Seniors Lead Winning Efforts in D4
March 1, 2014
By Andrew Frushour
Second Half
BATTLE CREEK – Jonesville’s boys bowling team made it all the way to the championship match at the 2012 Division 4 Bowling Team Final before falling to Rogers City.
The Comets pledged to return and win the school’s first MHSAA title in any sport.
And then, last season, they failed to advance from their Division 4 Regional.
That only added Jonesville’s resolve this winter – especially with four key seniors competing together for the last time. Their run through Friday’s Team Final was not an easy one – the Comets qualified seventh for match play, won their Quarterfinal by only a pin and trailed in the championship match after the Baker set.
But by the sixth frame of the individual games, those seniors knew.
Jonesville outlasted Ithaca 1,1153-1,094 to claim that first championship. Meanwhile, on the girls side, Vandercook Lake added its third MHSAA title in four seasons.
“It’s unexplainable, really. It’s been our goal all year, been our goal since last year. Sophomore year we finished second, and it was a goal for us ever since,” Jonesville senior Reed Baker said. “Up and down, crazy. We battled it, really battled it.”
Ithaca’s boys, who also didn’t make the Finals in 2013, dominated Friday’s tournament up until the final match.
The Yellowjackets finished first in qualifying play, then beat Burton Bendle by 241 pins in the Quarterfinal and reigning champion Riverview Gabriel Richard by 126 in the Semifinal. Jonesville, meanwhile, got by Grass Lake only 1,207-1,206 in the quarter and Sandusky by 30 in the semi.
All five Comets rolled between 160-186 in the Final, led by Drew Baker at 186. Joe Whittaker paced Ithaca with a 172.
“All along, we said we were doing it for the seniors. We said we’re going to send you off with a state championship,” Jonesville boys coach Matt Molinaro said. “As soon as we made match play, we looked like the weight of the world was off our shoulders. It was a whole different team. We really bowled badly in the morning and still made it. As soon as we figured out we made it … we just kept fighting.”
Vandercook Lake’s girls also were keyed by an incredible senior group that made its fourth straight MHSAA championship match – lead-off bowler Malloree Ambs, Jessica Bunch and Kelsea Reichard, daughter of coach Todd Reichard.
Ambs, who won the Division 4 Singles title in 2013, was the lead-off bowler in all four of her MHSAA Team Finals – and that was by design. Todd Reichard told her during middle school that she would be his lead-off some day – the bowler who would made good shots, pick up spares and give his team the lead every turn.
Vandercook Lake finished 244 pins better than the field during qualifying and won its Quarterfinal and Semifinal matches by 236 and 228 pins, respectively, before defeating Rogers City in the Final 1,273-1,031.
Ambs rolled a 203, with Bunch leading with a 244 and Kelsea Reichard adding a 180 in the championship match.
“I think it was one of the most dominating performances I’ve ever seen,” Todd Reichard said. “Any one of the three is going to bowl good, and once one of them gets lined up, I think everybody gets comfortable. They just make spares and throw strikes, and it’s fun.”
The Jayhawks had matched up against Sandusky the last three MHSAA championship matches, and Sandusky finished second to Vandercook Lake in qualifying. But Rogers City threw a wrench into another potential rematch by beating Sandusky by 37 in their Semifinal.
Nicole Bannasch led Rogers City with a 179 in the Final.
“There’s still good competition out there for us. Rogers City surprised us and gave us a run for our money in the Bakers,” Ambs said.
“Our team is young. Most of the kids we have right now are sophomores – it’s just our three seniors – and that makes me feel like they are going to (continue our run).”
Click for full boys results and full girls results.
PHOTOS: The Jonesville boys and Vandercook Lake girls pose with their MHSAA championship trophies. (Photos by Andrew Frushour.)
TC Christian Girls Follow Anchor to Title Win Securing School's D4 Sweep
By
Scott DeCamp
Special for MHSAA.com
March 1, 2024
MUSKEGON – Competing for a state title is not a given, let alone winning one.
Traverse City Christian’s Rebekah Burch has bookend championships now in girls bowling – won as a freshman and as a senior – and she was a big reason for the Sabres’ second title in program history Friday.
