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.
Preview: Championship Chances Abound
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
March 4, 2020
Considering the majority of Michigan high school bowling divisions have recently enjoyed frequently-changing champions, it’s especially impressive that Flint Kearsley’s girls will enter Friday’s MHSAA Team Finals seeking their seventh straight Division 2 title and Bronson’s boys will be going for a third straight in Division 4.
Those teams are two of six 2019 champions returning to contend for titles this weekend at four sites: Division 1 at Allen Park’s Thunderbowl Lanes, Division 2 at Waterford’s Century Bowl, Division 3 at Jackson’s JAX 60 and Division 4 at Lansing’s Royal Scott.
Saturday’s Singles Finals, meanwhile, will produce at least five new champions across the eight boys and girls tournaments, as only two of last year’s winners will be back for this season’s final day.
Below is a look at possible contenders for all eight championships, both team and singles. Action begins both days at 8:25 a.m. Click for the full list of qualifiers, and come back to Second Half all weekend for coverage from all four Finals sites.
Division 1 Girls
Team: Reigning Division 1 champion Jenison was among six Regional title winners last weekend, rolling the second-highest score in the Division at 3,700. The high score was produced by No. 4 Lake Orion, which won at Grand Blanc Lanes with a 3,923 that outpaced No. 3 Flushing by nearly 300 pins. New Baltimore Anchor Bay, last season’s Finals runner-up, also won its Regional with a 3,592, and top-ranked Westland John Glenn finished second at Canton’s Super Bowl but did qualify for this weekend. Total, seven of the top 10 in the most recent coaches poll advanced to the Finals. No. 8 Salem, No. 5 Farmington and No. 7 Warren Cousino also won Regional titles.
Singles: Jenison senior Anna Bartz was a Finals semifinalist last season and won her Regional on Saturday with a 1,299, and senior teammate Lauren Slagter also was a semifinalist in 2019 and qualified again. St. Clair Shores Lake Shore junior Dani Decruydt was the Finals runner-up last year and will compete again as well after snagging the final qualifying spot at Sterling Heights’ Five Star Lanes. Flushing senior Evelyn Cano, Lake Orion senior Cheyenne Washington, Wyandotte Roosevelt senior Alicia Rager, Anchor Bay junior Kaitlyn Cavender and Farmington junior Carrington Beaman also will be back for the Singles Finals after making the match play last season. Grand Blanc junior Leah Williams, North Farmington senior Lyric O’Steen, Anchor Bay freshman Melanie Straub, John Glenn junior Anna Maxwell and Roosevelt freshman Angelita Rodriguez also won Regional titles last weekend.
Division 1 Boys
Team: We’re guaranteed a new champion as 2019 winner Farmington Hills Harrison closed its doors last summer. Last year’s runner-up and current No. 6 Oxford had the second-highest Regional score in Division 1 last Friday, rolling a 4,330 to win at Grand Blanc Lanes. No. 3 Macomb Dakota rolled a Division-best 4,354 at Five Star Lanes and is plenty familiar at the Finals, finishing runner-up in 2018. Only five of the top 10 ranked teams advanced to this weekend: Dakota and Oxford will be joined by No. 1 Utica Eisenhower, No. 2 Waterford Kettering and No. 4 Farmington in the field of 18. Farmington edged Kettering by 62 pins at Waterford’s 300 Bowl, and Eisenhower finished just 27 pins back of Dakota at their Regional.
Singles: Walled Lake Central senior Jarrod Willbur and Salem senior Jon Hall both made the semifinals last season, but only two others will be back from that larger match play group – Livonia Franklin junior Ken Kloth and Midland junior Izaac Goergen. Goergen rolled the fourth-highest Regional score (1,357) although it was the second highest at Grand Blanc Lanes behind Davison senior Brendan Ashley’s 1,400. Grand Haven junior Justin Strait, Farmington senior Julien Stout, Utica Eisenhower senior Dylan Kelley, Salem senior Noah Samuels and Dearborn Edsel Ford junior Aiden Newman also won Regional titles.
