Dearborn Unified Boys Build On Regular-Season Just-Misses to Achieve Finals Successes
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
March 1, 2026
ALLEN PARK — Even as his team was struggling until about February, Dearborn Unified boys bowling coach Paul Marcon could still sense greatness brewing.
“In the regular season, we lost seven matches in our league by 20 pins or less,” Marcon said. “You could see it coming. They were going. I just knew.”
On Sunday, the whole state knew as well.
Dearborn Unified completed a hot final month of the season in the best way possible, claiming its first MHSAA Finals championship by sweeping Grandville in the Division 1 title match at Thunderbowl Lanes.
Dearborn was unstoppable in the Final, earning a 220-212, 226-149, 204-173 victory in a matchup between the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds out of the qualifying block.
“It feels outstanding,” said Dearborn senior Christian Lamb, who was the individual champion at his team’s Regional. “This was my dream coming into my freshman year. To finish my senior year with a win, it’s phenomenal. We just believed in ourselves competing against these teams.”
After placing seventh out of qualifying, Dearborn began its journey in match play with a sweep of Wyandotte Roosevelt in the Quarterfinals.
The most nerve-wracking match of the day for Dearborn was in the Semifinals, when it trailed Hudsonville 2-1.
But Dearborn pulled out an 187-183 win in the fourth game to force a fifth, and won that 203-188 to get into the championship match.
“We didn’t win a lot during the regular season, but we had a lot of faith and a lot of confidence coming into this tournament,” Lamb said.
Grandville was making its second appearance in the championship match in three years after winning it all in 2024.
The Bulldogs were in 11th place going into the second and last regular game of the qualifying block, but rolled a 1,009 in that game to net the No. 8 seed by 26 pins ahead of Clarkston.
Fully energized by qualifying, Grandville knocked off top-seed and neighboring school Jenison in the Quarterfinals, 3-1, before sweeping traditional power Davison in the Semifinals.
After losing a close first game to Dearborn, Granville just couldn’t get it going over the last two.
Still, Grandville head coach Nick Watkins couldn’t have been happier with how his team performed.
“They didn’t miss and we had a couple of open (frames),” Watkins said. “We had such a great time. My boys won it in 2024 ,and my girls won it in 2025. This is my first time taking second and I tell you what, I’m just as happy having this as I was the other ones. Watching these kids grow and have the experience today was amazing.”
Kearsley Boys Finish Memorable Repeat Story with 3 Must-Win Victories
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
March 1, 2024
WATERFORD — This wasn’t the plan of attack for Flint Kearsley in its effort to repeat as Division 2 boys bowling champion.
The Hornets had seen a lot go their way for most of the MHSAA Team Final at Century Bowl on Friday. But upon advancing to the championship match against Grand Rapids Northview, Kearsley saw things go astray and lost the first two Baker games in the new format, where teams have to win three of five Bakers to clinch.
“We had only one more to lose,” Kearsley head coach Bart Rutledge said. “I told the guys that it was a better story coming back from 2-0.”
That story for Kearsley did indeed have a happy ending, as the Hornets rallied to win the final three Baker games and prevail over Northview, 3-2.
Kearsley became the first boys team in Division 2 to repeat since the Hornets pulled off the feat in 2015, in the process denying 2022 champion Northview its second title in three years in what was a terrific final match between the last two champions.
Northview earned a 185-173 win in the first game and a 186-169 triumph in the second before Kearsley conducted its rally.
The Hornets prevailed 189-171 in the third game, 204-174 in the fourth game and 173-150 in the deciding fifth game.
There’s an adage in sports that it’s usually harder to repeat than it is to win the second time, and Rutledge said that was the case for his team throughout the year.
“We actually struggled throughout the year,” he said. “Last year, it seemed like we won everything all year long. This year, we won a couple of tournaments, but we had problems finishing. We did at the right time. I got up this morning and had that feeling just like last year that we were going to win. It looked like it was going that way, It ended up that way, but not in the way I expected.”
Kearsley had little trouble all day long until the Final, first finishing in the top spot out of the qualifying block. The Hornets then recorded three-game sweeps over Auburn Hills Avondale in the Quarterfinals and Tecumseh in the Semifinals.
Northview finished second out of the qualifying block and recorded four-game wins over Bay City Western in the Quarterfinals and Carleton Airport in the Semifinals.
“We just didn’t get any breaks the last three games,” Northview head coach Jason Pranger said. “There were a couple of shots we got nine on and a couple of shots they threw good and they got all 10 on. They doubled a few times, where we would go strike and spare. When you are going strike and spare, you don’t build scores as teams that are throwing double (strikes). It’s tough. I think nerves got a little of us right at the end with some spare shooting. Other than that, it’s bowling.”