A Battle won the individual war for Girls Preparatory School, but only McCallie from the Chattanooga area remains to fight today in the TSSAA state bowling tournament at Smyrna, Tenn.
And that literally took Majic.
Evan Majic rolled a 205 in the third game of the Blue Tornado's Division II semifinal match against St. Benedict, and that was the team's high score by 18 pins in a 4-4 tie. They won the match 14-13 with a 2,848-2,846 margin in total pins providing the deciding three bonus points.
Graham Leech rolled a 183 in the final game and actually got the final points needed to advance to today's final against Friendship Christian (18-1), but that was the first game Majic ever started for McCallie (17-3). Only recently eligible after transferring from Signal Mountain, he bowled well subbing in the final two frames in game two, and coach Josh Deitrick decided to keep him in the lineup.
McMinn County (20-5) lost in the Division I boys' quarterfinals, 16-11 to Sevier County, and GPS and Walker Valley fell in girls' semifinals after winning close matches, 14-13 and 15-12, in the quarters. Division II individual champion Taylor Battle and her Bruisers teammates (15-5) lost 15-12 to St. Agnes -- which beat them in the semifinals last year, too -- and Walker Valley lost for the first time in 27 matches this season, 22-5 to White House, in Division I.
After rallying from a 4-4 first-game tie to beat Ensworth 22-5 in the quarterfinals, McCallie jumped to a 6-2 lead against St. Benedict but then slumped, falling 7-1 in game two.
"They use a really tough challenge (oil) pattern now, like they use for professionals," Deitrick said, "and the kids have to adjust. Some of them struggle adjusting. Evan hasn't been bowling great (in practice), but with some other guys struggling we decided to put him in there, and he really came through."
GPS coach David McGowan said "that's awesome" about the McCallie victory.
"They really pulled a rabbit out of the hat in that third game," he said. "It was great for them, and it was a great day for us, too. Our girls competed well against St. Agnes -- I think they gained some respect -- and Taylor did great in winning the singles."
Megan Wilson of St. Agnes won four matches, including against GPS's Angela Bonds and Alyson Parris, to get to Battle, who had earned the top seed in the finals, and "had one of her better games against Taylor, but Taylor made shots when she had to. It was tied going in the ninth frame, but Taylor threw a strike and then threw another strike in the 10th and had a nine and spared it."
The score was 192-184.
Central's Reggie Long finished fourth in Division I boys' singles as Columbia Central sophomore Cole Flatt won as the sixth seed with four victories in a row, including 236-224 over Brentwood's national star, Kamron Doyle. Doyle was the winner in this year's USBC adult team trials.