Preview: Contenders New and Old
March 5, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
All eight MHSAA bowling champions from 2014 will return for this weekend’s Team Finals on Friday, and four who have won individual titles will compete in Singles Finals on Saturday.
But that hardly means we should expect everything to fall into place as it has in the recent past.
Contenders old and also new abound for this weekend’s tournaments, the 12th since bowling became an MHSAA-sponsored sport in 2004. Read about them below.
All Team Finals are Friday, and Singles Finals are Saturday. Click for the full list of qualifiers, and come back to Second Half all weekend for coverage from all four Finals sites.
Girls Division 1
Team: Davison is rolling on a three-year championship streak and enters the weekend as again a Regional champion – although its 3,376 qualifying score was only third highest in the division as a whole. Macomb Dakota (4,194) and Westland John Glenn (4,141) both broke 4,000 pins and have plenty of experience at this level – John Glenn was runner-up to Davison last season, and Dakota fell to Davison in the Semifinal. Dakota sophomore Tamera Robinson (1,271) won the individual Regional title at Star Lanes in Sterling Heights while three more teammates finished among the top nine; John Glenn placed four among the top eight and three among the top four at Canton’s Super Bowl.
Singles: Last season’s MHSAA Final was a matchup of John Glenn bowlers, and both return – junior Emily Dietz, the champion, was eighth at her Regional with a 1,183, while junior Julia Huren was second at 1,333. Total, nine of last season’s 16 match play finalists will compete again this weekend, but four of the top five Regional qualifying scores were by bowlers not part of that group – Canton sophomore Megan Macunovich (1,345), Brighton freshman Natalie Klein (1,331), Zeeland sophomore Olivia Hoeksema (1,308) and Caledonia freshman Macalin Rodriguez (1,300).
Boys Division 1
Teams: Reigning champion Detroit U-D Jesuit will be back after rolling a 3,705 to finish second at its Regional at Woodhaven Lanes. But 12 qualifiers broke 4,000 pins, with Saginaw Heritage (4,325) and Canton (4,231) topping the list. Heritage went on to place four individual qualifiers among the top 10 of that competition, led by senior Derrick Norman; his 1,569 easily was the highest Regional score in any division. Reigning runner-up Grand Haven and semifinalist Oxford both also made the field, although both finished as Regional runners-up last weekend.
Singles: Norman made the quarterfinals last season, and he’ll be joined in the field this weekend by Grand Haven sophomore Jimmy Mitchell, a semifinalist in 2014. Clarkston junior Jacob Kersten, Hudsonville senior Travis Schreer and Macomb Dakota senior Justin Taylor also are back after making last winter’s match play, Kersten as a Regional champion last weekend. Flint Carman-Ainsworth junior Jordan Nunn would’ve been at any other Regional, with his 1,400 placing second to Norman at Lansing’s Royal Scot.
Girls Division 2
Team: This follows a similar theme as Division 1, with reigning champion Flint Kearsley seeking its third championship in four seasons and entering as a Regional winner – although with only the sixth-best score from last weekend. Warren Regina (3,645) topped the list, with Grand Rapids Northview (3,591), Charlotte (3,517), Bay City Western (3,517) and Tecumseh (3,492) also joining Kearsley (3,490) as winners. Western, last season’s Finals runners-up, then placed four among the top five in the singles standings with co-champs in juniors Alexia Richard and Storm Butler.
Singles: Kearsley returns two of last year’s 16 match-place qualifiers including semifinalist Hannah Ploof, a junior, who won her Regional rolling 1,140. Regina sophomore Madchen Breen will return for her second Finals after rolling the highest Regional score in any division – 1,267 – with Coldwater senior Patricia Neely posting the second-highest in Division 2 at 1,182. Kearsley senior Dani Doolan, Charlotte junior Malorie Kiplinger and West Branch Ogeamw Heights senior Riley Griffin also are among qualifiers who made Finals match play in 2014.
Boys Division 2
Team: Ortonville Brandon was the lone qualifier to break 4,000 pins at a Division 2 Regional, its 4,403 more than 70 pins better than anyone else in the division after it made match play but fell to eventual champion Kearsley in the Quarterfinals last season. Kearsley also won a Regional title last weekend at 3,971, the second-highest score in Division 2, and with junior Chad Stephen and senior Anthony Kelley making the Singles Finals.
