Pennfield, Kearsley Enjoy Repeat Success
March 2, 2018
By Tim Robinson
Special for Second Half
CANTON – It was like old times for Battle Creek Pennfield’s boys bowling team at Friday’s Division 2 Team Finals at Super Bowl.
Winning the title was nothing new; the Panthers did it last year in Division 3. That made Pennfield the first school to win back-to-back bowling championships in different divisions.
The Panthers’ opponent in the Final was familiar, too. Pennfield and Coldwater are both members of the Interstate 8 Athletic Conference.
This season included, however, the first wins over the Cardinals in coach Rick Hinds’ career at Pennfield, and the Panthers took three of four matches – two during the regular season and the third Friday.
“It was tight all season,” Hinds said. “One of our wins was by one pin. We see them a lot.”
But it was a little nerve-wracking for the Panthers after a strong start.
Pennfield won the first Baker game 223-137, by an 86-pin difference, and as it turned out the Panthers needed all of them.
Coldwater made a furious comeback, winning the next Baker game by 25 pins and taking the regular games by 54.
But Pennfield’s strong start held, and the Panthers won by seven pins, 1,264-1,257.
That came in part due to a strong performance by freshman Carson Dyer, who was put in the lineup and finished with strikes in each of his final four frames.
“I plugged him in, and he finished,” Hinds said.
Senior Nick Hohnberger played a key role, having only one open frame during qualifying, while senior Sean Young and junior James Ruoss carried the team during a semifinal win over top seed Tecumseh.
“The competition was stiffer in Division 2,” Hinds said. “Nothing against Division 3, but the schools are bigger and a lot more competitive. I was told we were the smallest Division 2 school to win it. That’s a really good thing.”
On the girls side, the Division 2 trophy will find plenty of company at Flint Kearsley.
The top-seeded Hornets won their fifth consecutive Division 2 title and sixth in the last seven years by beating Tecumseh 1,186-990 in the title match.
Kearsley led by just 10 pins after the Baker games, then won by nearly 200 pins in individual play.
“What happened was I have girls who have experience and knew what to do when we got to the Finals,” Kearsley coach Rob Ploof said. “We filled a lot of frames in the first individual game.”
With the outcome determined, Ploof asked for volunteers among his starters to sit so senior Mary Wheeler and freshman Allison Robbins could get a chance to bowl in the Final.
Without hesitation, junior Alexis Roof and sophomore Imari Blond volunteered.
“They wanted to let our seniors finish,” Ploof said. “I preach all season long it’s about the team. I quote Bo (Schembechler, the late University of Michigan football coach) all the time. It’s the team, the team, the team. No one cares how you scored, as long as you win.”
Kearsley held off Sturgis in the quarterfinals.
“They gave us a run for our money,” Ploof said, “but Emma Boychuk, a senior, struck out in the 10th and won us the match. I give her a lot of credit.”
In the semifinals against Carleton Airport, senior Karlee Griffin led the way, with senior Barbara Hawes making a solid contribution as well.
The Hornets then knocked off Tecumseh, a team that gave Kearsley fits at the beginning of Ploof’s tenure. The first year his team bested the Indians was 2012, the first year Kearsley won the Division 2 title.
Ploof said his program has a strong feeder system at the elementary and middle school levels.
“When they get to the varsity level, they’re ready,” he said.
And for the fifth year in a row, the Hornets finished with a win.
“It never gets old,” Ploof said. “Never.”
Click for full boys results and girls results.
Franklin Finishes Title Sweep, Davison Adds Individual Win to Team Runner-up
By
Perry A. Farrell
Special for MHSAA.com
March 5, 2022
ALLEN PARK – Emma Siekierski kept doing just enough to advance at Saturday’s Division 1 Singles Finals, until she put up a 279 game to move to the championship by eliminating Bailey Tomlin of New Baltimore Anchor Bay.
The Davison senior then prevailed in the final, winning 430-374 over Alyssa Fortney of Zeeland.
