The boys bowling team prepares to make its appearance at the state championship this Wednesday, marking a first in the school’s five-year bowling history.
Head coach of the boys and girls bowling teams Karen Stohlmann, expressed her excitement about the boys historic qualification.
“We have taken the girls team before,” she said, “But this is the first year that we have taken a boys team.”
According to Stohlmann, the boys team, comprised of three seniors, two juniors and a sophomore, finished second in their region, which secured their spot at state. “We have a really good chance of doing really well at state,” she said.
Senior Zach Reeves, a member of the varsity boys bowling team, said he has been bowling for four years.
“I felt awesome when we found out we qualified for state,” he said.
According to Stohlmann, Reeves had the highest score total for their region.
“That means that he gets to throw one of the ceremonial balls at the beginning, which is pretty exciting,” Stohlmann said.
Stohlmann said that this opportunity is not just exciting for the boys; it also includes representation from the girls team, with junior Laynee Nester joining the boys in the competition.
“The fact that we have representation from both the teams, particularly in a situation where we graduated all of our varsity team and half our JV girls team last year, is super exciting,” she said.
The road to state has not been without challenges. According to Reeves, the team had a few struggles but generally dominated during the season. The preparation for state involved practicing at various bowling alleys to adapt to different lane conditions.
“Every bowling alley, or they call it a house, every house has a different feel to it,” Stohlmann said.
Senior Ariel Keshet, another member of the team, said he hoped to increase interest in bowling for the future.
“I hope people actually make it into a hobby and even go bowling outside of school or join a league during the offseason. I think that’s really important,” he said.
As the seniors prepare to graduate, they said they hope the team will continue to grow.
Keshet expressed a desire to increase interest in bowling for the future.
“I hope people actually make it into a hobby and even go bowling outside of school or join a league during the offseason. I think that’s really important,” he said.
The boys will compete on March 4 in Wichita.