Singles: Stephen and Trenton senior David Owens were quarterfinalists last year, and they’ll be joined in the field by four more 2014 match play qualifiers: Kelley, Marysville senior Tyler Fields, Parma Western senior Andrew Mulliken and Jackson Northwest senior Brian Lewis. Fields rolled a division-best 1,388 to win his Regional at Westland’s Oak Lanes, while Bay City Western junior Dylan Brown rolled a 1,355 to win at Monitor Lanes in Bay City and come in with the division’s second-highest singles pinfall.
Girls Division 3
Team: Ishpeming is storming back into the Finals after making its first championship match and finishing runner-up to Croswell-Lexington last season. The Hematites had a Division 3-best Regional score of 3,410, with Jonesville next-highest winning at 3,385 at Monroe’s Nortel Lanes. Three of Ishpeming’s five bowlers from last season’s run are back and also made the Singles Finals – seniors Kaylee O’Connor and Kassy Harsila and junior Kassey Kytola.
Singles: Corunna junior Hannah Eldridge finished first in the 2014 qualifying block and made the Semifinal, and she’ll return this weekend after qualifying 10th at her Regional. Croswell-Lexington senior Katie LaPorte and Standish-Sterling junior Dayna Schmidt also will be back from last season’s match play, Schmidt as a Regional champion last weekend. Dundee sophomore Breanna Johnson (1,155) and Leslie senior Tiffany Hills (1,117) were the high scorers at Regionals for this division; neither made the Finals a year ago.
Boys Division 3
Team: Fremont is the reigning champion and has won two of the last three seasons, but will have some heavy competition after qualifying second from its Regional. Jackson Lumen Christi (3,937) and Armada (3,909) both won Regionals to pace Division 3 after both falling in last season’s Quarterfinals. The favorites will be keyed by standouts; Fremont is led again by senior Sam Brandt, last season’s high roller for his team in the Team Final and then Singles Final champion. Lumen Christi has a collection of strong seniors including Zach Ulicny, the reigning Singles Final runner-up. Reigning Division 4 champion Jonesville qualified third behind Lumen Christi and Flat Rock at Nortel Lanes.
Singles: Last season’s finalists will be joined this weekend by four more who made the 2014 match play: Essexville-Garber senior Chase Badalamenti, a returning semifinalist, plus Portland junior Marcus Zinn, Wyoming Godwin Heights junior Zac Vos and Lumen Christi senior Matt Nicoson. Cheboygan senior Matt Duffiney won his Regional by nearly 150 pins with a division-best 1,331, and Romulus Summit Academy freshman Ryan Wright burst on the scene with a 1,275 to win his tournament.
Girls Division 4
Team: Vandercook Lake, Sandusky and Rogers City have dominated Division 4 since its creation in 2010, with Vandercook Lake the two-time reigning champion and owner of four MHSAA titles total. But the Jaykawks posted only the second-highest Regional score (3,538), with St. Louis rolling a 3,545 to edge Ithaca by a mere eight pins at Mount Pleasant’s Riverwood Resort. Rogers City (3,483) again was a Regional champion after finishing Finals runner-up a year ago, and Burton Bendle (3,409) also broke 3,400 to win its Regional by nearly 400 pins.
Singles: Although all four of last season’s semifinalists graduated, seven match play qualifiers are again in the field. Sandusky senior Keri Malloy, Unionville-Sebewaing senior Kyleigh McCarthy and Rogers City junior Rebecca Bannasch and junior Alana Wirgau all bowled in the quarterfinals last season, while Hanover-Horton junior Emma Davis, St. Ignace senior Sharman Colegrove and Oscoda senior Paige Huebel also made the Round of 16. Clinton junior Miranda Porath and Sandusky junior Leslie Williams made the Finals but missed match play in 2014, but they’re back with the top Regional scores in the division of 1,143 and 1,121, respectively.