“I wanted a state team title badly,’’ said Siekierski, whose team finished runner-up the day before. “We struggled Friday. In our gym we have so many team title banners, but now at least I get to go into the gym and see my name for the individual singles title. It’s something I’ll always cherish. I trusted my shot today.’’
In the boys, division Livonia Franklin made it a sweep in the team and individual titles as junior Ian Wright edged Jared Musser of Davison, 400-391, in the championship match.
“I really didn’t think I’d get here,’’ said Wright. “The goal was the team title. We waited a long time for that.’’
“I struggled in the main,’’ added Wright of the multiple competition areas at Allen Park’s Thunderbowl Lanes. “We got to the arena, and I was able to make some adjustments.’’
Holt senior David Schaberg was the top male qualifier at 1,439 followed by Warren Woods Tower’s Zach McMichael (1,416) and Caledonia’s Alec Bisterfeldt (1,365). The Ians from team champion Livonia Franklin – Cain and Wright – made the top six, while Davison also had two in the final 16: Jared Musser and Shane Gagnon. Caledonia’s Ayden Sulzener also made the top 16 at 1,288.
Cain came out firing in the quarterfinal with a 300 game to dispose of Dylan Jablonski of Canton 485-304. He eventually cooled off and lost to Musser, who had ACL surgery in his right leg two years ago, 451-357, in the quarterfinal. Musser is a one-step, two-handed bowler.
Musser had eliminated Nate VanderBeek of Wyoming, 441-395.
Schaberg advanced by beating Matthew Starbenz of Brownstown Woodhaven, 420-390. His next opponent was Carson Hommes of Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern, who had beaten Shane Gibson of Waterford Kettering, 378-311. Schaberg eliminated Hommes, 408-395, to advance to the semifinal against Musser, who prevailed 458-388.
Wright moved on by beating Sulzener 469-416. He took on Gagnon, who had eliminated Bisterfeldt, 442-416, and eliminated Gagnon (469-356) to move onto the semifinal.
Macomb Area Conference stars Carter Milasinovich of Utica Eisenhower and Connor Rogus of Dakota had to face each other in quarterfinal matchup after Milasinovich beat Tony DeLuccia of Rockford and Rogus downed McMichael, 467-387. Milasinovich won the friendly rivalry, 409-405, but eventually lost to Wright, 419-376 while Musser eliminated top seed Schaberg, 458-388.
Woods Tower’s Kayla Tafanelli was the top girls qualifier at 1,370, followed by Siekierski at 1,310. Three Zeeland bowlers made the top six: Fortney 1,231, senior Morgan Smith (1,227) and freshman Hayden Pompey-Oshinski (1,224).
New Baltimore Anchor Bay placed two in the top 16 – senior Melanie Straub and senior Bailey Tomlin – as did Hartland with Calie Mitchell and Morgan Maliszewski.
Tafanelli served notice she would be a force to be reckoned with, beating sophomore Samantha Mason, 545-348 with games of 268 and 277.
She faced Ava Crumley, who had defeated New Baltimore Anchor Bay’s Melanie Struab by one pin, 398-397 in the Round of 16.
Zeeland teammates Smith and Fortney faced each other in the quarterfinals after downing Calie Mitchell of Hartland and Hudsonville’s Morgan Blouw, respectively.
Fortney prevailed, 410-393 and upset Tafanelli, 439-422, in the semifinals to advance to the championship.
Nataleigh Eagle of Monroe beat Angelita Mireles of Holt, 332-320. She then squared off against Tomlin, who had finished off Pompey-Oshinski, 397-311.
The other quarterfinal had Maliszewski, who had defeated Aubree Clark of Utica (408-378), taking on Siekierski, who had eliminated Karley Chouinard of Westland John Glenn, 361-322.
PHOTOS (Top) Davison's Emma Siekierski rolls during Saturday's Division 1 Singles Final at Thunderbowl Lanes. (Middle) Franklin's Ian Wright lines up his shot during his championship match against Davison's Jared Musser. (Click for more from Champions Photography.)