Eagles and Lady Eagles Both Complete Successful Seasons
2/6/24 Evensville, TN
Rhea County High School bowling program completed yet another successful season with success in the regular season. Lady Eagles made the trip to State. Both teams earned District Tournament Titles along the way. Lady Eagles finished 14-1 and Eagles finished 15-6. Gabe Lajas, the head coach was assisted by Michael Fitzgerald, Chris Neal, and Robby Wilson.
After the end of season for Lady Eagles, Gabe Lajas said, "I am extremely proud of this team and the progress they made throughout the season. The future looks bright for the Rhea County Lady Eagles."
Gabe had this to say about the Eagles season, which ended as one of top 16 teams in state. "After losing to a really good Green Hill team, our season has ended, for the 6th straight year, as one of the Top 16 teams in the state. This team made some incredible improvements throughout the season and turned it on when it mattered most. I am so proud of each and every member of the Rhea County Golden Eagles Bowling Team. I am also thankful for the three seniors of our team, Jesse Cox, Dominic Dye, and Ethan Robinson, for their hard work and leadership throughout the season. We would not have made it this far without each of you."
Two Rhea County Bowlers earned a spot in the Tennessee Individual State Tournament. Lexie Lee (Sr.) ended up 18th out of 48 bowlers and Landon Fitzgerald (Jr.) ended up at 25th out of 48 bowlers to end their season at the State Tournament Individual Competition.
All-District 5 Team:: Landon Fitzgerald Kaleb Samuelson Jesse Cox Lexie Lee Kassie Coleman Kelsey Kerley Jesicah Poole.
All-District 5 Tournament Team: Landon Fitzgerald Kaleb Samuelson Derrick Walker Bass Neal Lexie Lee Kassie Coleman Galilee Raymer Jesicah Poole.
RCHS Bowling Head Coach Gabe Lajas answered a few question about his teams maturation over the year and talked a little about his seniors.
Who was your most improved female and male bowler?
"I look at most improved two ways, from last season to this season and from beginning of this season to end of this season. rom last season to this season, we saw major improvement from Jesse Cox, Landon Fitzgerald, Derrick Walker, Kelsey Kerley, and Jesicah Poole. From beginning of this season to end of this season, we saw major improvement from Dominic Dye, Bass Neal, Derrick Walker, Scarlett Bishop, and Galilee Raymer."
Who was you most motivating girl and boy?
"For the Golden Eagles, a lot of our motivation came from Ethan Robinson and Travis Smith. For the Lady Eagles, our seniors (Kassie Coleman, Tia Goins, Lexie Lee, and Aree Walker) led the way from a motivation standpoint."
Which school was your toughest competition for boys and for girls?
"For the Golden Eagles in the regular season, Signal Mountain gave us trouble all year until we took them down in the District Tournament. In the postseason, Lawrence County and Green Hill were both tough opponents who bowled well when we faced them."
"For the Lady Eagles in the regular season, the only match we had any real trouble with was against Bradley Central. In the postseason, however, Lawrence County and Tullahoma made us work for our victories. Our toughest competition was clearly Hardin County, the 15 Time (11 straight) State Champions."
Give a word or two about each of your seniors.
"Jesse Cox – Jesse is the only 4-year bowler on the Golden Eagles Team. He is the definition of perseverance, keeping his head down and working hard each day until his it was his time to contribute. I will use his trajectory on the team as an example for years to come."
"Dominic Dye – Dom was new to the team this year and made tremendous progress throughout the year. His emergence as a quality starter led us to our District Championship and our Sectional appearance."
"Ethan Robinson – Ethan was also new this year, and unfortunately most of his season was spent injured so we didn’t get to see what he could really do on the lanes. However, he was invaluable to the team from a motivation standpoint. He led the charge on keeping the bowlers engaged in the match."
"Kassie Coleman – Kassie was a 4-year bowler on the Lady Eagles Team. She was immediate contributor her freshman year and held on to her starting spot for the next three years. Each year saw Kassie improve her technique and her scores. She played a huge role in the three consecutive appearances in the TSSAA State Tournament."
"Tia Goins – Tia was also a 4-year bowler for the Lady Eagles. She has been a very hard worker for us these last four years, as evidenced by the complete change to her bowling style during her second year. She picked up the new style quickly and put in lots of extra work to become successful on the lanes. Along with the other seniors, Tia has been the emotional leader of the team for a few years now by leading the chants and cheers during matches."
"Lexie Lee – Lexie was also a 4-year bowler for the Lady Eagles. Of the four Lady Eagles Seniors, Lexie has the largest amount of improvement from the first year to her last year. From bowling occasionally her freshman year to bowling every single match of her senior year, Lexie cemented herself on the starting lineup through hard work and additional practice in her own time. This extra practice led her to qualify for the TSSAA Individual State Tournament this year."
"Aree Walker – Aree was a 3-year bowler for the Lady Eagles. She made huge improvements from year 1 to year 2 and was on her way to even more improvements for year 3 when an injury kept her sidelined for a stretch of her final season. Even with that she was able to stay consistent with her scores and provide valuable head-to-head wins when she was given the opportunity."
"This group of seniors has seen a lot of success on the lanes. The Golden Eagles have made it to the Sectional Round all four years while the Lady Eagles have made it to the TSSAA State Tournament for three straight years. The work of these seniors has made the Rhea County Bowling Program a consistent powerhouse in the state of Tennessee. They have helped to establish a Standard of Excellence that future generations can strive to emulate and surpass."
Which player(s) has/have improved at more rapid pace than any other and surprised you with his success?
"The two bowlers that seemed to make the biggest improvement in the shortest amount of time are Dominic Dye and Scarlett Bishop. While all the coaches saw promising attributes with both, we never could have imagined how quickly both bowlers were able to become contributing members of the starting lineup. Neither team could have reached the levels of success without the development of Dominic and Scarlett."
2023-24 Rosters
| Eagle Bowlers | Grade |
| Jesse Cox | 12 |
| Dominic Dye | 12 |
| Ethan Robinson | 12 |
| Landon Fitzgerald | 11 |
| Bass Neal | 11 |
| Kaleb Samuelson | 11 |
| Travis Smith | 11 |
| Derrick Walker | 11 |
| Luke Boutwell | 10 |
| Jermiah Poole | 10 |
| Ian Tilley | 10 |
| Timmy Robins | 9 |
| Lady Eagle Bowlers | Grade |
| Kassie Coleman | 12 |
| Cheyanne Effrick | 12 |
| Tia Goins | 12 |
| Lexie Lee | 12 |
| Aree Walker | 12 |
| Jessicah Poole | 11 |
| Gailee Raymer | 11 |
| Kelsey kerley | 10 |
| Emma Neal | 10 |
| Scarlett Bishop | 9 |
| Sara Day | 9 |
| Kayden Lingren | 9 |
| Baylee Mayfield | 9 |
| Savannah Mayfield | 9 |
| Keylin Reece | 9 |
