Loy Norrix Hopes to Roll to MHSAA Finals

By Pam Shebest
Special for MHSAA.com

February 16, 2016

KALAMAZOO — Three years ago, 12-year-old Trevor Morgan became the youngest bowler in the Kalamazoo area to throw a sanctioned 300 game.

So far Morgan hasn’t duplicated the feat except in practice, but the sophomore is the top scorer on his Loy Norrix team with a 202 average.

After starting the season with a 1-2 record, the Knights rallied to a second-place finish in the Southwest Michigan High School Bowling Conference’s top division this season, winning their last five matches.

Portage Northern (8-0) won the division.

As teams head into the MHSAA Division 1 Regionals Feb. 26-27 at Royal Scot Golf and Bowl in Grand Ledge, Morgan has two goals: He hopes to return to the MHSAA Finals as an individual, and he would be thrilled if the team also qualified.

“It would be awesome,” he exclaimed. “We have Connor (Thomas) who’s a junior and Bailey (Brandt) who’s a sophomore and didn’t bowl last year.

“Trentin (Hohler) is a newcomer and I’d love to go to states this year as a team. It would be awesome.”

Morgan missed the final cut by four pins last year, but the experience was eye-opening.

“I learned that there’s a lot of other good bowlers out there,” he said. “I’m not the only one.

“I know I can bowl around here, but I got there and bowled against all those kids who are seniors and who have been bowling just as long, if not longer, than I have.”

Morgan started bowling at age 2, but his father would not allow him to use the bumpers.

“He would stand out there, put his finger on second arrow and say ‘Hit my finger, hit my finger,’” he said.

Although he’s bowled in junior leagues and tournaments, Morgan said he loves the excitement of high school bowling.

“In high school, I feel my team supports me,” he said. “We all support each other. In junior leagues, it’s like go up, throw a shot, turn back around, high five.

“On the team, we get loud. You throw a strike, you get loud. You just get pumped up. You’re basically bowling for yourself in junior leagues.”

Experienced leaders at the top

All of that experience led to coach Mike Brandt naming Morgan captain last year as a freshman and this year as well.

“It’s not so much because of how he bowls, but how he acts and helps out,” said Brandt, who has coached the team for almost six years.

He took over midseason when his son, Zach, was a freshman and the team had no coach.

“I’ve been a (United State Bowling Congress) certified coach for about 20 years, so I knew how to coach,” Brandt said. “I just didn’t know that much about high school.

“Zach is (now) an assistant and he’s helped me build the program. All five years, either boys or girls finished first or second in league.”

Brandt said he doesn’t like to cut anyone from the team because, “I have what I call a practice squad. I feel if I cut kids, they have no chance to get better.

“Once I know a match is won, I pull the starters as soon as I can and let the others play to give them the experience.”

He also starts each practice with stretching exercises and drills such as a bowler’s approach.

“I stress fundamentals and spare shooting,” he said. “I’m a very big spare-shooting coach.” 

With no seniors and just one junior among the starting five, Brandt knows he has a young team but has seen improvement throughout the season. He also knows the challenges of regional and state competition.

“There are a lot of nerves,” he said. “The east side of the state is huge. It’s very difficult to beat those guys.”

Thomas’ 185 average is second-best on the team while Brandt, the coach’s son, is third at 181 and Hohler, a sophomore, fourth at 151. 

Currently, freshman Steve London (139) bowls in the fifth spot.

Others on the team are seniors Haruto Kumasaka and Seth Harding; sophomores Peyton Spinney and Harry Norder and freshman Brandon Worden.

“Trevor probably has the most experience and a willingness to win,” the coach said. “He and Bailey are probably the best at that.

“When they’re up there, even if they’re in a bad mood, they give it their all.”

It’s a team game

Once in high school, the teens had to learn a new form of bowling: Baker games where the first person bowls the first and sixth frames, the second bowls the second and seventh, and so on.

Morgan usually bowls the fifth and 10th frames.

“I like (Bakers),” he said. “I think it’s a challenge because you have to put five guys together who have to collaborate. You have to watch the person in front of you bowling. 

“I normally bowl anchor and Bailey’s in front of me, so I can base off what the oil pattern is doing for Bailey and he bases off the guy before him and so on.”

In league competition, bowlers have two regular and two Baker games, but in Team Regionals it’s three regular and six Baker.

“I keep them going, make them bowl more games than they want,” the coach said. “These next two weeks, they’ll bowl more games than they ever had in practices. I’m very much into drills.

“My philosophy is we work in practice so we can have fun on the lanes on Saturdays. You have to have fun because this is a game. If you’re not having fun, there’s no use doing it.”

Thomas, who has bowled on the team all three years and is usually the leadoff bowler, said for the team to qualify for the Finals, “it’s going to take a lot of spares and a lot of people focusing in and actually committing to making it.”

