Bowling Takes Home Bronze in First Ever Tournament

After Placing Third Out of 13 Teams, the Team Prepares for Regular Season

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Photo by David Bates

The bowling came in third place out of 14 teams at the Bryan Burr Tournament in Georgetown on Saturday. “I think this is going to be a good, strong year,” Bates said. “We have four returning seniors and last year we missed the cut to go to district by one game, so this year we have high expectations that we should make the cut.”

Addy Bates, Reporter

After five matchplay games, 10 baker games and 100 frames later, the bowling team took home the third place trophy at the Bryan Burr Tournament on Saturday at Mel’s Lone Star Lanes.

The team began the bracket round after being the seventh seed out of the eight teams that advanced and faced the second seed Samuel Clemens High School Broncos out of New Braunfels, Texas. After defeating the Broncos 217-162, then losing 182-180, but winning total pins 397-342, the team advanced to the round of four, where they faced the Canyon High School Cougars.

“I feel like we have a great team after doing so well in such a hard tournament,” junior Brent Stevenson said. “The most exciting part of the tournament was when we beat the number two seed team and shot a clean 217 game.”

In the quarterfinals, the team put up a fight and defeated the Cougars 203-181, but ultimately lost total pins after losing 225-160. Because the team’s total pins was greater than the other losing team in the round of four, going 363 vs the fourth place Brandeis’s 319, the team was granted the title of third place out of 14 teams. For bowlers like senior Garrett Wahl, who has been on the team for three years, it’s not the success that made him happy, but rather, proving to the other school’s that his team was up for competition he said was the highlight of the tournament.

“The best part of the tournament was hearing that we were in first place after the first round of matchplay because most schools didn’t think we would do well,” Wahl said. “I think that if we bowl like we did at the tournament, our first meet is going to go very well.”

 Because of the team’s success, according to head coach David Bates, this tournament set the tone for the new season.

“I’m very proud of the team for their accomplishment in coming in third in their first ever tournament,” Bates said. “The tournament consisted of the top teams throughout Texas for which we competed very well against the best. This confidence should carry over into the regular season starting this Friday. We are placed in a competitive division, but we should perform very well knowing we can perform with the best!”

The team will have its first meet of the season today at Mel’s Lone Star Lanes starting at 6 p.m. 

“I think this is going to be a good, strong year,” Bates said. “We have four returning seniors and last year we missed the cut to go to district by one game, so this year we have high expectations that we should make the cut.”