Holly Champion Now Bowling Master

April 16, 2018

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Michigan’s high school bowling community cheered Holly graduate Andrew Anderson as an MHSAA champion in 2013.

Now, it can celebrate him as a “master.”

Anderson bested a 360-bowler field to win his first Professional Bowlers Association Tour championship Sunday, finishing first at the United States Bowling Congress Masters in Syracuse, N.Y. The Masters is considered a major tournament on the PBA Tour schedule.

After completing qualifying, Anderson was one of 64 competitors to make the match play. He downed Alex Hoskins of Brigham, Utah, 213-199 in the championship match. Click to read more from USBC.

Anderson returned to Holly’s bowling team for the final six weeks of his senior season after previously making the match play at the MHSAA Finals as a freshman and advancing the quarterfinals as a sophomore. He won his Division 2 championship match as a senior by 112 pins. (Click for coverage of that 2013 tournament from Second Half.)

Anderson attends Davenport University and is in his first year as a member of Team USA. He also bowled three years as part of Junior Team USA.

PHOTO: Holly’s Andrew Anderson, holding his USBC Masters trophy. (Photo courtesy of USBC.)

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.