Boys Division 4
Team: Three teams broke 3,900 to win Regional titles – Sandusky (4,057), St. Charles (3,988) and Hanover-Horton (3,923). St. Charles, winner of the first Division 4 title in 2009, is led by sophomore Kyle Tuttle, last season’s Singles Final champion. Reigning team champion Jonesville is in Division 3 this season and runner-up Ithaca didn’t qualify, but Sandusky was a semifinalist a year ago and also had three make the Singles Finals led by junior Brett Hancock.
Singles: This session of the entire weekend might have the most returning star power. Joining Tuttle are Rogers City junior Bailey Budnik, the 2013 Singles champ, and St. Louis senior Zach Fenby, last winter’s runner-up. Riverview Gabriel Richard junior Austin Kraemer made the semifinals last season and won his Regional last weekend with a division-best 1,372. Hanover-Horton senior Alex Wyckoff, Kalamazoo Hackett senior Zack Isaacs, Galesburg-Augusta senior Joshua Wayne and St. Louis senior Jeffrey Fisher also are back from last season’s match play. Pewamo-Westphalia senior Chase Thelen didn’t make last season’s Finals – but did break 1,300 as well last weekend to win his Regional.
PHOTO: Rogers City’s Bailey Budnik was the Division 4 Singles champion in 2013 and returns as a contender this weekend.
Preview: Finals Feature Returning Singles Stars, Potentially Wide-Open Team Races
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
March 3, 2022
Five singles champions from last season’s MHSAA Bowling Finals will be returning to the lanes Saturday, lining up at least a few contenders for fans to follow – even if two will be bowling in the same bracket this time.
Friday’s team championship competition is a lot harder to forecast, even with five returning title winners back in the field.
Below is a look at possible contenders for all eight championships, both team and singles. Action begins both days at 8:25 a.m., with Division 1 at Allen Park’s Thunderbowl, Division 2 at Canton’s Super Bowl, Division 3 at Jackson’s Jax 60 and Division 4 at Battle Creek’s M-66 Bowl. 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: A Grand Rapids-area team has won the last three Division 1 championships, and Zeeland may be the favorite to win its second in three seasons after dominating its Regional with 3,843 pins – nearly 550 more than the runner-up at Sherman Bowling Center in Muskegon. Sterling Heights Stevenson rolled the highest Regional score in Division 1 at 4,088 at Five Star in Sterling Heights, and Holt also broke 3,800 with a 3,818 at Royal Scot in Lansing to edge Davison by 117 pins. Macomb Dakota also nearly reached 3,800 (3,794) and Plymouth, Farmington and Lincoln Park also were Regional champions. Reigning Division 1 champion Hudsonville didn’t qualify.
Singles: Although 2021 champion Anna Maxwell of Westland John Glenn graduated, the other three semifinalists all will return this weekend. Runner-up Ava Crumley, now a senior at South Lyon, and New Baltimore Anchor Bay junior Melanie Straub both are coming off Regional titles, and Monroe senior Nataleigh Eagle was fourth at Spins Bowl in Taylor. Wyandotte Roosevelt senior Angelita Rodriguez, Belleville senior Sydney Allison and Zeeland senior Morgan Smith also return from last year’s match play after all finishing Regional runners-up last week. Warren Woods Tower junior Kayla Tafanelli finished six pins ahead of Rodriguez at Spins Bowl and made the Division 2 Finals match play last season. Hartland senior Morgan Maliszweski, Grand Blanc junior Grace Handa and Zeeland junior Alyssa Fortney also were Regional champions last weekend.
Division 1 Boys
Team: Compared to last season, when 4,059 was the top Regional score in this division, seven teams surpassed that last weekend with Livonia Franklin at 4,385 and Utica Eisenhower at 4,375 leading the way. Eisenhower was the Division 1 Finals champion two seasons ago, and reigning title winner Salem did qualify again, third behind Franklin and Belleville at Canton Super Bowl. Waterford Kettering, which rolled that high Regional score last year, won a Regional title again, and Davison, Brownstown Woodhaven and Jenison also won their team tournaments last weekend.
