The MHSAA Bowling State Finals took place last weekend throughout the state of Michigan. On Friday, the teams battled it out for team glory, before the Individual Finals on Saturday. Below is the recap of the best in our MSR coverage area.
DIVISION 1 BOYS TEAM
Rockford (7th) and Jenison (8th) qualified for the bracket in D1, while Forest Hills Northern (17th) did not. Both the Rams and the Wildcats bowed out in the first round of match play.
DIVISION 1 BOYS INDIVIDUALS
Alec Bisterfeldt (Caledonia, 3rd), Nate VanderBeek (Wyoming, 4th), Carson Hommes (FHN, 9th), Tony DeLuccia (Rockford, 10th), and Ayden Sulzener (Caledonia, 11th) qualified in the 16-bowler bracket. Hommes was the only bowler to advance past the first round, as he won 378-311. In the second round, Hommes was defeated 408-395 by the top seed David Schaberg from Holt.
DIVISION 1 GIRLS TEAM
Zeeland (3rd) and Grandville (4th) qualified for the bracket play, while Rockford (18th) did not. Despite being “favored” seeds, both teams were upset in the first round of match play, with losses by less than 60 pins.
DIVISION 1 GIRLS INDIVIDUALS
Zeeland had a strong individual showing, as a trio of ladies qualified for match play: Alyssa Fortney (4th), Morgan Smith (5th) and Hayden Pompey-Oshinski (6th). Hudsonville saw Morgan Blouw (13th) qualify for the bracketed round as well. In a West Michigan showdown, Fortney defeated Blouw in the first round 437-326. Fortney would then face Smith, her teammate, in the second round after Smith won 391-304. Fortney would prevail with a narrow 410-393 victory, punching her ticket to the semifinals. A 439-422 victory saw Fortney advance to the finals, where she faced Emma Siekierski of Davison. Unfortunately for Fortney, she lost 430-374, earning her a runner-up finish.
DIVISION 2 BOYS TEAM
Grand Rapids Christian (10th), Allegan (11th), Sparta (12th), Three Rivers (15th), Cedar Springs (16th) and Middleville (17th) did not qualify for bracket play, leaving Northview (1st) as the only local team to qualify for bracket play. The top-seeded Wildcats continued to roll strong in match play, securing the program’s first State Championship.
Northview defeated #8 Dearborn Divine Child 1460-1331, #5 Jackson Northwest 1347-1323 and #7 Tecumseh 1287-1229 to secure the crown. In the finals, Northview trailed 366-358 after the pair of Baker Games. In individual play, the Wildcats used a 217 from David Frey, a 212 from Kyle Pranger, and a 201 from Cadyn Pranger to power past Tecumseh 929-863 in the individual round. This gave the Wildcats their 58 pin advantage and the State Championship.
“It was truly a team victory for us, as different players stepped up,” Northview Coach Harold Klukowski shared. “Kyle (Pranger) and Ryan (Carpenter) delivered in qualifying, but we relied on Cadyn (Pranger) and David (Frey) in the match play rounds. This solidified to us that we were a top team, and not just a top bowler.”
Klukowski was overwhelmed with celebratory messages from area coaches and members of the West Michigan bowling community. “Within five minutes of winning, I had at least twenty texts and calls from coaches. So many people sent us messages that they were watching and following, and that they were so excited for our program. Winning for Northview is truly special, but this made it feel like we won it for more than Northview. This is a state title for bowling across West Michigan.”
Northview returned nearly the same team from a year ago, where they reached the match play. The addition of Cadyn Pranger brought a great boost to this team. Despite this fact, they weren’t ranked in any of the State Rankings this year. “We knew what we were capable of, and this truly put a chip on our shoulder throughout the playoffs”, Klukowski revealed. As for next season? All but Dawson DeWitt return for the Wildcats, who will certainly have a target on their back as the defending State Champions.
