Mason took first and John Glenn finished second in the Division 2 boys’ bowling team finals March 2 at Century Lanes in Waterford.
John Glenn defeated Gull Lake 1417-1312 in the quarterfinals and Reeths-Puffer 1499-1293 in the semifinals. In the finals, John Glenn narrowly lost to Mason 1216-1213.
Mason had defeated Ferndale 1360-1314 in the semifinal round.
In the final game individual scoring, Luke Gutkowski had a 146 for Mason, while Nick Carl bowled a 185, David Smithern a 189, Shaun Smith a 136, and Dan Hawkins a 157.
For John Glenn, Nathan Moszyk had a 182, followed by Brandon Smith at 176, Taylor Gerkon at 157, Alex Ouilette at 181, and Zach Fyling at 173.
In the state individual finals, Moszyk made it to the semifinals and lost 393-353 to Terry Bonner of New Boston Huron. Fyling was a quarterfinalist.
DIVISION 2
Melissa West of John Glenn advanced to the semifinal round, where she fell to Alona Tipton of Flint Northwestern 427-374. In the quarterfinals, West beat Allison Goodman of Waverly 356-119. John Glenn’s team was a quarterfinalist.
DIVISION 3
Ovid-Elsie took third place in the girls’ Division 3. O-E was first with a 3,122 in the qualifying block. In the quarterfinals, Ovid-Elsie defeated Corunna 1,195-1,080, but in the finals, it lost to Flat Rock, which went on to take the state title.
“Our goal was to finish first or second this year but we came up short,” said O-E coach Matt Fabus. “Our expectations were high after winning the regional. Last year, we took second in regional, this year we took first. When we had to qualify, we were first, the No. 1 seed. You could tell they were pumped up about it and looking at first and second. But that’s how bowling is. If you miss a couple of easy spares and stuff….”
The team usually gets in seven to eight tournaments a year Fabus noted.
“They know they have a great team,” Fabus said. “Like I tell them, spares are 90 percent of the game. You miss some easy spares, you lose those pins. We were always knocking on the door. I’m losing two seniors this year. We have some JVs coming up that are around 170 and 165.
“One thing I’ve found about coaching, is remember that they’re kids and try to help them stay focused. Sometimes, it’s easier said than done.”
Leah Hartman, who carried a 201 average in the conference, is a senior who led the way for O-E. She just missed qualifying for bracket play, Fabus noted.
Makaylin Palacka and Tori Huff also had strong seasons.
“The boys finished first in the conference, which was awesome, and the girls were third in conference, but they won the regional,” Fabus said. “Enthusiasm has always been there. It’s my fourth year of coaching. I’ve taken kids to state every year. I’m not complaining about that. That’s a big accomplishment for these kids on how much they practice.”
Alma High School was a girls’ quarterfinalist in Division 3.
DIVISION 4
St. Louis’ Dylan Sayles advanced to the Division 4 individual semifinals and lost 467-440 to Zach Hazel of Rogers City. In the quarterfinals, Sayles beat Trevor Haas of Jonesville 397-387, while Trevor Thelen of Pewamo-Westphalia lost to Hazel 415-330.
As a team, St. Louis lost in the quarterfinals.
“Dylan did a great job and led a young team,” said St. Louis coach Alan Post. “He is our only senior. Last year, he had a great season and he was only a junior. As a senior, he showed them what it’s all about.”
“I was really happy,” Sayles said, adding that he exceeded his expectations. “I was covering up my spares.”
During a conference match, Sayles shot a 300 game. He averaged a 209 this year, compared to 204 a year ago.
Ithaca was fourth in Division 4 as a team. Individually, in the round of 16, Farrand Schneider lost to Lillie Miller of Sandusky 417-346.
In the qualifying round, Ithaca placed fifth to advance. In the quarterfinals, the Yellow Jackets beat Bad Axe 1,169-969. In the semifinals, Ithaca lost to Vandercook Lake 1,412-1,236. Sandusky beat Vandercook Lake in the finals 1,256-1,223.
Ithaca was 2010 runner-up and was third last year.
“I was hoping to make it into the final match, but we ran into No. 1-ranked Vandercook Lake and they bowled out of their minds with a 1,044, the second-highest score of the day boys and girls,” said Ithaca coach Dan Macha. “The kids bowled well enough to win. They shot 70 pins over their team average. But we couldn’t match up [with Vandercook Lake.]”
Ithaca was 8-2 in the conference for second place, 11-2 overall, and TVC West tourney winners.
Michelle Lindsey, a senior, had a strong season for Ithaca. She won the conference singles tournament with a 679 series.
Farrand Schneider was the regional champ in singles and Lindsey was eighth, which qualified both for the state finals.
“Farrand struggled a little bit at state and ended up 10th,” Macha said. “She made the cut at 13th and lost her best match. It wasn’t one of the best performances in her four-year career. It was on synthetic lanes. We don’t bowl on them until we get to regionals. There’s an adjustment factor to make to it. But she can adjust quick. She did fairly well for the situation.
“All the girls put together a good team season. I was pretty happy with the team effort.”