Individual: Two-time champion Izaac Goergen from Midland graduated, but two more semifinalists from 2021 return – Holt senior David Schaberg rolled the highest Regional series regardless of division, 1,530, and Franklin senior Ian Cain also won a Regional title after making last year’s semis. Northville senior Brandon Leavitt and Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern senior Carson Hommes additionally are back after making the Finals match play. Caledonia junior Ayden Sulzener, Macomb Dakota junior Connor Rogus, Milford senior Alex Shaw and Woodhaven junior Matthew Sterbenz also were Regional champs.
Division 2 Girls
Team: The Division 2 Regionals were mostly ruled by big winners. Bay City John Glenn rolled the highest score, dominating at Monitor Lanes in Bay City with 3,780 pins – 330 more than runner-up and reigning Finals champion Flint Kearsley. St. Clair Shores Lake Shore rolled the second-highest score in the division, 3,363, and won by 318. Charlotte won its Regional by 199, Sparta was victorious by 218, Wayland won by 116 and South Lyon East had the closest race of the six with a 40-pin win over Carleton Airport. Last season’s Finals runner-up Mason also advanced with a third-place Regional finish.
Singles: Seniors dominated last season’s bracket, slotting into all four semifinals spots. But Whitehall senior Karli VanDuinen, Charlotte senior Adrianna Good and Mason senior Alexis Beach all are back after reaching the quarterfinals. Wayland junior Kadence Bottrall and Tecumseh junior Abby Werden return after making the 2021 match play, Bottrall off a Regional title last week. Kearsley junior Sara Ritchie had the highest Regional score in any division, 1,361, to win her Regional at Monitor Lanes, while Good, Fruitport junior Brynna Hanson, Livonia Clarenceville freshman Caitlyn Johnson and Airport senior Kyla Peterson also won last weekend – Johnson also breaking 1,300 (1,311). Taylor junior Casey Malmsten made the Division 3 match play last season bowling for Canton Prep.
Division 2 Boys
Team: Reigning champion Dearborn Divine Child locked up a trip to the Finals with the second-highest score among Division 2 Regional champions, 3,966 at Westland’s Oak Lanes. The highest Regional score in the division belonged to Flint Kearsley, which at 4,467 pins bested three qualifiers who rolled at least 4,300 at Monitor. Jackson Northwest, Cedar Springs, Allegan and New Boston Huron also won Regional titles. Northwest was the Division 2 Finals champion in 2020, and Huron won in 2019.
Singles: Six rollers are back from last season’s Finals match play, led by returning champion Kyle Pranger. The Grand Rapids Northview junior was one of the Regional champions last week – but he’s also not the only champion in this field, as Livonia Clarenceville senior Jacob Johnson was a Regional runner-up after winning last season’s Division 3 title. Kearsley junior Howie Hammond – a Division 2 semifinalist a year ago – also won a Regional title, and 2021 Finals runner-up and now-senior Damein Milliman also will be back after finishing runner-up at his Regional to Jackson Northwest junior teammate Ryan Wenman. John Glenn sophomore Logan Larive, Grand Rapids Christian senior Jerry LaRue and Tecumseh sophomore Owen Williams also are returning from the 2021 match play bracket, Williams after making the quarterfinals. Divine Child senior Paul Scheuher, Mattawan junior Charlie Johnson and Huron junior Donald Jacobs also won Regional singles titles last week.
Division 3 Girls
Team: The Tri-Valley Conference owns the last two Division 3 girls championships, and Midland Bullock Creek could be the next from that league to bring one home as it won a Regional title – while last season’s champion Birch Run did not qualify. Kent City, the Division 4 runner-up two seasons ago, rolled the highest Regional score in the Division 3, 3,376 at Muskegon’s Northway Lanes to win by 291 pins. Cheboygan, Richmond, Niles Brandywine and Clinton also won Regional titles, and 2021 Finals runner-up Armada advanced with a third-place finish.
Singles: Flint Powers Catholic sophomore Elizabeth Teuber opened up the possibility of a historic high school run with a 52-pin win in last season’s championship match, and she was among Regional champions last weekend. Central Montcalm senior Arabella Huntoon also will be back after making the semifinals last season, and Hillsdale sophomore Chloe Manifold, junior teammate Rainee Vanheerde and Algonac senior Natalie Kapanowski are back after making the quarterfinals. Garber senior Brooke Binder, Hudsonville Unity Christian junior Lauren VanderMaas and Onsted sophomore Sydney Nichols also made the match play last season, and Nichols also was among Regional champs last week along with Jonesville junior Abby Gutkowski, Grand Rapids West Catholic junior Kayla Van Linden, Clare senior Sofiah Coker and junior sister Alexah Coker (who tied) and Bullock Creek sophomore Brooklynn Marshall.
