Kearsley Girls Repeat with Rivalry Win, Northview Boys Claim 1st Title
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
March 4, 2022
CANTON – It’s hard to create rivalries in bowling with how fickle the sport can be and how different teams win so often. But the Flint Kearsley and Mason girls programs have appeared to start a nice rivalry in Division 2.
Two years ago in the semifinals, Mason ended Kearsley’s six-year run as state champion en route to winning it all.
Last year, Kearsley avenged that loss, beating Mason in the championship match to reclaim the throne.
The team portion of the 2022 MHSAA Division 2 Finals turned out to be a three-peat, with Kearsley and Mason once again squaring off in the championship match.
This one ended up going to Kearsley, which rallied from a 25-pin deficit after the two Baker games to earn a 1,178-1,143 victory over the Bulldogs and claim its seventh Division 2 Finals title in eight years.
“I do know the long history between Mason and Kearsley,” said Hornets first-year head coach Kailee Tubbs as she and her team wiped away tears of joy during the celebration. “I think it’s one of those things where we really look forward every year to facing them.”
Kearsley beat Mason 850-790 in the regular game to prevail, with Lydia Boggs setting the pace with a 191. The Hornets finished first in the qualifying block and stayed hot through the final to earn a wire-to-wire victory.
“I just wanted them to stay loose,” Tubbs said. “The biggest thing was having them relax.”
Mason head coach Russ Whipple said it’s been a lot of fun establishing a rivalry with a program like Kearsley, but that it just wasn’t meant to be for his team in the regular game.
“We were right there at the end and didn’t have a couple of things fall our way,” Whipple said. “I don’t think either team scored exceptionally well that last game. It was just one of those things, and it’s how it goes.”
In the boys competition, Grand Rapids Northview won its first Finals title in what also was a wire-to-wire victory.
The Wildcats finished first out of the qualifying block and kept their rhythm throughout, earning a 1,287-1,229 win over Tecumseh in the championship match.
“We’ve made it to match play the last three years and been knocked out in the first round,” Northview head coach Harold Klukowski said. “This one is special. I brought the same exact team back from last year and the state didn’t recognize the guys. We came from unranked to No. 1.”
Just like the Kearsley girls, Northview rallied after trailing going into the regular game.
Tecumseh held an eight-pin lead after the two Baker games, but Northview won the regular game 929-863 with David Frey at 217 leading three Wildcats above 200.
“Experience and trust,” Klukowski described as the difference this year. “The guys didn’t bite, and they didn’t bicker. They listened to the coaches, and they executed. It was a grind in the Bakers. The guys struggled to find their shot early. After that, they settled in and made good shots.”
Tecumseh was making its second appearance in the championship match in four years after also finishing runner-up in 2019.
Despite coming up short of a title, there’s a lot of reason for optimism for Tecumseh with a sophomore-dominated lineup and only one senior.
“We were in the final four last year, so another step closer,” Tecumseh head coach Eric Wigner said. “We’ll just keep working at it, and hopefully next year will be our year.”
The Kearsley girls earned a 1,125-1,109 win over St. Clair Shores Lake Shore in a quarterfinal before defeating Carleton Airport in the semifinals, 1,264-1,220.
The Northview boys downed 2021 champion Dearborn Divine Child in the quarterfinals, 1,460-1,331, before earning a 1,347-1,323 win over Jackson Northwest in the semifinals.
PHOTOS (Top) The Flint Kearsley girls team huddles after repeating as Division 2 champion Friday. (Middle) The Grand Rapids Northview boys celebrate their first title. (Click for more from Champions Photography.)
Girls Bowling: Great Expectations Met
March 2, 2012
BATTLE CREEK – Davison was the favorite all season to win the MHSAA Division 1 championship at M-66 Bowl.
On Friday, the Cardinals made good on that high expectation.
After being ranked No. 1 in every state poll this winter, Davison ended it with a 1,292-1,129 win over reigning champion New Baltimore Anchor Bay in the Final.
"We had big expectations. We knew we had to work for it, but we did it,” Davison senior Erin Brown said. “And even though we had that expectation, we worked for it, and we accomplished it. And that's exactly what we wanted."
Davison finished second in qualifying. But the Cardinals then beat Northville by 199 pins and Walled Lake Central by 134 in the two matches leading into the Final.
Brooklyn Greene led Davison with a 181 in the championship match, while Kelsey Fader rolled a game-high 184 for Anchor Bay.
The Cardinals previously finished Division 1 runners-up in 2010, but had never won an MHSAA team title.
Click for full Division 1 results.
Division 2 at Century Lanes
WATERFORD – Father and daughter sounded a lot alike celebrating the Division 2 championship Friday.
But Rob and Lindsey Ploof hit the winning strategy right on the head pin.
One strong individual – like reigning Division 2 individual champion Lindsey – can make a team strong. But a line-up stacked with solid bowlers can make a team impossible to beat.
Lindsey, a senior, was one of three Kearsley bowlers who topped 200 on Friday as her team won its first MHSAA team championship with a 1,408-1,247 win over Tecumseh in the Final. Tecumseh entered the postseason ranked No. 1, and Kearsley entered No. 2.
“As a team, it feels just amazing to win. But I get to share it with my best friends,” Lindsey Ploof said. “The main point of high school bowling, as (former University of Michigan football coach) Bo Schembechler said: ‘The team, the team, the team. No one person is bigger than the team.’”
Ploof did lead her team with a 224 in the Final, but Jessica Dawes added a 212 and Kayla Emmendorfer rolled a 205. Kearsley rolled a 212 and 223 in the Baker games. Tecumseh was led by Haley Richard’s 215.
Kearsley previously finished Division 2 runner-up in 2010, but had never won an MHSAA team title.
“This is what I’ve been preaching to the girls for years,” Kearsley coach Rob Ploof said. “I don’t care what any individual does. It’s all about the team. This is sweet. … To have our four seniors get to experience this is a dream come true.”
Click for full Division 2 results.
Division 3 at Airport Lanes
JACKSON – It was easy to pick a favorite for the Division 3 championship Friday. All four semifinalists from 2011 were back for another try.
It’s fair to say few expected unranked Flat Rock to finish ahead of them all.
The Rams defeated also-unranked Corunna and Ovid-Elsie before knocking off No. 4 Richmond 1,274-1,168 in the Final.
“This was an amazing team win. Every single girl worked hard all season to get this far,” Flat Rock coach Kristi Hill said. “As a coach, I could not have asked for more. They are an amazing group of girls, and I am proud to be a part of this team.”
Emily Alexander led Flat Rock with a 211 in the Final, while Noelle Schever rolled a 196 for Richmond.
It was the first time the Rams finished among the top two at an MHSAA Bowling Final.
Click for full Division 3 results.
Division 4 at Sunnybrook Lanes
STERLING HEIGHTS – Although nine of the top 10 teams in Division 4 advanced to Friday’s Final, the title came down to the two at the top who also bowled for last season’s championship – Sandusky and Vandercook Lake.
This time, it was Sandusky’s turn to finish No. 1.
Reigning champion Vandercook Lake was top-ranked and Sandusky No. 2 entering this postseason. But the Redskins held on for a 1,256-1,223 win in the Final, their second championship to go with two runner-up finishes.
Melissa Sleda rolled a 236 to lead Sandusky in the Final, while Kelsea Reichard had a team-high 198 for Vandercook Lake.