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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.
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Slow Starts Don't Stop D3 Champions
March 7, 2015
By Chip Mundy
Special to Second Half
JACKSON – After the first of the two-game championship match Saturday afternoon, Sam Brandt of Fremont had a 28-pin lead in his quest to become the first back-to-back boys singles champion in MHSAA history.
Sophomore Tyler Kolassa of Warren Lincoln had other ideas.
Kolassa struck in seven of the first eight frames of the second game and went on to defeat Brandt 429-403 to win the MHSAA Division 3 boys singles championship at Airport Lanes in Jackson.
It was a little closer than the final score indicates, however. Brandt stormed back into contention with five strikes in a row, and while a tough task, could have won the match with a double and decent count in the 10th frame.
Brandt’s delivery came in high and left a 6 pin, which he missed. Kolassa won the second game 245-191 to earn the 26-pin victory.
Unlike some who choose not to watch their opponent in a situation like that, Kolassa could not take his eyes off Brandt at the match-deciding moment.
“I watched him; I was right there with him,” Kolassa said.
Kolassa was seeded sixth after averaging 200.8 in the six-game qualifying session. He started with 134 but never went below 198 in the remaining five games of qualifying.
“After that 134 I came back with 246 and just carried on my day,” Kolassa said.
He shared the same pair with Brandt during qualifying and saw first-hand what the smooth right-hander and defending champion was capable of on the lanes.
Brandt qualified fourth and only a 146 final game kept him from being the top seed. He averaged 205.1 in qualifying and was just 16 pins behind qualifying leader Adam Wojtylko of Flat Rock. Brandt had his toughest match en route to the Final in the round of 16, where he won by two pins over Matt Hammer of Armada, while Kolassa edged Brennen Proudfidt of Grand Rapids South Christian by seven in the Semifinals.
In the first game of the championship match, Brandt filled all 10 frames and had two doubles to finish at 212. Kolassa, who had 184, picked up the rare 3-4-6-7 split in the seventh frame but missed a 10 pin in the ninth.
“That first game, I thought he had to miss, but he didn’t miss,” Kolassa said. “I thought it was game over right there.”
Kolassa started the second game with three strikes in a row, and Brandt had open frames in the second, third and fourth. Although Brandt had a chance to win it in the 10th, he didn’t regain the lead.
“I got a little hope there early and took it all the way,” Kolassa said. “It was neck-and-neck and a lot of fun. I thought I might lose, but I held on.
“Honestly, coming into the day I didn’t think I was going to win. I knew I was going to make the cut to the first 16, but I didn’t plan on winning.”
Kolassa’s style makes him stand out on the approach. He uses a six-step approach with a backswing that takes the ball well above his head.
“When I first started to bowl, I was shoulder high,” Kolassa said. “I used to throw the ball so slow, and I complained about not having enough speed. My coach told me to try the high backswing, and I guess I never stopped going higher.”
There was not as much drama on the girls side of the Division 3 singles. Senior Kadee Bechman of Battle Creek Pennfield used a 219 first game to build an 89-pin advantage on Breanna Johnson of Dundee and roll to a 406-346 victory.
It literally was a dream come true for Bechman.
“Last night I had a dream that I would take first place,” she said.
Bechman was seeded sixth after qualifying and, like Kolassa, she struggled in her first game in the morning qualifying session with a 162.
“I just built off of it from there,” she said. “When I found out that I had qualified, I knew that I had to grow on that and not get frustrated with myself and have confidence in myself.”
Bechman shot at least 199 in each of her three matches prior to the championship and won all of them by more than 40 pins. Johnson, a sophomore who was seeded eighth, had a little tougher road as she won one match by five pins and her Semifinal by 22.
However, Bechman grabbed the early lead and never looked back. She had an early double, two in a row in the middle and a late three-bagger for 219, while Johnson had three splits among five open frames as she struggled to a 130.
The second game was academic, and Johnson got back on track with a 216, ending the game with five strikes in a row, while Bechman shot 187.
“I knew if I got that far that I would be able to finish it,” Bechman said of her 89-pin lead after one game.
Bechman has been a life-long bowler, starting the game at age 3. She is a four-time all-conference selection and hopes to attend Olivet College or take a year off and coach bowling. She also aspires to become a professional in the future.
A right-hander with a four-step approach, she has been bowling this year while wearing a knee brace, but that did nothing to slow her down.
“At the beginning of the year, I fell on the gutter in practice and busted my knee,” she said. “It wasn’t too serious, but I’ve just been wearing a knee brace and getting stronger with it.”
The season – and her high school career – culminated in an MHSAA Finals singles championship.
Click for full girls results and boys results.