The action continues to heat up on the lanes around West Michigan. High school bowlers are rounding into mid-season form as we hit the middle of January. Below are some highlights from around the MSR coverage area.
BOYS BOWLING
Byron Center 16 East Grand Rapids 14: The Bulldogs took a 6-4 Baker lead, and the two points proved to be the difference in the match. Matt Boersma posted a pair of 208 series for BC, while Josh Boersma (201-203) also broke the 200 mark twice. Luke Petroelje put together the top score for the Bulldogs with a 243. East Grand Rapids was led by Corbin Olsson with a 243, while Finn Moher posted a 231-217 series.
Forest Hills Eastern 17 Kenowa Hills 13: The Hawks fell behind 6-4 after the Bakers, but rallied to defeat the Knights. Gabe Biel (198-145) and Brady Denhof (137-197) swept their points for FHE. Kenowa saw Zeke Dykstra post a match-high 217.
Frankenmuth 29 Bridgeport 1: The Eagles nearly swept Bridgeport in TVC action. After sweeping the Bakers, they won all but one individual match. Cam Severs (202-176), Hunter Schmitzer (176) and Mayson Knop (194-191) led the way for the ‘Muth.
Frankenmuth 29 Swan Valley 1: The ‘Muth played a second match at Crooked Creek Bowling Center against the host Vikings. They nearly pulled off another sweep, suffering that one individual match defeat. Mayson Knop (198), Zak Andrews (194), Cam Severs (188), Justin Knop (185), Hunter Schmitzer (179) and Zac Schmitzer (167) all put on great efforts.
Fremont 28 Chippewa Hills 2: In the first of their two dual meet matches at Remus Lanes, Fremont breezed past the host Warriors. After sweeping the Bakers, they took all but two individual points. Gabe VanVleet posted a 203 to lead the victors, while Andrew Lyon tossed a 191-190 series. Aston Yuhasz added a 185 game.
Fremont 20 Big Rapids 10: The second of the dual matches took place against the Cardinals. The teams split the Baker games, but Big Rapids took home the extra two points by 8 total pins, giving the Cardinals a 6-4 lead. A victory in both regular games allowed Fremont to emerge victorious. Andrew Lyon had a phenomenal second game, tossing 11 strikes on his way to a 266. In his first game, Lyon threw a 199. Gave VanVleet added a 192, while Aston Yuhasz posted a 186.
Fruitport 16 Allendale 14: The Trojans held off the Falcons in an OK Blue battle. Fruitport saw Bradon Krohn (202), Gage Wadland (200), Michael Hanson (182) and Shane Brosnan (175) lead the way. Allendale was paced by Sean Jenkins (209), Chandler Selk (199), Peyton Selk (177-170) and Nate Diephouse (170).
Grand Haven 20 East Kentwood 10: The Bucs doubled up the Falcons on the scoreboard. Sweeping the Bakers gave Grand Haven a 10-0 lead, which proved to be the difference after the individual games were split. EK saw Bradyn Curtis lead the way (234-203), while Parker Lovejoy (221) and Dylan Gresley (195) added strong games. Grand Haven was led by Jaxson Garland (205-197) and Jaxson Batka (212-174).
Greenville 21.5 East Grand Rapids 8.5: The ‘Jackets were able to roll past the Pioneers in OK White action this past week. They had a strong showing from Taylor Boyle, who rolled a 236-219 series. Corbin Olsson led EGR with a 247-193.
Hastings 17 Jackson Lumen Christi 13: The Saxons took down the Titans in an Interstate 8 battle at Hastings Bowl this past Tuesday. Cam Eaton (159-199) and Miles Lipsey (172-159) both captured two points for Hastings. Gage Richmond (166), Hunter Pennington (152) and Drew Rhodes (214) also won single matches. Rhodes threw seven consecutive strikes in his 214 game.
Jenison 17 East Kentwood 13: The Wildcats defeated the Falcons in OK Red play. Nick Boomstra (223-219) and Parker Lovejoy (194-197) bowled strong series for EK, while Ben Schraeger added a 204 game. Ethan Dirske (215-216), Seth Parrow (238-220) and Codey Miller (211-235) bowled 430+ series for the victors.
Portage Central 28 Battle Creek Lakeview 2: The Spartans were without many bowlers due to COVID, and that impact was felt on the lanes against PC. It was a near sweep for the Mustangs, with just two individual matches going BCL’s way. Cameron McKee (160-142) and Cade Landers (178-158) paced Lakeview in their defeat.
Three Rivers def Otsego: The Wildcats and Bulldogs played a close SWM match on Saturday. The Bakers were extremely close, and instead of a 10-0 Otsego lead, a couple missed shots resulted in a 10-0 Three Rivers advantage. Dakota Jacks posted a 223 in the first individual game, while the rest of his team scored at least 153. Zach Byron posted a 174 for Otsego.
