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.
D2 Winners Follow Through on Title Plans
March 4, 2017
By Tim Robinson
Special for Second Half
CANTON — The Division 2 boys bowling championship came down to the final frame Friday, and when it was over, Lowell had completed a three-year plan that culminated in the school’s first MHSAA title.
Trailing by 46 pins after Baker games, the Red Arrows turned it on during regular play, outscoring Eaton Rapids by 90 pins to take the 1,117-1,073 victory at Super Bowl in Canton.
“It came down to the end in every match,” Lowell coach Chris Clark said.
Lowell senior Logan Smith said when the Red Arrows began the 10th frame in regular play, they realized they were close to winning.
“A couple of their guys had open frames in the ninth, and all of us had marks, which was huge for us,” he said. “But it came down to the last guy before it hit us. It was amazing. I cannot believe it.”
Lowell’s success was the culmination of a plan put forth when Clark took over as coach three years ago.
“The first year,” senior Ben Stewart said, “we had the idea that we had some kid who could bowl pretty well. Let’s just make the state meet. Last year, our plan was we knew we could get there, let’s make it to match play.”
The Red Arrows fell just short of that second aspiration, but had a source of motivation this season.
“The third year would have been the plan to take home the trophy, and this year we came through on our goal,” Stewart said.
Lowell was the No. 3 seed after the qualifying round, while Eaton Rapids was No. 8. The Red Arrows downed No. 6 St. Clair Shores Lakeshore in the Quarterfinals and No. 7 Tecumseh in the Semifinals.
Eaton Rapids, the No. 8 seed, rolled past top seed Flint Kearsley in the quarters and No. 4 Byron Center in the Semifinals.
“This whole year, we had great scores all around,” Stewart said. “We took first in (the Ottawa-Kent) conference, we took first at Regionals. I think from the start, we had this mindset that our whole year was for this weekend.”
The Lowell team’s reaction was subdued in the moments after the win was completed.
“If we were in the other team’s shoes, we wouldn’t want them cheering and screaming in your face,” Stewart said. “You have to have respect for the people you’re bowling against, especially if they make it as far as you did.”
The Lowell bowlers celebrated by staying in their rooms and being together as a team.
“We didn’t sleep much last night,” senior Logan Smith said Saturday. “We all roomed together, having fun and cracking jokes. It was a fun time.
“It was pretty unbelievable,” he said of winning the Division 2 title. “My whole life, I never expected to be a state champ. It was something I never expected to get.”
For the Flint Kearsley girls, winning MHSAA championships is something they’ve come to expect. The Hornets’ title-worthy performance Friday was their fourth in a row and fifth in the last six years.
“It never gets old, that’s for sure,” Kearsley coach Robert Ploof said.
His team held off a game Bay City John Glenn squad in the Final, 1,299-1,217.
“Their coaches did a fabulous job,” Ploof said of the John Glenn team. “We bowled that team a couple of times earlier in the season, and they were nowhere as good as they were (Friday). They pushed us right to the end.”
The Hornets won, in part, due to a key substitution in the Final.
Karlee Griffin, who is Kearsley’s No. 2 bowler, was having an off day and feared she would hurt the team. So she asked Ploof to replace her in the lineup, giving Mary Wheeler, a sophomore, a chance to step in.
“I didn’t have a lot of confidence in myself to pull it any further,” Griffin said. “I wanted my team to win, and I didn’t have the faith in myself that I could pull through, and who knows what would have happened?”
Wheeler stepped into the moment and thrived.
“She came in and threw a big double that helped us win,” Ploof said.
It’s a group of Hornets that Ploof says gets along with each other like no team he’s had in 12 years at Kearsley.
“There’s no drama,” he said. “They’re having a good time and they enjoy it, and they fight for each other.”
A strong feeder program helps, too: Kearsley’s middle school program has five teams, and the junior varsity also thrives.
“That’s what you’ve got to have,” Ploof said. “We’re pretty fortunate as far as that goes.”
Click for full girls results and full boys results.
PHOTOS: (Top) Lowell’s boys pose with their MHSAA championship trophy. (Middle) Flint Kearsley’s girls, holding up their trophy from winning a Division 2 Regional last weekend.