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.

Finals Preview: Regulars' Roll Call

February 27, 2014

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The boys and girls sides of this weekend’s MHSAA Bowling Finals could follow distinctly different storylines with team competition set to begin Friday.

Regulars like Davison, Tecumseh, Vandercook Lake and Sandusky are among favorites again in the girls competition. The boys tournaments appear much more wide open with a number of unranked teams looking good to make runs at titles.

All Team Finals are Friday, and Singles Finals are Saturday. Click for the full list of girls qualifiers and boys qualifiers, and come back to Second Half all weekend for coverage from all four Finals sites.

Girls Division 1

Team: Davison, the champion the last two seasons and top-ranked this winter, rolled last weekend’s highest Division 1 Regional score of 4,004 – 243 pins better than the next highest contender. Back from last season’s championship team are Singles Finals qualifiers Kailee Tubbs and Brooklyn Greene, but Davison also is bolstered by Regional champ and freshman Taylor Davis, another freshman qualifier in Kalee Johnson and one more qualifier in junior Taylor Brown. Flint Carman-Ainsworth and Sterling Heights Stevenson are ranked Nos. 4 and 3, respectively, in the latest coaches poll, and both cleared 3,700 pins at their Regionals, while No. 2 Macomb Dakota also qualified.

Singles: Dakota senior Nicole Mikaelian ascended from the 16^th spot in qualifying at last season’s Final to finish individual runner-up, and she’ll be back among the contenders. Freshman Davis and Canton’s Meghan Macunovich both won Regionals and the latter’s 1,282 the highest individual score in Division 1. Walled Lake Central senior Ashley Bickel and Macomb L’Anse Creuse North sophomore Samantha Gainor joined those two among others in breaking 1,200 to win Regional titles.

Boys Division 1

Team: Top-ranked and reigning champion Salem did not qualify for the Finals, opening up this field considerably. No. 2 Macomb Dakota, the champion in both 2011 and 2012, posted last weekend’s top Regional score regardless of division, 4,341. Clinton Township Chippewa Valley with 4,273 and Sterling Heights Stevenson with 4,272 had the next highest Regional scores in the state – finishing second and third, respectively, behind Dakota at that tournament.

Singles: Last season Quarterfinalists Jack Herndel of Howell and Jacob Kersten of Clarkston are the only ones of that top eight who qualified again this season, Herndel as a Regional champ. Sterling Heights Stevenson junior Anthony Taormina put up the division’s highest score of 1,404, with Flint Carman-Ainsworth senior Jordon Nunn next at 1,375. Nunn made the Finals match play last season.

Girls Division 2

Team: Top-ranked Tecumseh is looking to regain the title after winning three straight from 2008-10. Its score of 4,017 was the best at any Regional, regardless of division, and four seniors qualified for the Singles Final as well with Lauren McKowen’s 1,320 the highest Regional individual score in the state. Flint Kearsley, the 2012 champion, posted last week’s second-highest Regional score of 3,664 and qualified five individuals – all seniors or juniors – for the Singles tournament.

Singles: Reigning champion Jordan Richard, another of the Tecumseh seniors, finished runner-up to her teammate McKowen at the Regional. Both made the individual Semifinals in 2013, as did Kearsley junior Kayla Emmendorfer, who also will return. Only three of the top 14 match play qualifiers last season were seniors, and 10 of those 11 who were not are qualified to bowl this weekend.

Boys Division 2

Team: Reigning champion Sturgis and top-ranked Marysville both won their Regionals last weekend, with Taylor Kennedy – which just missed the Finals Quarterfinals last season – putting up the division’s top Regional score of 4,037. No. 4 Flint Kearsley should be back in the mix after also winning its Regional, but unranked Bay City John Glenn is the most intriguing after winning its Regional with a 3,803 and then qualifying three seniors for the individual tournament.

Singles: John Glenn senior Alex Ouellette helped key that team effort and won the singles Regional title, and he might be the favorite after finishing Finals runner-up in 2013. Only two others in Division 2 posted higher Regional scores – Warren Fitzgerald senior Alec Nunn threw a 1,445 and looks tough after making match play last season, while Dearborn Heights Annapolis senior Leon Hutchcraft rolled a 1,348 to win his Regional.

Girls Division 3

Team: No. 4-ranked Richmond posted the division’s highest Regional score of 3,667 to win a tournament that also included top-ranked Croswell-Lexington, which did qualify as a third-place finisher. Reigning champion Battle Creek Pennfield also qualified as a Regional champion, and unranked Standish-Sterling is an intriguing contender after joining Richmond as the only Division 3 teams to break 3,600 last weekend.

Singles: Alma senior Hannah Chase made the Quarterfinals last season and looks poised to finish an outstanding career with one last run after posting the division’s’ highest Regional score of 1,242. Caro junior Adreanna Jackson and Ishpeming senior Katlynne Carlson, both also Quarterfinalists last weekend, are back. Richmond senior Noelle Scheuer, the best non-senior in last season’s qualifying block, qualified again, a couple spots back of senior teammate Payton Dickson, who put up an impressive 1,225 to win that tournament.

Division 3 boys

Team: Unranked Ishpeming is looking to finish a title run after rolling the best qualifying block at last season’s Final by 100 pins but falling in the championship match by 30. The Hematites won their Regional with the second-highest score in Division 3, 4,085. The top score in Division 3 belonged to another unranked team, Corunna, which rolled a 4,174 to win its Regional by 473 pins over top-ranked Armada.

Singles: All but four of last season’s 16 match play participants were seniors, but Fremont junior Sam Brandt is back after making the Semifinals last season, while senior teammate Jeremy Pikaart won last weekend’s Regional after making the Quarterfinals in 2013 and Ishpeming senior Matt Kilberg qualified again after also making last year’s quarters. Five Division 3 qualifiers broke 1,300 at Regionals, led by Pinconning senior Calvin Kerr at 1,374.

Division 4 girls

Team: Reigning champion Vandercook Lake and reigning runner-up Sandusky have finished some combination of first and second each of the last three seasons. So of course they are ranked Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, again. Sandusky posted the division’s best Regional score of 3,716, with Vandercook Lake one pin off at 3,715 – so another classic could be inevitable. Unranked Ravenna, another Regional champion rolling 3,399, is an intriguing possibility to join the favorites.

Singles: Vandercook Lake senior Malloree Ambs defeated Oscoda junior Paige Huebel by only 14 pins in last season’s Final, and both are back – Ambs as a Regional champion with a score of 1,244, 98 pins better than the next best in Division 4. Rogers City junior Rebecca Bannasch also was a Semifinalist last season, and she won her Regional by 21 pins.

Division 4 boys

Team: Reigning champion Riverview Gabriel Richard was one of eight Davison 4 teams that broke 3,700 pins at Regionals – but Gabriel Richard finished only second to Jonesville, which rolled 3,788. No. 6 Ithaca and unranked Kent City were the only teams to break 3,800 pins as both won their Regionals. Neither of those two nor Jonesville qualified for the Finals in 2013.

Singles: A pair of freshmen rolled off in last season’s championship match, with Rogers City’s Bailey Budnik the eventual victor. He’s back this season, with another sophomore – Lakeview's Ryan Finup – bowling the division’s best Regional score of 1,231. Three freshmen – St. Charles' Kyle Tuttle, Sandusky’s Cody Johnston and Hanover-Horton’s Zach White – also won Regional titles.

PHOTO: Vandercook Lake’s Malloree Ambs watches one of her shots during last season's Division 4 Singles Final. She’s back in an attempt to repeat as champion. (Click to see more at HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)