Whitehall 21 Fremont 9: The Vikings defeated the Packers on Monday the 18th in a non-league victory. Whitehall won the first two Baker games by just 34 total pins, capturing a 10-0 lead. Fremont made it interesting by winning individual game one by 12 pins, but a loss in the second game delivered the victory for Whitehall. Gabe VanVleet posted a career-high 247, while Andrew Lyon threw a 187.
Zeeland 18 Reeths Puffer 12: The co-op Bowling team started off league play with a win over the Rockets. After sweeping the Bakers 369-307, they continued their roll in match play. Brett Klein posted a 202, while Noah VanderVelde led Zeeland with a 233.
Portage Central 17 Mattawan 13: The Wildcats lost to the Mustangs in their Saturday bowling match. Mattawan won both Bakers, but struggled in the individual games, winning just three head-to-head matchups. Charlie Johnson (223-218) led Mattawan, while Tyler Pierce (155) and Eric Wheeler (152) had strong single games.
GIRLS BOWLING
Byron Center 29 East Grand Rapids 1: The Bulldogs nearly swept the depleted Pioneers in OK White action. Dinara Demeier led Byron Center with a 205 game, while Jenna Kroft added a 196. East Grand Rapids saw Keely Tyrer lead the team with a 171.
Chippewa Hills 27 Fremont 3: The Packers were dealt a crushing loss at Remus Lanes on Saturday. Fremont lost the Bakers by 45 pins to fall behind 10-0. They would lose the regular games by 35 and 14 pins, picking up three individual victories. Amelia Foster led Fremont with a 159, while Makayla Johnson added a 152.
Forest Hills Eastern 22 Kenowa Hills 8: The Hawks captured a league win over the Knights. It was a short-handed affair all the way around, as FHE started three bowlers while Kenowa sent out a pair. These short rosters led to Baker scores of 37-32 and 51-21. FHE would win four of the six individual matches on their way to victory. Sarah Laidler had a 147-118 day, while Ally Alkema (111-82) and Emilee Nowicki (111-104) also earned points. Kylie Lake (124-111) and Jadea Mourel (150-81) posted scores for Kenowa.
Fremont 28 Big Rapids 2: In the second match of Saturday’s dual, Fremont flipped the script and took down Big Rapids. They swept the Bakers and lost just two individual matches. Rhiannon Ziebke had a 188 for the Packers, while Adena Tedford added a 158.
Fruitport 29 Allendale 1
Greenville 18 East Grand Rapids 12: The ‘Jackets ladies bowlers defeated EGR as well on Monday, winning 6 Baker points and 12 standard match points. Greenville rolled a 152 in the first Baker Game, resulting in a 43-point win over the Pioneers. Kennedy Durham won both points for Greenville, with 127-133 performances. Genesys Noble was the top scorer for the ‘Jackets, as she posted a 169-144. EGR was led by Anna Edleman, who finished with a 172-123 series.
Jackson Lumen Christi 20 Hastings 10: The Titans defeated the Saxons in Interstate 8 action this past Tuesday. In defeat, Abby Barton was able to win twice for Hastings with a 160-135 series. Shyanna Baker (151) and Ally Herder (149) each won a single point for the Saxons.
Three Rivers def Otsego: The Wildcats took down the Bulldogs twice this week, first in Wolverine Conference play, and secondly in SWM action. Both times, Three Rivers came up victorious. Three Rivers is now in first in the SWM, while Otsego is second. They are on course for a rolloff final rematch at the end of the year.
Zeeland 29.5 Reeths Puffer 0.5: The Zeeland co-op ladies nearly pulled off a sweep against the Rockets. Brianna Fortney led Zeeland with a 247. Joining her in the 200 club in this match were Morgan Smith (232), Alyssa Fortney (228), Ellie Drenten (209), Rylee Smith (202) and Shanna McDonnell (201).
Invitational Play
Sturgis at Bronson Invitational: The Sturgis Trojans went to the Bronson Invitational on Friday January 14. The ladies qualified third into bracket play, suffering a loss in the semifinals to the host Bronson. They would defeat Portage Central to finish third. The boys also placed third in qualifying, and their win over Portage Central punched a ticket to the finals. They suffered a 123-174, 173-98, 179-190 three-game defeat to Niles to finish in second place.
Sturgis at Adrian Madison Baker Bash: The Trojans spent Saturday at the Baker Bash in Adrian, and the ladies qualified fourth into the bracket. In the first round, they lost to #1 Grass Lake 243-270. They also suffered a 261-282 defeat against Adrian in consolation play, resulting in a fourth-place finish. Sturgis’ boys were #1 in qualifying, but they also lost in the semifinals. They were beaten 347-332 by Adrian Madison. In their consolation against Grass Lake, Sturgis lost 413-307, resulting in a fourth-place finish.
Sturgis at Flint Metro Conference Open: On Sunday, Sturgis travelled to Richfield Bowl in Flint for a third tournament. The girls posted a 2007 combined score in their three-game, five-bowler series. This was good for 8th place. Sturgis’ boys team finished with a 2612 team score.
