Greeneville and Pigeon Forge squared off Thursday afternoon in the opening round of the District 1 Bowling Tournament. The fifth-seeded Greene Devils fell behind early and continued to battle, but ultimately came up short in a 20-7 loss that brought their season to a close.
The Tigers jumped out to a 7-1 lead after the first game, using a 1,043 pinfall to build a 90-pin advantage over Greeneville’s 953. Martin Moradel led Pigeon Forge with a 212, followed by Eli Williams’ 206 and Josue Munoz’s 193. Jon Gilbert paced the Greene Devils with a 199, while Noah Bernard added a 181 and Quinten Scalf a 177.
The second game saw the teams split the individual points, but Pigeon Forge extended its lead to 12-4 with a 995–968 advantage in total pins. Williams stayed hot with a 200, and Felipe Carr posted a 198. Gilbert again led Greeneville with a 177, while Evan Litchfield rolled a 176 and Aadin Sandidge tallied a 167.
The match shifted to the Baker format, where Pigeon Forge took the first game 157-143. Greeneville responded with grit, edging out the Tigers 148-147 in the final game.
Greeneville closes the season at 5-13, while Pigeon Forge advances to the semifinals at Interstate Bowl in Bristol, VA, on December 16. The Tigers will face Gatlinburg Pittman, who topped Sevier County 22.5-4.5. The other semifinal will feature Dobyns-Bennett against Chuckey-Doak; the Indians advanced with a 14-13 win over Northview, while Chuckey-Doak earned a 17-10 victory over Science Hill.
In the girls’ semifinals, Greeneville will take on Gatlinburg Pittman, while Dobyns-Bennett squares off with Chuckey-Doak.
The tournament will conclude approximately 30 minutes after the semifinal rounds. The top two teams will advance to the Region 1 Tournament, held in Knoxville in January.
