Boys Bowling: Final Knockdown
March 2, 2012
BATTLE CREEK – Macomb Dakota’s Division 1 championship defense got off to a slow start Friday at M-66 Bowl.
So slow, that it looked like the Cougars might not survive the qualifying round.
But once they found their groove, the favorites began to fall.
Dakota, ranked No. 5 at the end of the regular season, qualified fifth of eight teams to move on to match play. The Cougars then topped No. 7 ranked Detroit Catholic Central and top-ranked Davison before beating unranked Canton in the championship match 1,305-1,105.
“It’s unbelievable. I never expected it. I can event describe it,” Dakota senior Nick Mikaelian said. “We started out bad, but we figured out where to play the lanes. Everybody just moved together, and it gave us the best chance.”
Mikaelian, also a member of the 2011 champion team, bowled a 206 in Friday’s Final. Teammates Mike Jachcinski and Justin Taylor teamed to roll a 216.
It was the third straight season Dakota advanced to the championship match. The Cougars beat Westland John Glenn last season, but finished runner-up to Detroit Catholic Central in 2010.
Click for full Division 1 results.
Division 2 at Century Lanes
WATERFORD – This was not supposed to be Mason’s season to win an MHSAA championship.
The Bulldogs traditionally are strong – and had made the Finals four years running heading into this winter.
But they had graduated five from last season’s semifinalist team. And they entered the postseason unranked in the state Division 2 poll.
Mason didn’t bowl like a team with four starters competing their first MHSAA Final. Despite qualifying just seventh for match play, the Bulldogs cruised through a Quarterfinal win, won their Semifinal by just 46 pins, and then squeaked past No. 8 Bay City John Glenn 1,216-1,213 in the championship match.
“Being a senior, this state title means a great deal to me,” Mason’s David Smithern said. “For four years, my team made it to the state finals and could never quite prove just how good of a team we were. This year was different. We came and threw every shot like the state title depended on it, and ended up victorious.”
Smithern rolled a 189 in the Final to lead Mason, with teammate Nick Carl adding a 185. Nathan Moszyk rolled a 182 for John Glenn, and Alex Ouillette had a 181.
The teams split the Baker games, and the final result remained in doubt until the end.
“I didn’t know we’d won until I saw the score sheet,” Mason coach Jim Valentine said.
“This was won with four new starting bowlers. We graduated five seniors last year. That group made states every year. This group won it all. I’m very proud of them.”
Click for full Division 2 results.
Division 3 at Airport Lanes
JACKSON – Fremont could feel its run at an MHSAA championship about to end early as it began the final game of qualifying Friday.
Then something clicked. And just in time.
Fremont rolled a 934 in the final block of qualifying to move from nearly missing the cut to fifth heading into match play. From there, the Packers seemed to get only stronger in winning their three matches by an average of 84 pins – including a 1,297-1,241 victory over Corunna in the Final.
"Today we didn't start off too well. But in the last game of the qualifiers we realized that we had to pick it up and bowl,” Fremont junior Ethan Brummel said. “After we bowled that final game, we were shocked that we were fifth seed. We had been eighth place and on the edge of the cut.
“The (Semifinal) round went well, and we were amazed that we beat the first seed team. After that, we really didn't care if we placed first or second, but we were ecstatic that we won. It was a great way to end the season."
Mike Margol bowled a 214 to lead Fremont, followed by Brummel’s 195. Austin Mowinski had a 205 for Corunna.
Fremont previously finished Division 2 runner-up in 2006.
Click for full Division 3 results.
Division 4 at Sunnybrook Lanes
STERLING HEIGHTS – Rogers City left no question which team was the best in Division 4 on Friday – and arguably the best at any MHSAA Final.
The Hurons finished first in qualifying by 119 pins. They won their Quarterfinal by 149 and eliminated No. 1-ranked Sandusky in the Semifinal with an 80-pin victory. Rogers City then finished the day off with a 1,462-1,351 win over Jonesville in the Final.
All five Rogers City bowlers rolled at least 182, led by Zach Hazel with a 258, Ken Wirgan with a 221 and Justin Hazel with a 200.
