Franklin Steers Thru Tough Start, Rolls Into Regional Ready for Repeat Pursuit
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
February 23, 2023
The Livonia Franklin boys bowling team raised its state championship banner from last year back in January at its home alley, but that wasn’t close to being the proudest moment this year for head coach Dan Hejka.
In fact, each passing day probably becomes the proudest moment, but not necessarily for successes that Franklin has enjoyed.
Rather, Hejka becomes prouder of his team with each passing moment because of how it’s found bright spots in a season dominated by a major detour and some potholes on the road to a potential repeat title.
The detour started right before tryouts, when Ian Wright – who won the Division 1 Finals singles championship last year as a junior the day after Franklin won the team title – called Hejka with some news.
“He had a little bit of wrist soreness,” Hejka said. “He gave me a call a couple of days before tryouts. He said, ‘I’m injured.’ I said, ‘OK, well you’ve got a spot (on the team).’”
Hejka said the goal was to have Wright come back after Thanksgiving, but then the soreness lingered into the holidays.
Wright was expected to come back with fellow senior Sam White to form one of the state’s top tandems.
“He bowled once or twice with us in practice after the holidays,” Hejka said. “With the pain he was experiencing, he was unable to bowl.”
Hejka suspects it was an overuse injury from bowling a lot over the summer, but regardless, replacing the reigning champion was going to be an impossible task.
Hejka said it was simply a “next man up” mentality.
“We all want him to bowl with us,” Hejka said. “But facts are facts, and reality is reality.”
With Regionals coming up Friday (team) and Saturday (singles), the reality is Franklin has forged on and looks like it might be peaking at the right time.
Of course, the road has been bumpy, with bowlers who weren’t in the lineup at the Finals last year being thrown into expanded roles, and tough dual losses to rivals in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association during the regular season.
However, Franklin downed highly-ranked Wayne Memorial in the league tournament last week and is heading into a Regional at Super Bowl in Canton with plenty of confidence.
“We’re coming out of it,” White said. “We’ve been bowling really good the last month. We’ve really come together as a team. As we started bowling better, we started bonding and it’s become a team atmosphere.”
Leading the way has been White, who’s gone from being the other half of Franklin’s anticipated dynamic duo at the beginning of the season to the unquestioned leader both emotionally and in production.
White has committed to play football in college at Trine University, but he hopes to bowl there as well.
“Sam has really taken a leadership role, one he probably didn’t expect to take,” Hejka said.
White, the lone bowler in this year’s lineup who competed at the Finals last year, enters this Regional round with an average over 190 and has bowled a high game of 279 this season.
“It’s a big burden with (Ian) not being able to bowl, but I felt like as a leader and a senior on the team, I needed to step up,” White said. “I needed to cheer on the team and be that leader we were missing without Ian being here.”
Junior Alex Mengel (182 average), junior Michael Lerner (180 average) and senior Ben Sparks (171 average) are all within the top 50 in averages in the KLAA and have become more comfortable as regulars.
The competition at the Regional for the three qualifying spots at the Finals will be stiff, with fellow KLAA and state powers Canton, Belleville, Wayne Memorial and Plymouth also headlining a deep field.
It will be a huge challenge for Franklin, but one that it’s prepared to take head on after a year of adversity and growth.
Franklin hopes to show other teams that not only is it dangerous to count out a defending champion, but a defending champion hungry to show it can still win without its star from last year.
“It comes down to making your spares,” Hejka said. “If we make our spares, we have a shot at the top three.”
Keith Dunlap has served in Detroit-area sports media for more than two decades, including as a sportswriter at the Oakland Press from 2001-16 primarily covering high school sports but also college and professional teams. His bylines also have appeared in USA Today, the Washington Post, the Detroit Free Press, the Houston Chronicle and the Boston Globe. He served as the administrator for the Oakland Activities Association’s website from 2017-2020. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties
PHOTO Livonia Franklin’s Sam White bowls during competition; he’s taken on a larger leadership role this season for the reigning Division 1 champion. (Photo courtesy of the Livonia Franklin boys bowling program.)
