Stockbridge's Keene, Onsted's Nichols Make Every Pin Count

By Jeff Bleiler
Special for MHSAA.com

March 4, 2023

Onsted's Sydney Nichols knows the value of a single bowling pin.

At last year’s Division 3 Singles Finals, Nichols missed the 16th and final match play spot by that smallest of margins.

She turned that disappointment into determination and entered this year’s Finals with a goal of making the top eight. Instead, she won the whole thing.

Nichols, a junior, threw four straight strikes late in the second game of the two-game final match to defeat Coloma senior Savannah Hamilton, 375-370, on Saturday at Jax 60.

On the boys side, Stockbridge senior Mason Keene defeated Gladwin junior Harvey Zelt, 407-353.

“I wanted to at least make it to the top eight to be all-state, and now somehow I made it here,” Nichols said.

Nichols safely qualified ninth with a six-game total of 1,102 after starting things off with a 201. She won her first match — and accomplished her goal — by a 347-306 count over Midland Bullock Creek senior Brooklynn Marshall before advancing to the semifinals with a 393-349 victory over Cheboygan senior Izzy Portman. Nichols’ 224 game to open that match was the highest score of any of the games bowled in the match play portion.

She then earned a 15-pin victory over Hillsdale junior Chloe Manifold, 330-315, before taking on Hamilton. In the championship, Nichols trailed by 15 after the first game and trailed by two pins in the sixth frame of the second game before catching the clutch four-bagger to seal it. She had nothing but strikes or single-pin spares in that game.

“That was really important,” Nichols said.

Her coach, Roger Clark, said her mental approach to the sport showed all day.

“If you don’t have a spare game, you don’t have any game,” he said. “We told her, ‘You’re in control of your own game. I’m just here for guidance.’ She pulled through.”

Nichols, who has been bowling since she was about 8 years old in nearby Hudson, said her mental acuity was important.

“If you get in your head, you’re going to start pulling it, and I got in my head and would pull it, but I came back with a spare for the most part,” she said.

When asked what her senior year might entail, she responded: “Two-peat maybe?”

Hamilton qualified as the 10th seed and defeated 2021 champion and 2022 runner-up Elizabeth Teuber in the opening match by nine, denying the Flint Powers Catholic junior a team and individual Finals title in the same weekend.

While Nichols has been bowling for many years, Keene only picked up the sport a year and a half ago. He nearly did not have a senior season to enjoy since the Stockbridge program had no coach.

He didn’t have to look far to find one.

“I didn’t think we were going to have a season and the only thing you can do is ask, so I asked my dad and he agreed to be a coach and it’s awesome,” Keene said of his father, Nathan. “He’s been bowling for 20-plus years so as soon as he saw me pick it up, he was super happy.”

Keene nearly had his day end early Saturday. He rolled 1,144 for the six games of qualifying — boosted by a 265 third game — to snatch the 16th and final spot by three pins. That earned him a match against top-seeded Dustin Moeckel, a Napoleon senior who averaged 215 during qualifying.

Keene won 403-337 to jumpstart a match-play session during which he never shot below 200 and averaged 213 for eight games. He saved the best for the quarterfinals where he shot 224 and 246 to oust Armada junior Ryan Ching, 470-312.

He rolled games of 202 and 225 in the semifinals to deny last year’s runner-up, Ogemaw Heights senior Tyler Downs, a shot at redemption, 427-386. For his part, Zelt took out the reigning champion, Cheboygan senior Cole Swanberg, in the other semifinal to further prevent a rematch of the 2022 final.

In the championship, Keene led by 17 after the first game, taking advantage of an open 10th frame by Zelt. A three-bagger in the fifth through seventh frames of the second game secured the title.

“I just had to keep my head in it, keep my spare game strong and make good shots,” said Keene, the lone left-hander among the quarterfinalists. “That definitely helped. I didn’t have to move much, and when I did it was small. I just kept my shot in the entire time.”

Division 3 Final Results - Boys | Girls

Hudsonville Girls Celebrate 1st Title, Salem Boys Take Championship Step

By Perry A. Farrell
Special for MHSAA.com

March 26, 2021

ALLEN PARK – The bowling season that almost wasn’t saw a first-time champion and a 2020 runner-up take the next step Friday at the Division 1 Team Finals at Thunderbowl Lanes.

Hudsonville’s girls earned their first Finals title in this sport by defeating Belleville in their championship match, while the Salem boys clinched their third team title against Macomb Dakota after finishing runner-up to Utica Eisenhower a year ago.

Dakota previously won Division 1 in 2011 and 2012. But Salem – the champion in 2017 and 2013 – ledfrom start to finish to capture the 2021 title. 

Salem’s boys led 347-315 after the Baker round, and the Cougars would need a big game in singles to wrestle away the lead.

Connor Rogus came through with a 259, but it wasn’t enough as Zander Craft’s 253 and Brendan Chorian’s 227 paced the champs to a 1,404-1,309 win.

“We had our lows and our highs, but we started striking in the finals,’’ said Craft. “My shot was there for the entire finals. I shot 221, 223, 253 so I had a good look all day.’’

Hudsonville’s girls had fallen behind 301-297 going into singles play, but their ability to make shots proved to be the difference as it captured the school’s first bowling title. Belleville had eight straight opens during singles play and couldn’t stay in contention.

Hudsonville D1 Girls Bowling Champions

McKenna Hendrickson, the only senior in the Hudsonville lineup, was in tears after her team came through with the 1,149 to 1,122 win.

“This was my last game, and I wasn’t worried,’’ said Hendrickson. “The girls knew what to do. I’ve lost so much this year because of the COVID. I didn’t even have a prom. This is such a great way to go out. It means so much.’’

Brownstown Woodhaven dominated the boys qualifying round with a score of 3,530 to finish first ahead of Waterford Kettering’s 3,399, which was just three pins better than Salem’s 3,396.

Woodhaven’s run was short-lived. Belleville, the eighth seed, jumped out to an early lead in the Baker format, and the Tigers were great in singles, eliminating the top seed, 1,312 to 1,151.

Dakota had used a 1,030 in the last game of team qualifying to jump into fourth place as three Macomb Area Conference schools – Dakota, St. Clair Shores Lakeview and Utica Ford – made the top eight. Belleville squeaked into eighth with 3,228, 19 pins better than Holt.

Dakota defeated Lakeview, 1,208-1,159 to face Belleville in the semifinals. In the other semi, Salem – which had eliminated Plymouth 1,419-1,208 –  took on Waterford Kettering, which had bounced Utica Ford 1,309-1,286.

Dakota sophomore Dylan Maurer shot 276 in the semifinals to lead the Cougars to a 1,499-1,398 victory over Belleville. Salem advanced to the final with a 1,306-1,277 victory over Kettering. 

In the girls division, Westland John Glenn was the high qualifier at 3,316 to outdistance Davison at 3,243.

Glenn avoided any possible upset in the first round by extending its Baker lead in singles play, taking out eighth seed Salem, 1,320-1,032. Belleville advanced to the semifinals with a convincing victory over Zeeland, 1,204-1,153. Davison, a perennial threat, eliminated Holt, 1,290-1,111, to advance to the semifinal against Hudsonville, which pounded Midland 1,189-1,101.

The westside school prevailed in the semis, dousing second-seed Davison 1,335-1,250 as Hendrickson led the winners with a 248 score.

Hudsonville became the third straight Division 1 girls champion from the Ottawa-Kent Conference.

Click for bracket results: BOYS | GIRLS