It’s Bailey Brandt’s first year on the team, but having his dad as his coach is nothing new: “He’s been my coach my entire life,” he said.

Hohler is also in his first-year on the team, sparked by some friends from his junior league team.

“They were bowling on the team at Portage Central and Portage Northern,” he said. Unfortunately for him, “We lost to both of them this year.”

Coach Brandt said Hohler has improved a lot.

“We made a lot of changes with him, and he’s stepped up,” Brandt said. And that’s one of the reasons Hohler likes the high school league.

“It’s more organized, and you learn a lot more,” he said. “I started out bowling straight, and now I’m hooking it.”

Thomas also enjoys high school bowling.

“Your teammates can hold you up when you’re not having a good day,” he said. “Even if you don’t take your point, you can help toward the total team score.”

Pam Shebest served as a sportswriter at the Kalamazoo Gazette from 1985-2009 after 11 years part-time with the Gazette while teaching French and English at White Pigeon High School. She can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Calhoun, Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties.

PHOTOS: (Top) Trevor Morgan works through a drill during a recent Loy Norrix practice. (Middle) Coach Mike Brandt, Trevor Morgan, Connor Thomas. (Below) Bailey Brandt rolls during one of the team's practice drills. (Photos by Pam Shebest.)

D1 Champs Make Last Matches Count

March 4, 2017

By Keith Dunlap
Special for Second Half

STERLING HEIGHTS – And to think two years ago, Caledonia senior Brittany Schnicke didn’t know if she would ever bowl again.

During her sophomore year, Schnicke had the tips of the middle finger and ring finger on her left bowling hand severed off in an accident suffered during a woodshop class.

“It was on the jointer,” Schnicke said. “I was trying to sand down a piece of wood and I guess the pilot got caught on the guard and my finger slid off.”

Schnicke immediately was taken to the hospital to get her fingers repaired, but understandably was shaken as to when and if she would be able to pick up a bowling ball next.

Ultimately, Schnicke was told by doctors despite two surgeries that she would bowl again, which made Saturday’s MHSAA Division 1 singles tournament the ultimate fairy tale ending.

In the last high school tournament of her career, Schnicke won the individual title, beating Brighton senior Natalie Klein in the championship match, 440-404.

Schnicke, who steadily adapted to a new bowling grip following the accident, stormed back in the second game after falling behind during the first to Klein, 243-206.

“My coach said stay aggressive and stay down, and that’s what I did,” she said. “I came out strong.”

Also coming out strong was Davison senior Dillon McArthur, who won the boys title after finishing as the No. 15 seed out of the qualifying block.

McArthur, who advanced out of the qualifying block two years ago, drew from that experience and rolled to the title, beating Portage Northern senior Brenden Kosanke in the championship match, 418-336.

“I was in that position before and I knew I just had to make my shots,” McArthur said. “Once you qualify, the pins reset and it’s fair game.”

After the qualifying block, McArthur beat Jenison senior Noah Casarez in the Round of 16, 456-385, Hudsonville junior Brendan Bentley in the Quarterfinals, 407-364, and then Macomb Dakota senior Jason Scanlon in the Semifinals, 399-379.

A day after the Davison girls team won its fifth Division 1 title in six years, McArthur was more than happy to bring a banner to the boys side of the Davison program.

“We have to look at them all the time, so finally we get a little bit of bragging rights,” McArthur said.

Kosanke finished as the No. 12 seed out of the qualifying block and started his run with a 406-391 win over junior Trevor Morgan of Kalamazoo Loy Norrix.

In the Quarterfinals, Kosanke beat senior Taran Heersma by a score of 406-402 to set up a Semifinal match with Grand Haven senior Jimmy Mitchell, who was the top seed out of the qualifying block.

Kosanke trailed by 14 pins after the first game, but on the strength of six straight strikes in the final five frames, rallied to earn a 447-441 win over Mitchell.

Schnicke was No. 11 out of the qualifying block in the girls portion and started off the elimination round with a 419-320 win over senior Caity Cox of Flint Carman-Ainsworth.

Schnicke then beat Clarkston freshman Hannah Turk in the Quarterfinals, 378-358, before beating Macomb Dakota senior Hannah Forton in the Semifinals, 412-393.

Klein was the No. 5 seed out of the qualifying block and started her run by beating Carly Scanlon of Macomb Dakota in the Round of 16 by a score of 343-312.

Klein then beat Megan Valentic of Brownstown Woodhaven in the Quarterfinals by a score of 457-372 before knocking off Victoria Giardina of Utica Ford, 399-355.

Giardina in the Quarterfinals upset reigning champion and the No. 1 seed out of the qualifying block, Davison senior Taylor Davis, by a score of 412-394.

Click for full girls results and full boys results.

PHOTO: Davison senior Dillon McArthur and Caledonia senior Brittany Schnicke.