Preview: 315 Bowling Teams Primed to Pursue Team, Singles Championships
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
February 27, 2025
A total of 149 girls and 166 boys bowling teams will be represented across four divisions and two days of MHSAA Bowling Finals this weekend.
Several have won before. A handful had winners just last season. Many more have an opportunity to take home a trophy or celebrate an individual champion for the first time.
Below is a look at possible contenders for all 16 championships, team and singles. Action begins both days at 8:25 a.m. – teams competing Friday and singles Saturday – with Division 1 at Allen Park’s Thunderbowl Lanes, Division 2 at Waterford's Century Bowl, Division 3 at Jackson’s Jax 60 and Division 4 at Muskegon’s Northway Lanes. Find the full list of qualifiers and come back all weekend for coverage from all four Finals sites on MHSAA.com.
Girls Division 1
Team: Reigning champion Zeeland did not qualify this time, but West Michigan again boasts an intriguing contender with Rockford posting a division-best 3,383 to win the Regional at Sherman Bowling Center in Muskegon. Utica United is ranked No. 1 and also broke 3,100 pins to win at Five Star Lanes in Sterling Heights – and qualify three bowlers for singles competition as well. Grand Blanc (3,260) and Ypsilanti Lincoln (3,201) both broke 3,000 pins in Regional victories, and 2024 Finals runner-up South Lyon was close at 2,987. South Lyon is ranked No. 2 and Grand Blanc No. 3.
Singles: Last season’s champion will not return, but 2023 champion Katherine Stephens from Clarkston will be back after finishing second at Century Bowl at Waterford to Novi senior Madeline Gazzarari at their Regional last week. Stephens, also a senior, did not make the field last year, and Gazzarari missed match play but was a semifinalist in 2023. Utica United sophomore Ava Mazza made the semifinals last season and has qualified for this weekend, as have Holt senior Madison Rue, Macomb L’Anse Creuse North sophomore Lauren Zalenski, Livonia Franklin senior Brooklyn Hannah, Belleville senior Amber Spicer, Utica United senior Sophia Matheson and Rockford sophomore Sofia DeLuccia from the 2024 match play bracket. Grand Haven senior Jenna McKinzie, Caledonia junior Addison Luxford, Flushing senior Lily Jurvelin, Utica United senior Hadley Clark and Southfield Arts & Technology junior Jaysa Taylor joined Gazzarari, Hannah and Spicer as Regional champions.
Boys Division 1
Team: Grandville is the reigning champion, ranked No. 1, and won its Regional last week at Sherman Bowling Center by 10 pins. Davison, last season’s Finals runner-up, rolled a division-best 3,732 to win at Grand Blanc Lanes, and Plymouth had the second-highest total in Division 1 of 3,686 to win at Super Bowl Lanes in Canton. Davison is ranked No. 2 and has finished Finals runner-up twice. No. 6 Oxford and No. 9 Jenison also were among overall high scorers last week, as was Belleville.
Singles: Utica United senior Dylan Hamden jumped from the quarterfinals as a sophomore to champion last season, and will bowl for a repeat. Davison senior Joe Merz won his Regional last week and made the semifinals last year, and Grandville senior Bonham Pulcifer and Hudsonville senior Ferris Eldred are returning quarterfinalists. Utica United senior Kingston Corpuz, Portage Central senior Matt Sprau and Macomb Dakota junior Cole Ragus also made the match play a year ago and will bowl this weekend. Rogus joins Merz coming off a Regional title, as does Wyandotte Roosevelt senior Peyton Webster, Northville junior Drew Bandilla, Zeeland West senior Noah VanderVelde, Hartland senior Haden Hebel, Muskegon Mona Shores senior Derek Kern and Troy senior Jacob Kondratyev.
Girls Division 2
Team: Flint Kearsley took back the title last season, the Hornets’ third over the last four years and ninth over the last 11. They are ranked No. 2 and rolled a division second-best 3,308 to win their Regional last week at Richfield Bowl in Flint. The top Regional score in Division 2 belonged to Bay City John Glenn, last season’s Finals runner-up. The Bobcats rolled a 3,311 to win by 370 pins at Gaylord Bowling Center. No. 7 Three Rivers posted a similar victory at Kalamazoo’s Continental Lanes, rolling a 3,208 to win by 412 pins. Top-ranked Swartz Creek was second to Kearsley at Richfield Bowl, 145 pins back, and No. 4 Tecumseh edged No. 5 Mason by six pins to win at Ten Pin Alley. John Glenn has finished Finals runner-up seven times since winning the first Class B title in 2004.
