner.
Hardin County's Savyon Pipes is seeded third and Columbia Central's Luke Flatt and Jonathan Colbaugh are second and first. It was Columbia that knocked out Walker Valley in the sectional round.
The winner of Moorefield's match will take on Friendship Christian's Donny Turner, the DII season average leader, for the championship.
Turner rolled a 751 total for four games (187.8 average) in the semifinals, while Moorefield had a 739 (184.8) compared to a 696 for the third-best semifinalist.
Friendship is the defending Division II boys' team champion and is seeded third behind St. Benedict and No. 2 McCallie for the quarterfinals this afternoon at the Smyrna Bowling Center. Quarterfinal matchups will be determined in Baker matches at noon EST.
McCallie's Evan Majic and Jacob Benefield tied for 13th at 625 with teammate Eric Park 19th in the individual semifinals. Girls Preparatory School's Alyson Parris and Baylor's Kayla Hughes rolled a 581 and an 580 in the Division II girls' to wind up eighth and 10th, with Parris teammates Meagan Scott and Blakely Reid 13th and 14th.
Tullahoma's Tailor Noyce, Soddy-Daisy's Sara Taylor and Walker Valley's Natily Haro were eighth, 14th and 17th among the Division I girls. Walker Valley's Briton Helton tied for 17th and Soddy-Daisy's Austin Humes was 20th in the boys' semifinals.