In the 10th frame, Burch fired two strikes and followed with nine pins on her final ball to rally the Sabres. In a five-game thriller, Traverse City Christian defeated Bronson 3-2 to capture the Division 4 Finals championship at Northway Lanes.
It’s the second state title in four years for the Sabres’ girls, who shared in the excitement with their boys team Friday as Traverse City Christian pulled the championship sweep with a victory on that side as well.
“It’s so surreal. Like, today, I was going into it and I couldn’t even believe that it happened. When I was in (ninth) grade, I couldn’t believe that it happened,” Burch said. “It’s just crazy and I thank the Lord for everything that he has provided me with, giving me these opportunities.”
Traverse City Christian finished first in the 16-team qualifying block with a total score of 3,066, while Bronson was second at 3,005. Both teams edged their Quarterfinal opponents by 3-2 margins (TCC over Ithaca, Bronson over Ravenna), and both won Semifinal matches 3-1 (TCC over Jonesville, Bronson over Allen Park Cabrini).
The championship match was fittingly a back-and-forth battle with Traverse City Christian and Bronson alternating wins in the first four games. Bronson won the first (158-153) and third (125-100), TCC won the second (178-160) and fourth (166-154). That set the stage for the dramatic final game, which the Sabres rallied to win 191-184 thanks in large part to Burch’s heroics.
“It was mainly just keeping up the energy. Mrs. Radtke, my coach, she always says, ‘It’s not over ‘til it’s over.’ And that’s kind of been one of the main things we’ve been saying throughout the season,” Burch said. “It’s not over ‘til it’s over, ‘til that last ball is thrown.’ Just keep on going until it’s over.”
Traverse City Christian coach Andy Radtke had his doubts at moments during the championship match. But having an anchor bowler like Burch, who was allowed to bowl on the Sabres varsity team as an eighth-grader because of the small-school exemption, meant that anything was possible.
And Burch delivered.
“They never quit. Every time I thought we were out of it, all of sudden, ‘No, we’re not,’” Andy Ratdke said. “Started adding up (the score), ‘Wait a minute, if Rebekah strikes, we win.’”
Burch’s strikes and those of her teammates were the big separator between the teams, according to first-year Bronson coach Leah Friedel, who said her team felt good throughout the match until the very last frame.
Bronson was aiming for a fourth Division 4 championship in six years.
“We had spares, but they had the strikes, which overtook us in the end,” Friedel said.
“This has been an amazing season. We went undefeated before getting here, so I am super proud.”
Traverse City Christian’s boys bowling team seized its first state championship in the middle of the afternoon. As soon as the Sabres wrapped it up, TCC coach Brent Wheat hustled down several lanes to get caught up with the girls in their Semifinal match versus Jonesville.
Wheat, who calls himself the “mechanical guy” of the three Sabres coaches, had to calm himself down and re-focus on the girls team.
“I had to try and calm down, focus on what they had going on, and try and help them get through to the Finals,” Wheat said. “I would love to say it’s me (who was more riled up) but I’m not the one up there throwing the ball. I know what that feels like, too.”
Traverse City Christian traveled to Muskegon on Thursday, practiced at Northway Lanes, and stayed overnight.
The MHSAA Singles Finals are Saturday, and four members of the Traverse City Christian girls team will be competing along with three from the Sabres’ boys squad.
In Wheat’s mind, anything that happens Saturday is a bonus.
“We knew Bronson had a really tough team and if we were able to make it to the Finals, we figured it would probably be against them,” he said. “We knew it was going to be a hurdle in the Finals just because they have a lot of good bowlers. They’re mechanically sound, they’re good spare shooters.
“We got hot there at the end of the game. Our anchor bowler, Rebekah, she’s been with us since eighth grade because we’re such a small school, we’re able to have eighth-graders in our program. She was able to come through big and bury two big strikes to win it.”
Burch was in disbelief about Traverse City Christian sweeping girls and boys titles a mere 90 minutes apart.
“Oh, it’s so cool,” she said with a hearty laugh. “It’s so exciting.”