Signal Mountain senior Benjamin Burns' sixth and final birdie at Moccasin Bend on Monday will be one to remember.
In a sudden death playoff battle for the region championship with McMinn Central standout Josh Loveday, Burns connected on a long drive and then chipped into a great position. His six-foot birdie putt on No. 1 dropped to seal a region championship victory.
"I won the district last week so my goal today was for the team to shoot a solid score and to win region," said Burns. "When I was in that playoff the adrenaline was running through me. I realized that today was one of my last rounds ever in high school golf."
Burns' 71, 1-under-par finish through 18 holes led a solid day for Signal Mountain which shot a 294 to win the team title. That included solid rounds by Peyton Ogle (73), Beck Lewis (74) and Carson Johnson (76).
Sale Creek won the girls region championship as senior Ashley Holland remained on top of her game firing a 73. The Carson-Newman commitment has won the City Prep to go with district and region individual titles over the last three weeks.
Signal Mountain's boys will be aiming for their third straight TSSAA Small Class state championship as state tournament action begins next Tuesday at the WillowBrook Golf Club in Manchester.
"If we could win state again that would be incredible," Burns added. "We want to have a good time and finish strong this season."
In other golf action Monday, Bradley Central won the District 5 tournament. Senior JT McKenzie led the way to a 14-stroke victory carding a 74, 2-over-par at the Cleveland Country Club.
Cleveland's girls held off Bradley Central by one stroke, 173-174, for the team championship as junior Hannah Nall was the medalist shooting a 77.
The Blue Raiders finished second behind the Bears with Eli Adams and Dillon Linkous shooting 75 and 78, respectively. Brett Waters (80) and Jonas Rayfield (83) finished in the top eight for the Bears.
Staff file photo by C.B. Schmelter / Sale Creek's Ashley Holland won the region championship title shooting a 73 at Moccasin Bend on Monday. The Lady Panthers won the team title as well.
VOLLEYBALL
Sequatchie County swept South Pittsburg in three sets 25-9, 25-12 and 25-20. Zoe Smith and Cali Green each had 11 kills. Chloe Griffith had 14 assists, Megan Hall had 11 digs and Abby Smith finished with four aces for the Lady Indians (9-2).
Chattanooga Christian School won the opening set against powerhouse Knox Catholic before falling in three straight. AJ Johnson led the Chargers with 15 kills and nine digs, while Emily Day had 29 assists and 12 digs. Lauren Kay and Lauren Day combined for 30 digs.
SOFTBALL
* Dade County 13, Model 0: The Lady Wolverines (8-3-1, 3-0 in Region 7-AA) stayed perfect in league play as Kayleigh Warnock pitched a five-inning no-hitter with seven strikeouts. Kami Counts was 3-for-3 with three RBIs and two runs scored and Ali Thompson added two hits, two RBIs and two runs scored.
* Chattooga 11, Murray County 0: The Lady Indians (7-0, 2-0 in 7-AA) returned to action following COVID-19 quarantine as Clara Wyatt struck out 13 and allowed three hits in the five-inning game. Gracelyn Veitch had two hits with three RBIs, Ramsey Elrod had a two-run homer and Emma Howard scored twice on two hits for the winners.
* Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe 12, North Murray 3: The Lady Warriors (11-7, 7-3) amassed 17 hits - four from Haley Stahl - in staying in contention of a championship-series berth in a crowded 6-AAA. Tatyanna Long, Heidi Johnson, Carlee Wilson each Breonn Newbille had two hits for LFO.
* Cedartown 12, Ridgeland 4: The Lady Bulldogs completed the Region 7-AAAA sweep of the Lady Panthers, who committed five errors. Elly Barnes was 2-for-2 with two RBIs for Ridgeland.
* Gordon Lee 17, Drew Charter 0: Anniston Hudson was 3-for-3 with three RBIs and two runs scored, with Madison Farrow adding two hits and three RBIs and Sidney Garrett two RBIs in addition to pitching a three-inning no-hitter with five strikeouts.
* Coahulla Creek 13, Southeast Whitfield 5: Steahl Smith had three hits and drove in four runs, with McKinley Staten adding two hits and Emma Snyder three RBIs for the Lady Colts (17-3) in the nonregion game.
CROSS COUNTRY
Signal Mountain's cross country teams placed fifth at the Oak Mountain Invitational in Birmingham over the weekend. The Eagles were led by freshman Joshua Pote and junior Kaid Boehm, who finished with times of 17:07 and 17:48 to take 13th and 25th in the 5K race. Senior Sophia Gibby finished 13th with a 20:50 finish while teammate and eighth grader Hannah Laramore was 17th at 21:12.
Staff file photo by Patrick MacCoon / Signal Mountain's Benjamin Burns will be aiming for a third straight state championship with his team in the Small Class state championship at WillowBrook Golf Club next Tuesday and Wednesday.