Division 3 Boys
Team: Last season’s champion in this division Grass Lake didn’t advance this time, nor did the runner-up from the past two seasons Boyne City – making this race even more intriguing. Madison Heights Bishop Foley rolled a division-best 3,960 to win at Richmond’s Strikers Bowling Center, and Richmond was the second-highest there and overall in Division 3 at 3,906. Jonesville, the 2018 Finals champion, won its Regional by 256 pins, while Standish-Sterling (180) and Romulus Summit Academy North (186) also posted comfortable victories and Belding (52) and Frankenmuth (5) won by much closer margins.
Singles: With Johnson bowling in Division 2 this season, Belding senior Trenton Altman might be the favorite Saturday after finishing runner-up last year and winning his Regional last weekend. Cheboygan junior Cole Swanberg also will return after making last season’s quarterfinals, while Lake Odessa Lakewood sophomore Phillip Butler, Birch Run senior Jase Clairmont and Muskegon Orchard View senior Trent Beerman also return after making the match play. Gladwin sophomore Brady Weston, Freeland senior Jackson Vlassis, Bishop Foley junior Nolan Matz, Hillsdale senior Andrew Hollister and Adrian Madison junior Collin Hickman also won Regional titles last weekend.
Division 4 Girls
Team: Traverse City Christian broke Bronson’s two-year hold on the title last season, and both will be back after finishing runners-up at their respective Regionals. Grass Lake bowled the division’s highest Regional score of 3,427 to win at Jax 60 by 99 pines, while Allen Park Cabrini (303), Ravenna (126) and Portland St. Patrick (313) posted bigger wins and Ishpeming Westwood (80) and Burton Atherton (8) claimed Regional titles by closer margins.
Singles: Gobles junior Morgan Brunner won last season’s Finals championship by eight pins and will return after earning her Regional title by 99 last weekend. Only two others who made last season’s Finals match play didn’t graduate last spring, and both also are returning – Beaverton junior Becca Claypool after also winning her Regional, and Maple City Glen Lake junior Chloe Crick after finishing third to her at Lucky Jacks in Traverse City. St. Pat’s senior Abigail Weller, Atherton freshman Reagan Baker, Bronson sophomore Hadassah Bloom and Cabrini junior Jordan Downham also were Regional champs.
Division 4 Boys
Team: St. Charles won its first championship last season since 2010 and will return as a Regional runner-up. Its score of 3,639 pins last weekend actually was fourth-highest in Division 4, as New Lothrop finished ahead at Riverwood Resort in Mount Pleasant with a 3,795, 2020 Finals champ Grass Lake rolled the division-high of 3,894 and Burton Bendle also won a Regional at 3,668. Wyoming Potter’s House Christian, Allen Park Cabrini and Bellaire rounded out the Regional champs.
Singles: Burr Oak now-senior Ethan Lindsey was the only non-senior to make the semifinals last season, and the reigning Division 4 champion is back after coming in second at his Regional last weekend to Hanover-Horton senior Ben Childs. Six others who reached at least match play last season also will be returning. New Lothrop senior Rafael Woods and Britton Deerfield senior Gavin Schroen won Regional titles last weekend, while Lakeview senior Riley Devereaux, Jackson Lumen Christi junior Jackson Kremer, Kimball Landmark senior Aiden Briguglio and Baldwin senior Jesse Pancio also are returning – Pancio and Schroen after making the quarterfinals in 2021. Ravenna junior Dylan Gordon, Bendle junior Andrew Robbins and Coleman senior Josh Gross also won Regional titles.
PHOTO Plymouth Christian Academy advanced to the Division 4 Boys Bowling Final with a runner-up Regional finish last week. (Photo courtesy of Plymouth Christian Academy’s boys bowling program.)