Eagles begins Year 3-0: Lady Eagles Begin 2-0
Dayton, TN -- Rhea County Bowling team has begun the 2024 season unbeaten in early action. The boys team has picked up wins over Soddy, Bradley Central and Walker Valley and the Lady Eagles have wins over Bradley and Soddy.
The Eagles won their opening match vs Soddy on September 23-4. In that game the top performers were Landon Fitzgerald with 216 and 181 scores. Kaleb Samuelson had a 214 and 172 game and Derrick Walker had a 174 game.
On October 14 Rhea won 21.5 and 5.5 over Bradley Central. In this game, Landon Fitzgerald had games of 257 and 172. Derrick Walker had games of 256 and 189. Bass Neal had a 212 game and Peyton Shipley had games of 196 and 193.
The Lady Eagles won 19-8 over Bradley. Galilee Raymer led all bowlers with 191 game. Scrarlett Bishop and Jesicah Poole each bowled a 163 game and Kelsey Kerley had a 157 game.
On October 21 the Eagles hosted Walker Valley and won 21-6. Derrick Walker led all scorers with 243 game. Kelaeb Samuelson had a 232 game and Peyton Shipely had 202 and 193 game. Landon Fitzgerald had games of 200 and 190 and Jermiah Poole had a game score of 174.
Against Walker Valley, the Rhea County Lady Eagles won 25-2. Top performers against Walker were Galilee Raymer 169, 165 and Scarlett Bishop 157.
How is the experience factor for the boys and girls teams this year?
The boys team (the Golden Eagles) has a pretty good mix of experience and new bowlers this year. We have seven returning members and seven new bowlers. However, we are excited to see how everyone can contribute to the team this year.
The girls team (the Lady Eagles) is made up of mostly returning members, with only three new bowlers out of our eleven on the team. We are definitely going to lean on the experience of our returning bowlers to continue our run of good form over the last few years.
Who are the teams to watch this year?
At the district level, Signal Mountain is going to be a really tough team again this year. For the Golden Eagles, Soddy Daisy and CSAS are showing progress year over year.
The other side of our region looks tough again this year. Lawrence County is returning a really good squad this year and I’m sure they will be aiming for another run to the State Tournament.
Do you have team captains?
We do not have captains for either team. We look for all of our seniors to lead their teams. Some will lead by example while others will be more vocal on the lanes. Each approach is valuable to the overall leadership of our teams.
Who are your assistant coaches this year?
We have assembled a great team of assistant coaches for this year. Michael Fitzgerald, Chris Neal, and Robby Wilson will be returning this year. Additionally, we have added Jeremy Bishop as a new coach for this year. These gentlemen bring a lot of bowling knowledge and experience to our team.
Statistically, who are your best bowlers coming back from last year?
Golden Eagles – Landon Fitzgerald, Kaleb Samuelson, and Derrick Walker.
Lady Eagles – Jesicah Poole, Galilee Raymer, and Scarlett Bishop.
How many starters did you lose from last year's team?
Golden Eagles – We lost two starters from last year.
Lady Eagles – We lost three starters from last year.
Two bowlers were state qualifiers last year: Lexi Lee and Landon Fitzgerald. Lexi went on to join fellow RCHS bowling alumni Ariana Harvey on roster of Tennessee Wesleyan University Bowling Team and Landon is back this year.
| Eagles | Lady Eagles |
| Brayten Daniel | Scarlett Bishop |
| Landon Fitzgerald | Lucy Clayton |
| Nicolas Hoskins | Sara Day |
| Michael Kerley | Kelsey Kerley |
| Greg Little | Kayden Lingren |
| Bass Neal | Savannah Mayfield |
| Jermiah Poole | Emma Neal |
| Bradley Powell | Jesicah Poole |
| Timothy Robins | Galilee Raymer |
| Elijah Romero | Libery Raymer |
| Kaleb Samuelson | Skylar Ann Suttles |
| Peyton Shipley | Rhea Coaches |
| Travis Smith | Gabe Lajas |
| Derrick Walker | Michael Fitzgerald |
| Chris Neal | |
| Robby Wilson |