D1's Best Celebrate 1st Finals Titles

By Jason Schmitt
Special for MHSAA.com

March 1, 2019

ALLEN PARK – Blake Ryntz had no clue that the tears he was shedding late Friday morning in his father’s arms would – five hours later – morph from ones of sadness to those of triumph.

But that’s what the sport of bowling can do to a person.

Ryntz, a senior on the Farmington-Harrison Unified bowling squad, thought his team had missed qualifying for Finals match play. But he and his teammates actually barely had made the cut and then proceeded to crush the competition, defeating Oxford in the championship match to claim the program’s first-ever MHSAA boys bowling championship.

“To me, it’s motivating. Barely making it in, you’ve got to show them who’s number one,” said Ryntz, who fired a 269 in his team’s final game against the Wildcats. “I went in thinking it was a fresh start. Everything that happened this morning, just forget about it. Inside me, I knew I could drop three really good games to help us get to the Finals.”

That he did, as sixth-seeded Farmington-Harrison cruised past Macomb L’Anse Creuse North in the quarterfinals and then Salem in the semifinals to set up the showdown with their rivals from the Oakland Activities Association. The team shot 1,463 and 1,435 in its first two wins before putting up 1,453 in defeating Oxford.

“It’s surreal,” said Farmington-Harrison head coach Dennis Hermani, whose team shot Baker games of 225 and 221 and a team score of 1,007 in the final. “These kids have bought into our mantra of “This isn’t bowling, it’s family.’ We had alumni from 10-12 years ago drive here today, took the afternoon off from work. JV kids, parents from years ago. They really bought in and support our program.”

Farmington-Harrison entered the tournament ranked No. 1 in the state, having posted the highest Regional score a week ago. The team struggled a bit in its Baker games and bowled sub-par in its two team games. But it snuck past Roseville, Oxford and Macomb Dakota – which narrowly missed qualifying by just five pins.

“I’m so proud of them. We barely made the cut today, by nine pins,” Hermani said. We did not bowl very well this morning, and they were feeling the pressure. All they kept saying (was) that they wanted to get in this (Stadium) room. Once they got in this room, they performed outstanding.”

Along with Ryntz, Evan Yards (202), Jonah Musial (184), Sean Ronald (183) and Christian Dorsey (169) also scored for the team in the final. Devon Osborn and Ryan Wrublewski were also a part of Hermani’s championship squad.

Justin Sisson (208) and Luke Acton (191) led the way for Oxford, a team with no seniors on its roster. Coach JR Lafnear was happy for Hermani and his team, but just as excited about his team’s future.

“I’ve got all juniors and sophomores here and they’re all coming back, so we couldn’t be happier,” said the coach, whose team made its first appearance in the championship match. “The boys battled hard all day. We won the OAA and set our sights in here on doing the best we could. And we were runner-up to an outstanding team from Harrison. I’m not disappointed at all.”

Oxford defeated top-seeded Westland John Glenn is its first match before knocking off Jackson in the semifinals.

Across the alley, Jenison captured its first MHSAA girls bowling championship, knocking off two-time champion New Baltimore Anchor Bay 1,307-1,200 in the title match. The Wildcats were seeded fourth after qualifying and had to knock off top-seeded Taylor in the semifinals before bouncing the second-seeded Tars in the championship match.

“All season long, I’ve always asked the girls, ‘Just give me your best,’ and today they did that,” Jenison coach Kim Becker said. “They just pulled it out. Everything started falling our way; they pumped each other up. The momentum got going, and it just carried through.”

Jenison led Anchor Bay by 38 pins after two Baker games, but then things began to go against Becker’s team. The Wildcats had six open frames through their four turns in the regular game, and the Tars began clawing their way back into the match.

But then the “Bowling Gods,” as Becker put it, started looking down on her Jenison team. Her anchor bowler, Lauren Slagter, picked up an ugly split in the fifth frame and then used a little luck to strike in the seventh to help right the ship. Up to that point in the game, her team had picked her up. So she hoped that her stretch from the fifth through the eighth frames could do the same for her teammates.

“I was just trying to do my best to make up for what I did in that first half of the game,” Slagter said. “It ended up OK. I’m happy with the turnout.”

Alexis VanWayckhuyse led all bowlers with an individual game of 244, helping her team to a 941 team score. Anna Bartz had a 209, while Sarena Overbeek (182), Racquel Kranenberg (155) and Slagter (151) rounded out the Wildcats’ scoring.

Jenison, the fourth seed in the draw, defeated Rockford in the quarterfinals.

Anchor Bay, which previously had won Division 1 titles in 2007 and 2011, was seeded second in the draw and beat Sterling Heights Stevenson and Westland John Glenn on its way to the final. Kate Kaltz fired a 193 to lead her team against Jenison. Amanda Fsadni (189), Emily Fulgenti (182), Kaitlyn Cavender (168) and Merisa Batkins (140) also scored for their team.