Jonesville also had three roll more than 200 in the Final: Reed Baker with a 231, Wyatt Tolbert with a 212 and Trevor Haas with a 206.
Team, League Mates Face Off in D1
March 1, 2014
By Jon Malavolti
Special to Second Half
STERLING HEIGHTS – Familiarity reigned supreme at the MHSAA Division 1 Bowling Singles Finals on Saturday at Sunnybrook Lanes.
In the girls competition, teammates and classmates Emily Dietz and Julia Huren, sophomores at Westland John Glenn, faced off in the championship match. And in the boys final, it was a “west side” affair between O-K Red Conference rivals junior Josh Kukla of Grandville and senior Alex Stillwell of Hudsonville.
Dietz edged Huren 396-366 in the showdown between Rockets teammates who also are close friends.
“It’s amazing, it was so exciting,” Dietz said. “I never thought I would be here, then I got to bowl with my teammate at the end. It was just fun at that point.”
“We’re both great bowlers,” Huren added. “Whoever won it, it didn’t bug me at all. I just went up and I bowled, and whoever bowled better won.”
John Glenn coach Ralph Cabildo said Dietz simply “caught fire” during Finals weekend. She nearly bowled a perfect game just 24 hours earlier as the Rockets fell in the Team Final to Davison. John Glenn juniors Olivia Cabildo and Jessica Pate also reached the knockout round Saturday, falling in the Quarterfinals.
“What else could I ask for, as a coach? It was just a fantastic weekend,” Ralph Cabildo said. “Yesterday we shot fantastic; Davison just beat us. Then today, we had four girls that made the tournament, then four qualified in the top eight. At that point … we’re having a great time. Then all of a sudden two of them end up going against each other in the finals. And at that point, I knew that Westland John Glenn was going to have a state champ … and a runner-up. So it was better than I could ever think of.”
As soon as the final match between Dietz and Huren ended, the finalists hugged each other, and were then quickly swarmed by their remaining teammates for another round of hugs.
“They’ve all been like a family, and you saw that when they all ran down,” the coach said. “So it was great, great weekend.”
Huren said the whole weekend was a “really good experience.”
“It just shows you what you can do if you just work hard, practice hard; you’re always getting better,” she said. “Last year I didn’t even make it (to the Finals), and to come in second both days is just a real accomplishment and I can’t wait until next year.”
In the boys competition, Kukla needed perfection and a little luck before finally claiming the title. In the Quarterfinal against Clarkston sophomore Jacob Kersten, Kukla bowled a 300 for the second time of his life. But Kersten nearly matched it with a 290, and the duo eventually faced off in a roll off to decide who would go on to the Semifinals.
“That was exciting – we were just going back and forth, back and forth,” Kukla said. “The second game, I thought I was out of it. Once I realized that I was back in this, I just thought there was no way I was going to lose that roll off.”
Kukla emerged, and then escaped Macomb Dakota junior Justin Taylor in the Semifinal by two pins, 411-409. The momentum carried over into the Final, where he defeated Stillwell 470-384.
“It feels amazing, after all the hard work and bowling all year,” Kukla said. “The level of talent was really good. It’s really nice to go out and bowl like this against this type of competition.”
Kukla said it was “pretty cool” to see some familiar faces in the final four. In the other Semifinal, Stillwell defeated Grand Haven freshman Jimmy Mitchell 434-384.
“It was kind of a west side representation,” Kukla said.
Stillwell was proud of his final effort bowling for Hudsonville.
“Honestly, today I was just looking to go out with a bang,” he said. “I’m a senior. It was the first time I qualified for states. This is all so exciting, and then to make it this far, it just makes the day even better.
“Realistically I was just kind of hoping to make the cut. That was my first goal. Once I made the cut, all after that was just gravy. All extra bowling. I couldn’t carry out the corner pins, there was just tons of pressure. I was anchor for our school, but this, the pressure level is just completely different. And Josh just pulled away with it.”
Click for full girls results and full boys results.
PHOTOS: Westland John Glenn's Emily Dietz and Grandville's Josh Kukla.