SMYRNA, Tenn. — The Soddy-Daisy boys’ team, McCallie and GPS all reached the TSSAA bowling state semifinals with victories Friday afternoon at the Smyrna Bowling Center.
Because of the icy weather, the semifinals have been delayed from 10 a.m. to noon EST, followed by the championship matches in the four classifications at about 2:30 p.m.
McCallie’s Jess Souther went into the Division II boys’ individual finals as the sixth of six qualifiers and finished fourth with a 4-1 round-robin record and 120 bonus pins. His total of 1,790 for the tournament trailed winner Sam Bass from Father Ryan by 125.
Souther’s Blue Tornado team then topped Bass’s team 17.5 to 9.5 in the Division II quarterfinals, mainly on the strength of an 8-0 first-game win with a 1,071-858 six-man pin differential. Father Ryan (11-6) won the last two games but couldn’t overcome the opening margin.
Kevin Lutz led the Blue Tornado (12-0) with a 630 series. They now face Battle Ground Academy (15-5), which defeated St. Benedict 19-8. Christian Brothers (15-0) and Donelson Christian Academy (17-1) are in the other DII boys’ semifinal after downing Montgomery Bell Academy 19-8 and Memphis University School 27-0, respectively.
Soddy-Daisy’s Trojans improved to 19-0 with a 22-5 rout of Dobyns-Bennett (13-7) in the Division I boys’ quarterfinals, but they now take on a 21-0 Memphis Overton team that beat Columbia Central 19.5-7.5. Wilson Central (23-1) and Hardin County (20-0) square off after Wilson downed Greeneville 16-11 and Hardin edged Nashville Overton 15-12.
Andy Holden and Allyn Pickett led the Trojans with series of 638 and 634.
Chattanooga both won and lost in the Division II girls’ tournament as East/Middle Region top seed GPS went to 17-1 by downing Harpeth Hall (11-4) 18-9 while Baylor (8-7) fell 23-4 to West winner St. Agnes (13-0). The GPS Bruisers meet defending state champion St. Benedict (11-2), a 19-8 winner over DCA, while St. Agnes faces St. Mary’s (9-4), which won 22-5 over Pope John Paul II.
Division I girls’ winners Friday were Blackman, Hardin County, Wilson Central and White Station.
Individual champions besides Bass were Ensworth’s Miranda Mott in DII girls and Hardin County freshman Chase Smith and Wilson Central’s Kirstin Page in Division I.