The high school bowling season is already underway and it’s a great time to watch the local prep teams as they get into the heart of the season and look ahead to the postseason.
There are big events to get the city and area boys’ and girls’ bowling teams on track with the annual All-City Meet at M66 Bowl on February 21. Eternal Power Marshall will be looking for a strong showing at the Interstate 8 Singles tournament on February. 19. Some city teams have chosen not to bowl this season, while Battle Creek Central and Harper Creek have no teams.
All regular season action will be in an effort to prepare teams for the Michigan High School Athletic Association regionals the weekend of February 25-26 and later the state finals on March 4-5.
Here’s a breakdown of the city/region’s high school boys/girls bowling teams for 2021-22:
boys
Lake view
Coach: Corey Conine/Mark Davis
Key Artists: Cade Landers, Hunter Markos, Cameron McKee, Lonnie Green II
Outlook: The Lakeview boys had a standout start to the season, starting with a 4-0 record. According to the coach: “What we are looking for this season is to go to the next level.”
Marshall
Coach: Mike Roach
Key Artists: Aaron Couch, Kameron George, Jonathan Burns, Carter Casarez
Outlook: Mike Roach was the longtime coach at Pennfield and helped that program to team and individual state titles, and is now the boys’ coach at Marshall. The Redhawks have been reloading some strong teams in recent seasons, led by Kameron George, who was the only team representative to the state finals a year ago. According to the coach, “We lost a few experienced players from last season, but many of this year’s roster have seen conference or tournament action.”
Pennfield
Coach: Charlie Tap
Key Artists: Jeff Stockwell, Allen Noga, Masen Kooi, Marcus Hall
Outlook: Pennfield, a perennial power, was hit hard by graduation losses heading into this season. A young Panther squad is now adapting and getting new talent into the varsity mix in junior varsity freshman Conor Schafer and Kyle Thomas. According to the coach, “Both the men’s and women’s teams are looking for someone to step in and give us solid replacements for last year’s graduates.”
girls
Lake view
Coach: Corey Conine/Mark Davis
key artistsLauren Davis, Alyssa Morgan, Erika Grando, Nghi Dinh, Alissa Mella, Isabella Liebana, Leonie Maier
Outlook: Lakeview’s team has an international appeal with four foreign exchange students on the list and has had a learning curve, putting the year under .500 so far. According to the coach, “We’ve come a long way, because these kids are some of the best listeners I’ve ever had.”
Marshall
Coach: Sue Hutchings
Key Artists: Gillian Lemon, Mia Fields, Emily Lemon, Mackenzie Heath, Emily Rice
Outlook: Marshall has one of the more established girls’ programs in the area with coach Sue Hutchings in her 23rd season of high school bowling. This Redhawk team is one of the strongest they’ve had in recent years and has the potential to compete for the title in the league. According to the coach: “I have been waiting for this year. We have a very well trained team and the sky is the limit.”
Pennfield
Coach: Charlie Tap
key artists: Abby Byrd, Izabella Eves, Jaiden Halder, Hannah Ruoff
OutlookGraduation losses hurt the Pennfield program, but returnees Abby Byrd, Izabella Eves, Jaiden Halder and Hannah Ruoff give the Panthers some experience. Freshman Ava Harris is already a starter in her first time bowling on an organized team. According to the coach, “Our goal is to be ready for our section and make it to the state finals.”
Contact Bill Broderick at bbroderi@battlecreekenquirer.com. Follow him on Twitter @billbroderick.