DIVISION 2 BOYS INDIVIDUALS
Northview nearly claimed the individual title as well, with Kyle Pranger reaching the State Finals. Pranger, the defending Individual State Champ, secured the #1 seed in qualifying and faced little resistance on his way to the finals. In the title game against Zack Sisk of Gibraltar Carlson, the pair tied 409-409. This led to a roll-off, which Sisk won 60-59. Ezekiel Heerema (GR Christian, 13th) also qualified for the match play.
DIVISION 2 GIRLS TEAM
Sparta (4th) was the lone area team to reach bracket play. Allegan (9th), Wayland (11th), Whitehall (13th), Hastings (14th) and Coopersville (17th) were unable to advance out of the qualifying stage. The 4th seeded Spartans lost 1195-1246 in the first round of bracket play.
DIVISION 2 GIRLS INDIVIDUAL
The Division 2 girls bowling tournament saw a plethora of area bowlers qualify for the match play. Leah Snyder (Allegan) took 8th, and she won her first match before falling in the quarterfinals. Kadence Bottrall (Wayland), Bella Harnish (Wayland) and Karli Vanduinen (Whitehall) all reached the semifinals of the match play bracket. VanDuinen defeated Bottrall 441-385, while Harnish bested Abby Werden (Tecumseh) 403-320. In the finals, Vanduinen defeated Harnish 460-381 to capture the Individual State Championship.
DIVISION 3 BOYS TEAM
Belding (5th) reached the bracket, but they did not advance out of the first round. Comstock Park (12th), Kent City (13th), and Frankenmuth (15th) fell short in qualifying rounds.
DIVISION 3 BOYS INDIVIDUAL
Trent Beerman (3rd, Orchard View), Trent Altman (8th, Belding) and Charles Brown III (11th, Hopkins) were able to qualify into the bracketed match play. All three suffered a defeat in the opening round of the bracket.
DIVISION 3 GIRLS TEAM
West Michigan appeared well represented in the D3 girls bracket play, as Kent City (1st) and Unity Christian (2nd) secured the top two seeds. The Eagles were stunned by 8-seed Shepherd, falling 1073-1061 in a heartbreaking defeat. Unity Christian beat Olivet 1029-995, but lost in the semifinals to Cheboygan 1096-960. Shepherd would ultimately defeat Cheboygan in the finals, but that would be no solace to either the Eagles or the ‘Saders. Grand Rapids Catholic Central (17th) did not qualify for the bracket.
DIVISION 3 GIRLS INDIVIDUAL
Peytin Brake (4th, Kent City) and Ashley Hunter (8th, Comstock Park) were the lone area bowlers that qualified for the match play round in Division 3. Brake was upset in the first round, but Hunter captured a 301-288 victory. In the quarterfinals, Hunter lost 370-448 to eventual State Champion Brooklyn Butler.
DIVISION 4 BOYS TEAM
The Potter’s House Pumas (2nd) secured a top seed in the bracket, but they were delivered a stunning 1108-1088 defeat at the hands of the Vandercook Lake Jayhawks. Calvin Christian (15th) did not qualify for the bracket.
DIVISION 4 BOYS INDIVIDUAL
No area bowlers qualified for the bracket play. Dylan Gordon of Ravenna was the top area finisher at 19th place in the qualifying round. Jackson Kremer of Jackson Lumen Christi secured the State Championship.
DIVISION 4 GIRLS TEAM
Ravenna (5th) was the lone team in the MSR coverage area to qualify for bracket play. They lost their opener to Allen Park Cabrini 987-1006. Lakeview (17th) and Wellspring Prep (18th) did not qualify for match play.
DIVISION 4 GIRLS INDIVIDUAL
Morgan Brunner of Gobles was the lone area bowler in the bracketed round, earning a #4 seed. After matches of 365-286, 386-320, and 406-304, Brunner was in the State Championship match against #3 Idalia Hernandez of Bronson. After falling behind 210-198 in the first game, Brunner rallied with a 210-160 advantage to capture the 408-380 State Championship victory.