Singles: Reigning champion Caitlyn Johnson finished second at her Regional at B’s Bowling Center in Flint last week to book a return to this weekend, and her semifinal opponent from last season Olivia Demick from New Boston Huron also will be back. Both are seniors. Charlotte senior Lori Jackson, John Glenn senior Caeli Schultz and Jackson Northwest sophomore Casey Jahr are back after making the 2024 quarterfinals, and Sparta senior Kylee Dines and Cedar Springs junior Phoebe Fisk also are back from the match play bracket. Schultz and Dines won Regional titles last week, along with Ada Forest Hills Eastern senior Emilee Nowicki, Three Rivers sophomore Jayna Larson, Trenton senior Hannah Feijoo, Warren Woods Tower senior Kasie Golema, Kearsley sophomore Olivia Hurst and Pinckney freshman Danielle Martyka. Larson and senior teammate Tayler Mohney (who also qualified for this weekend) reached Finals match play in Division 3 last season.
Boys Division 2
Team: Flint Kearsley has won the last two Division 2 titles and also is ranked No. 1 and coming off a Regional championship after throwing a 3,558 at Richfield Bowl. Only two other Division 2 teams broke 3,500 pins last week – No. 9 Swartz Creek to finish 45 pins back of Kearsley, and No. 3 Bay City Westen to win by 416 pins at Gaylord Bowling Center. No. 2 New Boston Huron was another Regional champion, at Westland Bowl, as was No. 5 Mason by 28 pins ahead of No. 7 Tecumseh at Ten Pin Alley.
Singles: Kearsley junior Jameson Vanier earned an opportunity to repeat as champion with a third-place Regional finish, and Tecumseh senior Palmer Ziemer is back after making the semifinals last year. Madison Heights Lamphere senior Nicholas Weidenbach won his Regional last week and was a quarterfinalist last winter, and Bay City John Glenn senior Nathan Gwizdala, Mason senior Daniel Barth, Bay City Western junior Aiden Archuleta, Sparta senior Josiah Reister and Carleton Airport sophomore Brayden Siders are back after making the 2024 match play. Siders, Reister and Archuleta also were Regional champs last week, joined by Tecumseh senior Ryan Knight, Lowell senior Caden Witten, Kearsley junior Nathan Richardson and Sturgis junior Andrew Matz.
Girls Division 3
Team: Reigning champion Madison Heights Bishop Foley didn’t qualify for this Finals weekend, but 2024 runner-up Milan did finishing 23 pins behind Adrian Madison at Station 300 in Saline. Top-ranked Livonia Clarenceville also was a Regional champion, by 373 pins at B’s Bowling Center, as was No. 4 Armada by 206 pins at Strikers Entertainment in Richmond. No. 5 Grass Lake was first at Royal Scot in Lansing, with No. 2 Michigan Center second to advance as well. Clarenceville’s 2,912 was the division high.
Singles: All four semifinalists from last season graduated, but Bishop Foley junior Jacey Thibodeau, Milan junior Maggie Smith and Dundee junior Abigail DeBruyne are back from the quarterfinals – Thibodeau and Smith after winning Regional titles and DeBruyne as the runner-up to Smith last week. Hillsdale senior Shalee Van Heerde and Armada junior Reese Cecil also qualified again after making the match play last winter, Van Heerde by winning her Regional. Other Regional champs were Boyne City senior Lauren LaBute, Central Montcalm freshman Savana Pearson, Coloma senior Maddy Hamilton, Armada junior Maggie Fradle and Pinconning senior Layla St. Peter.
