Chance Meeting Sparks Mott History, and Corsairs Seeking to Make More
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
February 22, 2024
WATERFORD – All Waterford Mott head boys bowling coach Rob Hanson wanted to do was have a personal practice session.
Little did he know it would randomly plant a seed that would eventually produce some state high school bowling history.
More than two years ago, after finding some rare time outside his coaching duties to work on his own game at a local center, Hanson noticed a kid coming in with his grandmother to bowl.
Hanson immediately took notice of how well the kid was bowling and the fact he had a pair of Waterford Mott soccer shorts on. So he asked the kid, then-sophomore Brendan Riley, if he went to the school.
After Riley told Hanson that he did, Hanson had another question for him.
“Why didn’t you try out for bowling?” Hanson said.
Riley said at the time, his mother wasn’t familiar with the bowling team’s schedule and thought it would take too much time away from school.
Once Hanson explained the schedule to the family, Riley ended up trying out after all and made the JV team.
Weeks later, Riley worked his way up to varsity.
The rest, as they say, is history.
After bowling on the varsity for a majority of his sophomore year, Riley as a junior last year won the Division 1 Finals singles championship, capping a rapid rise to the top that might not have happened if not for that chance encounter.
“It was quite surprising,” Riley said. “I wasn’t expecting to see the coach that day. I was just going up to have a good time with my grandma.”
Last year for Riley turned out to be all about his individual success, as he led the Lakes Valley Conference with a 217 average and ended up seeded No. 8 out of the Finals qualifying block.
Riley then rolled to the title, earning a 14-pin win over Mattawan’s Charlie Johnson in the final.
For Riley, his success at the MHSAA Tournament boiled down to one thing: Composure.
“I think the only reason I won was because I had the best attitude,” said Riley, who also was a member of Mott’s soccer team in the fall. “Everyone I bowled in the match play started to get upset at themselves every time they got a split or when they didn’t get a strike.”
As a senior, Riley’s average actually has been down a little compared to last year’s 207, but what his teammates have done has been a bigger testament of his success – and made it even more enjoyable than what he accomplished last year as an individual.
Riley enters Friday’s Regional tournament third on Mott in average behind teammates Dylan Keating and Zechariah Thomas, but that is more a reflection of the improvement those two have shown and how they were inspired by what Riley did last year.
“He hasn’t had a bad year,” Hanson said of Riley. “It’s just that his success is breeding desire for everyone else. His leadership quality is amazing.”
Mott will travel Friday to Century Bowl with four tournament titles, including winning the LVC championship, and a 15-1 record.
Bowling is as fickle a sport as any, but no doubt the Corsairs are contenders if they bowl as they’re capable.
“As a team, it feels a lot better to get more things accomplished beyond just myself,” Riley said.
Riley also has a college future, as he has signed to bowl for Goshen College in Indiana as part of the first recruiting class for the new program.
An individual title last year, team domination so far this season and a future in college bowling? That’s a great crop of greatness that was planted simply by running into Hanson that one day.
“It’s a great story,” Hanson said.
Keith Dunlap has served in Detroit-area sports media for more than two decades, including as a sportswriter at the Oakland Press from 2001-16 primarily covering high school sports but also college and professional teams. His bylines also have appeared in USA Today, the Washington Post, the Detroit Free Press, the Houston Chronicle and the Boston Globe. He served as the administrator for the Oakland Activities Association’s website from 2017-2020. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties
PHOTOS (Top) Waterford Mott’s Brendan Riley finds his shot during a match. (Middle) Riley takes a post-tournament photo after winning last season’s singles championship. (Top photo courtesy of the Riley family.)
Lessons from Last Time Serve D2 Champs
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
March 2, 2019
WATERFORD – On the right forearm of Adrian bowler Jacob Harvey is a tattoo of a samurai, which he said is a tribute to his Japanese heritage.
“I’m a quarter Japanese, and it represents bravery and courage,” Harvey said.
Harvey certainly showed some of both during the Division 2 Singles Bowling Finals with that same right forearm, using it to best a typically competitive field and clinch the title.
A muscularly-built senior who was a two-way lineman for Adrian’s football team last fall, Harvey ended his day with a terrific performance in the championship match, knocking off New Boston Huron senior Zach Wyszynski 428-321.
Harvey bowled a 204 in the first game to take a 63-pin lead over Wyszynski heading into the second, then quickly served notice that there wouldn’t be a letdown.
Harvey finished off Wyszynski, who struggled with splits throughout the championship match, by bowling strikes in his first five frames of the second game.
“When we started the tournament, I kind of struggled to find a starting line that worked for me comfortably,” Harvey said. “During match play, I tried something different and it worked out really well for me and carried me through.”
Harvey previously qualified for the Finals as a sophomore and said there were a few lessons learned from that experience that served him well in his second opportunity.
“Spares are everything,” Harvey said. “Consistency is everything. Other than that, just keep a level head. Having the experience under my belt really helped me.”
Also benefitting from a previous experience at the Finals was Cedar Springs junior Omani Morales.
In the championship match, she defeated Escanaba senior Lindsey Juhl by a score of 416-328, taking charge in the later frames of the first game and then putting away Juhl with a strong start to the second.
Morales failed to advance out of the qualifying block at last year’s tournament, but like Harvey applied the lessons she learned to win it all this time around.
“I told myself that I’m here for a reason,” Morales said. “I just kept my head up and kept bowling. Maturity-wise, I just grew from the experience. There are a lot of people here, so last year, I was more nervous.”
Seeded 10th out of the qualifying block, Morales beat Adrian senior Shayleen Helf in the round of 16 (432-393), Carly Snyder of Middleville Thornapple-Kellogg in a quarterfinal (418-401) and then Muskegon Reeths-Puffer freshman Karli VanDuinen in a semifinal (388-318).
“I hit my mark every time and I just figured myself out,” said Morales, who will get a week off from athletics before starting practice for her other high school sport, softball.
Harvey also caught fire in match play after qualifying as the No. 14 seed, beating Owosso senior Thomas Trecha in the round of 16 (388-359), New Boston Huron senior Zach Taylor in a quarterfinal (346-322) and then Cadillac senior Brandon Foster in a semifinal (385-328).
Runner-up Wyszynski and Taylor were two of four bowlers from the New Boston Huron boys, who won the team title Friday, to advance out of the qualifying block.
Sophomore Sam Hughes and junior Joey Devita also advanced and fell in the round of 16 during what proved to be a memorable weekend for their program.
Click for full girls results and full boys results.