Division 2 Girls
Team: Top-ranked Flint Kearsley has won six straight Division 2 championships and rolled a 3,844 to win the Regional at Gaylord Bowling Center by more than 550 pins. However, No. 8 Coldwater had the day’s highest Division 2 score, winning its Regional at Kalamazoo’s Continental Lanes with a 3,864, nearly 650 pins better than that field. No. 2 Tecumseh, No. 3 Carleton Airport and No. 7 Mason also are among Finals qualifiers, Tecumseh and Mason after winning Regional championships. Tecumseh has finished Finals runner-up to Kearsley the last two seasons.
Singles: Reigning champion Omani Morales will be seeking a repeat as a senior and won her Regional at Comstock Park’s Westgate Bowl last week with a 1,146. Coldwater junior Noella Keplinger made the quarterfinals last season and was another Regional champ Saturday, rolling a Division 2-best 1,238. Muskegon Mona Shores senior Lindsay Cross, Flint Kearsley junior Allison Eible and Croswell-Lexington senior Katelyn Heiden also will be back this weekend after playing in last year’s match play. Kearsley junior Megan Timm, Warren Woods Tower senior Cassie McCarren, Charlotte junior Abigail Mather and Tecumseh junior Liza Verrier rounded out Saturday’s Regional champs.
Division 2 Boys
Team: Eight schools have finished either champion or runner-up in Division 2 over the last four years, but reigning champion New Boston Huron enters this weekend ranked No. 1 and rolled the highest Regional score in Division 2 last weekend – a 3,972 to win at Westland’s Town and Country Lanes. No. 2 Dearborn Divine Child also was at that Regional, and No. 4 Jackson Northwest, No. 5 Cadillac and No. 7 Owosso also made the Finals, Northwest and Cadillac winning Regional titles. Three other teams broke 3,900 – Westgate Bowl champion Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills and Continental Lanes top two Byron Center and Middleville Thornapple Kellogg.
Singles: Cadillac’s Kyle Vermilyea was the only non-senior to make last season’s Division 2 quarterfinals, and he’ll be back among expected contenders after also finishing as singles runner-up in 2018. Warren Woods Tower senior Noah Tafanelli also qualified for the Finals match play in 2019 and won his Regional last week at Westland’s Oak Lanes, while Grand Rapids Northview senior Dan Frey was a match play Finals qualifier last year and finished second at his Regional last week at Westgate Bowl to freshman teammate Kyle Pranger. Petoskey senior Nathan Waldron, Thornapple Kellogg junior Michael Willshire, Jackson Northwest sophomore Damein Milliman and Allen Park sophomore Nathan Roberts also won Regional titles.
Division 3 Girls
Team: Coloma is the reigning champion and returning. But top-ranked Flat Rock rolled the highest Division 3 Regional score last week, 3,591 at Flat Rock Lanes, and will be seeking its first championship since 2012 after reaching the semifinals a year ago. No. 2 Jonesville, No. 3 Midland Bullock Creek, No. 4 Clare, No. 5 Coloma, No. 8 Caro and No. 10 South Haven all qualified for this weekend as well, with Clare, Coloma and Caro among the Regional champions. Unranked Essexville Garber joined Coloma and Clare in breaking 3,500 pins last Friday.
Singles: Clare senior Jenna Betts is the reigning Division 3 champion and won her Regional on Saturday at Cheboygan’s Sparetime Lanes. Adrian Madison senior Isabell Young also will be back at the Singles Finals after making the semifinals in 2019, and Flat Rock senior Amy Jackson was the Regional runner-up at Flat Rock Lanes and made the quarterfinals last season. Hillsdale junior Karissa Manifold and Otsego senior Carley Blanchard also are returning after advancing to last year’s match play, and Livonia Clarenceville senior Madilynn Kieling made the quarterfinals in 2018 and should be a top contender coming off a Regional title Saturday at Flat Rock Lanes. Caro’s Baylee Hutchinson was the only bowler in Division 3 to outscore Kieling on Friday, posting a 1,238 to win at Richmond’s Strikers Bowling Center. Whitehall junior Karli VanDuinen won her Regional at Wyoming’s Park Center Lanes and should be in the mix too after making the Division 2 semifinals last year. Hopkins junior Kennedy Gill and Birch Run sophomore Cheyenne Brown also won Regional titles.