Boys Division 3
Team: Frankenmuth swept team and singles championships in 2024, and the Eagles will return after finishing second to Midland Bullock Creek at Northern Lanes in Sanford last week. Bullock Creek’s 3,488 was the third-highest score in all of Division 3 in Regional competition, following No. 5 Blissfield’s winning 3,591 at Station 300 and No. 4 Hopkins’ 3,522 at Park Center Lanes in Wyoming. No. 2 Milan – last season’s Finals runner-up – was Regional runner-up to Blissfield. Top-ranked Croswell-Lexington qualified as a Regional runner-up behind league rival Almont and ahead of another league rival in No. 3 Armada, which did not advance.
Singles: Gladstone senior Matt Meyer fell 30 pins shy in last season’s championship match, but he’ll attempt another run and coming off a Regional title this time. Croswell-Lexington sophomore Joshua Gunderson and Milan senior Max Jenness are returning quarterfinalists and won Regionals last week as well, and senior Dom Danneffel also will return after reaching the quarterfinals in 2024. Frankenmuth senior Liam Liddle and Almont senior Hunter Ross will return after reaching the Finals match play. Also winning Regional titles last week were Napoleon senior Ethan Ross, Wyoming Kelloggsville junior Donovan Hernandez-Henning, Central Montcalm senior Paytin Pearson, Livonia Clarenceville junior Sam Wiacek and Bullock Creek senior Cole Gilbert.
Girls Division 4
Team: Another new champion is guaranteed in this division as reigning champion Traverse City Christian – and runner-up Bronson – did not qualify. In fact, a first-time champion is very likely – of the 16 teams competing this weekend, only Sandusky has won a Finals team title before, most recently in 2012. Ravenna was the only Regional champion last week to break 3,000 pins, with 3,002 to win by 340 at Sherman Lanes. Top-ranked Jonesville, No. 4 Bad Axe and No. 6 Burton Atherton also were among Regional champions.
Singles: Bad Axe junior Jasmyn Ranquist is seeking to repeat and won her Regional last week by 322 pins with a 1,363 at Monitor Lanes in Bay City. Memphis senior Lauren Castillo also will be back after finishing Finals runner-up a year ago, as will 2024 semifinalists MacKenzey Forster from Atherton and Kourtney Downham from Allen Park Cabrini. They are a senior and junior, respectively. Atherton senior Reagan Baker won her Regional last week and is back from last year’s quarterfinals, and Hudson junior Ellie Loar, Bronson senior Morgan McConn and Ravenna sophomore Taylor Nutt are back after making match play – McConn and Nutt as two more Regional champs last week. Mancelona sophomore Hailey Kauffman, Addison senior Molly Brown, Taylor Trillium Academy senior Sara Brunell and Ithaca senior Isabel Guild also were Regional title winners.
Boys Division 4
Team: Reigning champion Traverse City Christian did not qualify, but last season’s runner-up and current No. 2 Jonesville won its Regional at M-66 Bowl in Battle Creek and will pursue its first championship since winning Division 3 in 2018. Jonesville’s 3,367 also was the highest Regional score in all of Division 4, and Jackson Lumen Christi fell only a pin shy of 3,000 in winning its Regional at Jax 60 in Jackson. No. 3 Ravenna and No. 9 Bronson were the only other ranked teams to advance, both finishing as Regional runners-up.
Singles: Two past champions will compete this weekend, as Hudson junior Carter Fournier is returning after winning last year’s title and 2023 champ Alex McCarthy is back as a senior at Saginaw Nouvel Catholic Central. Returning as well is last season’s runner-up, Allen Park Cabrini senior Bryce Cadaret, and Jonesville senior Andrew Sackett after reaching the semifinals in 2024. Detroit Loyola junior Cody Champion, Traverse City Christian senior Ethan Ehlert, Lumen Christi senior Zachary Kremer and Burton Atherton junior Brennen Eaton also are back after making the match play. Oscoda senior Josh McDonald, Grandville Calvin Christian senior Brandon Tavera, Burr Oak senior Jacob Trennepohl, Vandercook Lake freshman Bruer Gieske, New Haven senior Nathan Patton and Ithaca senior Broden Peska were joined by McCarthy and Eaton as Regional champions last week.
PHOTO Westland John Glenn's Tiara Henderson was an individual Regional runner-up in Division 1 and also helped her team finish second and qualify for this weekend's Finals. (Photo courtesy of the Westland John Glenn athletic department.)