Braedon Wear gave the charge needed Wednesday to catch the first-round leaders and possibly repeat at Division I – Small Class individual state champion.
But another golf charged just a tad harder.
Wear, a senior at Alcoa, shot a final-round, 3-under 69 at WillowBrook Golf Course in Manchester, Tenn., and his 1-over, two-day mark of 145 placed him two shots clear of first-round leaders Cayden Chambers (Waverly, 71-76) and Foster Wood (Signal Mountain, 71-76).
But Cascade’s Evan Woosley-Reed carded a 65 Wednesday to catapult him to the top of the leaderboard at 6-under 138. He won by six shots.
Wear wound up third in his title defense.
He wasn’t the only local player to finish in the top 10, as 5Star Preps Masters champion Nate Vaughan of Pigeon Forge finished ninth (73–150).
McMinn Central teammates Bradley Dunckle (T12, 76-81) and Josh Loveday (T19, 79-81) logged Top-20 finishes.
The Kingston boys’ team finished state runner-up behind Signal Mountain. Jesse Griffey was low finisher for the Yellow Jackets, tying for 22nd after rounds of 82 and 80.
Cumberland Gap and Pigeon Forge finished fifth and sixth, respectively, in the girls’ team competition. Summertown won the girls title.
Individually, Sophie Linder of Gordonsville won wire-to-wire with a 3-over 147 mark.
Cumberland Gap’s Carly Downhour was seventh (75–160) and Northview Academy’s Campbell Penland tied for eighth (80—161).
Pigeon Forge’s Jordan Bouyoucas fell to 13th (171) after a final-round 89.