Flint Kearsley, New Boston Huron Rule D2

By Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com

March 1, 2019

WATERFORD – There couldn’t have been a more appropriate showdown for the Division 2 girls bowling team championship Friday.

Flint Kearsley and Tecumseh entered No. 1 and No. 2 in number of Division 2 titles won, and happened to be seeded No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, out of the qualifying block.

Both won their quarterfinals and semifinals to set up a rematch of last year’s Final. But from there, Kearsley went out and took sole possession of the spotlight. 

Kearsley won its sixth straight Division 2 title with a 1,352-1,239 win over Tecumseh, although it took a rally late in the regular game.

“I’ve got seven of the best girls I think I’ve ever had,” Kearsley head coach Rob Ploof said. “This is one heck of a team.”

After leading by two pins following the two Baker games, Kearsley struggled in the first few frames and saw Tecumseh take a sizable lead. 

But Kearsley showed its championship mettle, rallying to win the regular game going away, 997-886.

“I just got them together and said, ‘You’ve got to want it. You’ve got to want it more than they do,’” Ploof said. “They had to find a way to win the game, and they did.”

Kearsley knocked off Coldwater in a quarterfinal, 1,315-1,135, before beating Charlotte in one semifinal, 1,332-1,264. 

Tecumseh beat Mason in the quarterfinals, 1,309-1,204, before topping Carleton Airport in the other semi by just six pins, 1,151-1,145.

Tecumseh was seeking its first Finals title since it won three straight from 2008-10.

“Rob is an amazing coach, and it seems like when he huddles them up, they come out striking,” Tecumseh head coach Ken Richard said. “We couldn’t hang with them. But they blew us out of the water last year, and we hung with them longer this time. I’m real proud of the girls.” 

As for the boys competition, the Final matchup was the opposite scenario featuring two teams that advanced to the championship match for the first time.

New Boston Huron and Tecumseh both made it farther than they ever had, but it was New Boston Huron that took home the championship trophy, knocking off Tecumseh by a score of 1,403-1,352.

“It’s been a special year,” New Boston Huron head coach Larry Collins said. “It’s a team of destiny. They worked hard and probably were the best group of kids I’ve had.”

New Boston Huron was the top seed out of the qualifying block, while Tecumseh was the seventh seed.  

Continuing its dominance throughout the day, New Boston Huron took a 436-321 lead after the two Baker games.

Tecumseh made it interesting in the regular game and beat New Boston Huron 1,031-967, but that margin wasn’t enough to overcome the Baker deficit. 

New Boston Huron beat Jackson Northwest in the quarterfinals, 1,296-1,231, and then beat Owosso in one semifinal, 1,323-1,166. 

Tecumseh beat Coldwater in a quarterfinal, 1,320-1,187, and then dispatched Cadillac in the semifinals, 1,422-1,325. 

Tecumseh junior bowler Hunter Rapaich, the second bowler in the lineup, rolled a 300 during the regular game. 

Click for full girls results and full boys results.

New Boston Huron photo courtesy of New Boston Huron athletic department.

Johnson, Cantrell Rally for D4 Victories

March 3, 2018

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

BATTLE CREEK – MacKenzie Johnson wanted to thank Vandercook Lake girls coach Todd Reichard for making her into a championship bowler. And she wanted to thank assistant Kenla Kelly, her “emotional coach.”

But after feeling her spirits dive with a 125 game to start match play at Saturday’s Division 4 Singles Finals, she needed a little more help.

“I said to myself, what would Dad say to me, because freshman year he passed away four days after this event,” Johnson said. “And he’d tell me to calm down and really just be myself, and if I was myself, I could beat anyone.

“I just became myself, I made my shots, I calmed down and I let my emotions go.”

Brad Johnson died after a fight with inoperable brain cancer March 9, 2016. Just under two years later, his daughter came back to average 186 over her final seven match play games at M-66 Bowl and win this season’s championship.

“He’d say he’s very proud,” Johnson said. “This is all he ever wanted for me, to give it my best, and today I gave it my all.”

Johnson defeated Beaverton senior Victoria Ivey 410-323 in their championship match, rolling a match play-best 231 in her final game.

On the boys side, Genesee senior Luke Cantrell claimed the title with a 356-354 win over Vandercook Lake senior Keegan Campbell.

Campbell led the match 204-157 after the first of the two-game series. But Cantrell improved 42 pins over his final 10 frames for a second straight close finish – he also won his semifinal by just 10 pins.

Cantrell closed his career with four Finals singles appearances and had finished runner-up to St. Charles’ three-time champion Kyle Tuttle in 2016.

“I struggled, but I picked myself up,” Cantrell said. “In the qualifying (I) shot a couple 170s that kinda hurt me. My coaches helped a lot. I made a couple ball changes, and controlled my speed a little bit more.

“(I) just throw the ball good and never give up. In the ninth frame I had a really good feeling, and it came my way I guess.”

Johnson rolled her team’s high regular game as the Jayhawks won the team championship match Friday against Brown City.

She’d clinched the singles victory by the 10th frame Saturday, but still banged through three strikes to finish the day.

“I couldn’t believe our team did it yesterday; we all did it as one. Today, I surprised myself by doing this,” Johnson said. “At any point I could’ve opened, and she could’ve got me. It wasn’t over until that third shot in the 10th frame.

“I never count myself out, but I never count myself in until it’s done, either.”

Click for full girls results and boys results.