“These girls bowled fantastic,” said Anchor Bay coach Buddy VanWieringen. “This is the best team I’ve had in quite a few years. I’ve had a lot of great coaching help this year. It’s been a fun season.”

Click for full girls results and full boys results.

One Streak Extends, Another Begins in D1

February 28, 2014

By Jon Malavolti
Special to Second Half

STERLING HEIGHTS – For one champion, it was that same old story. And for the other, it was a long time coming.

The MHSAA Division 1 Bowling Team Finals saw Davison High’s girls three-peat, and the boys from Detroit U-D Jesuit begin what they hope will be a similar streak in claiming their respective trophies Friday at Sunnybrook Lanes.

On the girls side, Westland John Glenn gave the two-time reigning champion Cardinals all they could handle in the Final. Davison eventually won 1,509-1,447.

 “That was very competitive,” Davison junior Brooklyn Greene said. “John Glenn did great.”

Cardinals coach Tracy Greene said the squad bowled “a lot of tournaments all year to get them prepared for the pressure of head-to-head competition. … It all paid off.

“We lost three seniors from last year, but we had two great freshmen. To come back and do a three-peat was awesome. Unbelievable. The girls bowled so good, I’m proud of them.”

Greene, the team’s anchor bowler, said the squad felt plenty of pressure to repeat once again as they entered the Finals with a target on their backs and a drive to win again.

“There was pressure, but we pulled through,” she said.

Myranda Livingston, Davison’s lone senior, subbed in for Greene for the final frame of the championship match, sealing the win with a few emotional throws.

“It was like the best feeling in the world, and the worst feeling, because it was my last ball I’ll ever throw for high school,” Livingston said.

The senior said watching her teammates bowl in the close Final was “very nerve-wracking,” but she did what she could to keep them calm and focused.

“I keep the girls motivated,” she said. “I do whatever I can to keep them pumped up. I think these girls are very talented, and honestly, next year I think they can come back and win it, because I’m the only one that’s leaving. So they’re basically going to be the same team.”

Greene echoed her teammate’s sentiments, hoping the Cardinals would be the first school to win four straight MHSAA team bowling titles. Tecumseh’s girls won three straight as well in Division 2 between 2008-2010.

“I definitely think we have a great chance of winning next year as well,” she said.

Westland John Glenn’s Emily Dietz nearly bowled a perfect game in the Final, throwing nine straight strikes before leaving two pins standing in the 10th frame to finish with a 277.

Davison was led by Taylor Davis’ 247 in the Final.

In the boys competition, meanwhile, the chants of “Shave the beard!” began as soon as U-D Jesuit wrapped up its 1,409-1,360 win against Grand Haven.

Cubs coach Darrin Flowers had promised his team he would shave the long beard he’d been growing for a year-and-a-half if they won the title. So out came the razor as the team celebrated.

“I said, ‘If you win states, I’ll shave it off on the lanes,’” Flowers said. “So I started with a beard this morning, now it’s gone.”

But he, and the rest of the team, gladly traded it for the championship trophy, as the Cubs have been razor-close all season to winning one, but fell just shy taking second place recently in the Catholic League finals and MHSAA Regional.

“We’ve come in second in a lot of past tournaments, and we’ve been really disappointed,” Jesuit junior Ben Szmatula said. “Just being here, holding up the trophy, it’s just amazing. Just knowing we’re the best in the state shocks me.

Despite the earlier tournament disappointments, Szmatula said the Cubs had a “fire” inside them to keep going.

“We’ve always had a sense of confidence that I don’t think any other team has had,” he said. “It was something that we’ve always wanted a lot. We were so close all those times, it took a while to get there, but we got there.”

Cubs senior Lloyd Lyons was somewhat at a loss for words when describing his feelings after four years of striving for this moment.

“I can’t believe it,” he said. “It’s indescribable right now. It’s something that we’ve been wanting to do the past four years. To finally accomplish it, there’s no explaining it. To get here and obtain it is amazing. It’s something we can always look back upon.”

While his beard had been around for a while, Flowers’ tenure with the program is longer. He bowled for the school, graduating in 2001. He’s been coaching Jesuit for four years – the whole time aiming to take the Cubs to the top.

“I started with our senior Lloyd Lyons, and I promised him that I’d get him there,” Flowers said. “So it’s more than just a championship for these guys. It’s priceless.

“I am beyond proud of these guys. Just to see how hard these kids have worked to get here is amazing to me. As a coach, what more can you ask for? Hard work, dedication. These kids grinded it out today. Execution got us here. And execution brought us that trophy. These guys took it to the next level.”

And while it’s been a long time coming, the Cubs were hoping to take a page out of Davison’s book and keep the championships coming.

“I know this will not be our last time here,” Flowers said.

Keith Reid led Jesuit with a 247 in the Final. Justin White bowled a team-high 229 for runner-up Grand Haven.

Click for full girls results and full boys results

PHOTOS: The Davison girls and Detroit U-D Jesuit boys bowling teams pose with their MHSAA championship trophies. (Photos by Jon Malavolti.)