Division 3 Boys
Team: Seven schools have won Division 3 championships over the last seven seasons, and there will be a new champion Friday as reigning title winner Gladwin did not qualify for the Team Finals. Neither did top-ranked and 2019 runner-up Ogemaw Heights. But No. 2 Jonesville – the 2018 champion – posted the highest Regional team score in Division 3 of 4,054 at Flat Rock Lanes. No. 3 Sanford Meridian, No. 5 Flint Powers Catholic and No. 10 Paw Paw also qualified for this weekend, Powers and Paw Paw winning Regional titles. Belding fell just shy of joining Jonesville over 4,000, winning its Park Center Lanes Regional with a 3,957.
Singles: Cheboygan senior Dawson Campbell snagged the final qualifying spot at Sparetime Lanes to earn the opportunity to go for a repeat after winning last year’s final by 64 pins. Similarly, the opponent he defeated in last year’s semifinals – Muskegon Oakridge senior Josh Felcoski – snagged the final qualifying spot at Park Center Lanes. Saginaw Swan Valley junior Braydon Lemmer, Capac junior Adam Savage and Livonia Clarenceville sophomore Jacob Johnson also will be back after making the match play last year. Savage won his Regional at Strikers Bowling Center with a 1,347, second only to Jonesville junior Logan Teubert’s 1,401 in winning at Flat Rock Lanes. Cheboygan freshman Cole Swanberg, Garber junior Braedyn Hofmeister, Durand senior Cooper Neyman and Remus Chippewa Hills senior Bradyn Fate also won Regional titles Saturday.
Division 4 Girls
Team: Bronson broke Vandercook Lake’s two-year hold on Division 4 last season and will have a chance to repeat after snagging the final qualifying spot at Jackson’s JAX 60. Finishing just above Bronson there was reigning runner-up East Jackson, and both trailed champ Quincy by more than 100 pins at a Regional that also saw No. 5 Hanover-Horton and No. 10 Vandercook not advance. Bronson is ranked No. 2 and Quincy No. 7, and they will be joined this weekend in part by top-ranked Oscoda, No. 4 Bad Axe and No. 8 Sandusky, the only top ranked teams to make the Finals field. Quincy’s 3,414 was the Division 4 Regional high, and the Orioles will be rolling for their first Finals championship.
Singles: Two-time champion Mackenzie Johnson from Vandercook Lake graduated, but last season’s runner-up Dakota Smith will be back in contention now as a senior. Only five non-seniors made the match play last season, and all five have qualified for Saturday’s Finals. Joining Smith from that group will be Rogers City junior Chandra Ganske, Pittsford junior Kathryn McArthur, Hudson senior Kaitlyn Yates and Hanover-Horton junior Kassidy Alexander. Alexander won her Regional last weekend with a Division 4 high of 1,201, while McArthur was first and Yates second at Tecumseh’s Ten Pin Alley. Ishpeming Westwood freshman Kylie Junak, Fowler junior Siera Feldpausch, Byron junior Allison Glass and Bad Axe freshman Destiny Ranquist also won Regional championships.
Division 4 Boys
Team: Two-time reigning champion Bronson will go for the three-peat after finishing runner-up at the JAX 60 Regional, three pins behind Vandercook Lake. But the competition should be fierce, with top-ranked Grass Lake rolling a 3,895 to win its Regional at Ten Pin Alley and Rogers City throwing the Division 4 high 3,903 to win at Lucky Jack’s in Traverse City. No. 2 Whittemore-Prescott was second to Rogers City, and No. 4 Manchester was second to Grass Lake. No. 5 St. Charles was first and No. 3 Ithaca second at Bay City’s Bay Lanes at a Regional that saw No. 6 Unionville-Sebewaing not advance.
Singles: There is lots of opportunity as all eight quarterfinalists from last season graduated. Westwood junior Robert Papp, Burton Bendle junior Nick Love and Grass Lake junior Sean Wyers all are back after making the match play in 2019, with Wyers a Regional champion last weekend. USA senior Ethan Androl rolled the highest Division 4 Regional score, 1,284, and joining him and Wyers as Regional winners were Bronson senior Bryan Foote, Byron senior Kurtis Hatch, Ravenna senior Ethan May and Traverse City Christian junior Hunter Haldaman.
PHOTO: A Clinton Township Chippewa Valley bowler steps into his approach during last weekend’s Division 1 Regional. (Photo courtesy of C&G Newspapers.)