Clarenceville Girls Follow Captain in Claiming 1st Finals Title
By
Jeff Bleiler
Special for MHSAA.com
February 28, 2025
JACKSON — When it was all over and the realization set upon them, Raegan Priebe could only summon three words while celebrating with her teammates.
“We did it! We did it!” she exclaimed while hugging each one.
The “it” was winning the Division 3 team title at JAX 60 on Friday, the first Finals championship in girls bowling in her school’s history. Livonia Clarenceville defeated Adrian Madison 3-1 in the best-of-five championship, losing the first game 166-131 before rattling off the next three, 204-134, 123-106 and 187-166.
“The key thing was to make our spares and at least match what our opponents were doing,” said John Makar, Clarenceville’s head coach. “Our coaches told the kids that, our team captain repeated it. She’s one of the greatest team captains I have ever seen in any sport.”
That captain is senior Caitlyn Johnson, who willed a lineup laden with youth to the championship.
“These girls have worked so hard, they’ve put all the time, all the effort, all the love, all the tears, all the blood into it,” she said. “Every possible thing they could do, they gave it to me, and I couldn’t be any more proud as captain.”
The last time Clarenceville made the Finals was three years ago during Johnson’s freshman season, and they failed to advance out of the qualifying session. This year, they’re taking home the big trophy.
“It’s a big thrill. I couldn’t have done it without our assistant coaches, especially Art Priebe and Anthony Williams,” Makar said. “I’ve kind of been orchestrating the whole thing, doing the behind-the-scenes work and working with all the freshmen we have.”
Clarenceville qualified first out of 16 teams with a total of 2,944 for the eight Baker games and two team games. The top seed defeated eighth-seed Armada in three games in the quarterfinal, then advanced to the final with a 3-1 victory over Ishpeming Westwood.
Leading 2-1 in the final, Clarenceville had just one open frame in the decisive game with Raegan Priebe throwing strikes in the fourth and ninth and Johnson adding one in the fifth and a spare to clinch it in the 10th.
Johnson, Priebe and freshman Olivia Young qualified for the individual Finals.
Madison earned the second seed out of qualifying, just 36 pins shy of Clarenceville’s total, but had a more dramatic road to the final. Madison needed five games to defeat Gladwin, then went the distance again in the semifinals against Flint Powers Catholic, which included a 156-145 win in the last game.
“These girls, they put their heart and soul in everything,” said coach Randy Ramirez, who credited his assistants with helping the team be successful. “We had an amazing season, we won a couple tournaments. They just caught us at the wrong time.”
Sophomore Vanessa Underwood, freshman Paige Underwood and junior Angelina Alvarez all qualified for the individual Finals for Madison.
Pinter Finds Groove, Claims Tecumseh's 1st Bowling Title in Decade
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
March 1, 2025
WATERFORD — Right away Saturday, Tecumseh girls bowling coach Doug McKowen seemed to notice something different about junior Kierra Pinter at the Division 2 Singles Finals.
It certainly wasn’t what he saw the day before during the Team Finals, which was a good thing.
“She struggled (Friday),” McKowen said. “Her shot seemed a little bit different. But she got a good look today and was unstoppable from Game 1. She threw it so good, and her spare shooting was fantastic.”
Pinter was fantastic in just about every area, becoming the first Tecumseh bowler in 10 years to win an individual title with a 403-389 win over Carleton Airport junior Abigail Hill in the championship match.
“It’s just an amazing feeling right now,” Pinter said as she was wiping tears afterward. “I don’t know what to think.”
Pinter wasn’t at her best during qualifying, but still managed to advance as the No. 11 seed.
She began her run in the knockout round with a 423-389 win over Pinckney freshman Danielle Martyka, and then defeated St. Clair Shores South Lake sophomore Sara Augustilus in the quarterfinal, 477-344.
Pinter wasn’t as sharp in the semifinals, but still managed to eke out a 339-333 win over Ada Forest Hills Eastern senior Emilee Nowicki.
Pinter got off to a good start in the final against Hill, bowling a 217 in the first game to take a 19-pin lead.
Hill actually outshot Pinter in the second game, but the 191-186 score wasn’t enough to overtake her for the match.
McKowen said proper technique and making spares were the biggest keys for Pinter.
“Just keep your basics,” he said. “We kept working on that pushaway. Work on that pushaway, keep your basics going and we win the war with spares. And we did. Spares was the key today. Kierra was awesome.”
For Pinter, it was easy to pinpoint the turnaround in her play from the qualifying block to the match play portion of the event.
“Definitely people there for me and watching me,” she said. “Me focusing on what mark to hit and follow through.”
While Pinter had a little room to spare qualifying for the match play round, Hill didn’t at all. She was the No. 16 seed coming out of the qualifying block, making the cut by just one pin.
Hill took advantage of her new lease on life, so to speak.
“It just kept me going,” she said.
She first knocked off top-seeded Phoebe Fisk of Cedar Springs in the round of 16, 378-331, and then earned a 368-348 win over Mason senior Avery Beach in the quarterfinals.
Hill then advanced to the semifinals with a 347-292 win over Goodrich senior Teagyn Tong.