Lindsley Rolls Some Perfection Into Vassar's Inaugural Bowling Season
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
February 18, 2026
Bowling was brand new to Vassar High School this season. It was also brand new to all but one of the bowlers on the team.
“None of them had touched a ball (competitively) before our first practice on November 14,” Vassar coach Kevin Lindsley said.
So, imagine Lindsley’s surprise when his team qualified for the match play portion of the boys Big Thumb Conference Championships – and finished among the top six of the league tournament this past weekend.
“Oh yeah, the first thing I asked, and I was kind of being funny, was ‘Do you guys give out Coach of the Year?’” Lindsley said. “We just took a team that had never touched a bowling ball three months ago and placed. As soon as my son bowled his 300 (at the league singles tournament Jan. 31) and they announced it, the first thing people said was, ‘Vassar has a bowling team? When did they get a bowling team?’”
The Vulcans are entering their first postseason Wednesday and Thursday in the Division 4 Regional at Monitor Lanes in Bay City. The team competition is Wednesday, and the singles on Thursday.
They will be rolling for a spot in the Division 4 Finals on Feb. 27 and 28 at Skore Lanes in Taylor.
“My son, Zander, we’ve always bowled and he knows a lot of kids from Genesee County that he grew up with, and they’re all starting to bowl in high school,” Lindsley said. “He wanted to bowl, and I wanted him to bowl in high school, so last year I took it upon myself to try to start a team. We tried to get a team last year, but it didn’t work out. With me getting out there more and a little more word of mouth, this year it worked out way better.”
A total of eight bowlers came out for the program’s inaugural year: seven boys and one girl. And even more important for the future of the program, five of those eight – Zachary Nott, Bradley Dantzer, John Adams, Zander Lindsley and Maci Noyce – are freshmen. There are also three seniors in the program: Caeleb Partridge, Devin Patterson and Edman Wood.
With the numbers to start a team, and a home alley at Brentwood Lanes in Caro, Kevin Lindsley then had to help them become bowlers.
“A couple weeks before the season, I took them to get new balls, and they were used balls, but we got them all cleaned up, professionally fitted, drilled new holes,” Lindsley said. “They all got a ball, bag and shoes. Basically, what I coach or teach them is from my experience. I teach them the details of bowling, to read lane conditions, angles, spare systems, wrist technique, for, basically like you do for any sport. Then, when you actually get to competition, when you put somebody across from you, you say, ‘OK, now go out and outscore them.’ It’s a totally different feeling than when you’re just having some pizza and beers and chucking balls and high-fiving and giggling with your friends.”
One bowler who was not starting from scratch in November was Zander Lindsley, who has been bowling since he was 5 years old.
In his first high school season, he took the lanes by storm, bowling the aforementioned 300 game on his way to the Big Thumb Conference individual title. It was the first 300 game of his life.
“I didn’t even realize that I was at the 10th frame and had 10 strikes in a row,” he said. “I was just bowling to bowl. It hit me right away when I did it. I turned around and saw my dad and he was so pumped. We chest-bumped. Everyone was yelling and screaming, it was awesome.”
Amazingly, Zander had to come down from the high of a perfect game and win more matches to become the conference champion.
“He said it was very hard and that he was pretty exhausted after the 300,” Kevin Lindsley said. “It took a lot out of him. And another thing, his dad is his coach, so I’m literally behind the lane talking him through this. Once it did happen, we were kind of emotional about it. It did add a little exhaustion to the task.”
Zander now has his eyes set on bigger postseason goals.
“Well, first I’m trying to qualify for Regionals and qualify for states,” he said. “And hopefully win states.”
That would be quite a cap on a first season that has already exceeded expectations in Vassar, but one the Lindsleys are hoping is just the beginning of bigger things for Vulcans bowling.
“Fingers crossed, yes,” Zander said.
Paul Costanzo served as a sportswriter at The Port Huron Times Herald from 2006-15, including three years as lead sportswriter, and prior to that as sports editor at the Hillsdale Daily News from 2005-06. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, Sanilac, Huron, Tuscola, Saginaw, Bay, Arenac, Midland and Gladwin counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Vassar bowling coach Kevin Lindsley, right, and son Zander pose for a photo during the program’s inaugural season. (Middle) Zander Lindsley holds up the bracket after winning the Big Thumb Conference boys singles championship Jan. 31. (Photos courtesy of the Vassar bowling program.)
Boys Singles Finals: No Pins to Spare
March 4, 2012
BATTLE CREEK – No one said becoming the first-ever two-time boys MHSAA Singles champ would be easy.
But after the winning the Division 1 title as a sophomore, Davison senior Taylor Greene took home top honors for the second time by defeating Lake Orion senior Kevin Yang on Saturday at M-66 Bowl in a match that came down to the last frame.
Greene almost didn’t have a chance to get that coveted second title after struggling in the first four games of qualifying. Standing 70 pins short of the cut line and in 40th place, he rolled games of 223 and 235 just to get into a roll-off for the 16th and final afternoon match play spot.
But Greene stayed hot, and a 256 roll-off score sent him to the match play and started a run to the championship match.
“The lanes kind of opened up, and I knew I had the shot to do it,” Greene said. “I was one of the few that were able to go that deep and turn it a lot.”
Greene opened the championship match with a 258, but Yang kept pace with a 229. When Yang failed to double in the 10th frame of Game 2, the door was open for Greene – a mark and eight would seal the win.
“I knew I just needed a mark to beat him,” Greene said. “I was hoping it wasn’t a 10-pin because I missed one before that.”
In fact, it was a 10-pin. But this time, Greene promptly buried it and followed up with a strike to seal the historic championship, 438-435.
“Wow, it means a lot. That’s crazy. I never thought I would,” Greene said of adding his second title. “Last year, I had a good run at it. I dominated the field, but bowled bad after the re-oil.
"But this year, I’m glad I got to redeem myself.”
Division 2 at Century Lanes
WATEFORD – Let Wyoming Rogers junior Derek Nyenhuis stand as the example for any bowler who squeaks into the final spot of match play at an MHSAA Final.
Your run might be just beginning.
Nyenhuis made the Division 2 match play Saturday by a mere nine pins. But he proceeded to down the top seed by 18, his Quarterfinal opponent by 70 and eventually New Boston Huron’s Terry Bonner 426-340 in the Final.
"It feels awesome. I just worked hard through this whole thing,” Nyenhuis said.
“To tell you the truth, the seeding I don't think is a big deal. It just depends on how good the bowler is at the end."
He nearly fell into another slow start in the championship match before finding his shot.
"The first game I started off bad and made a ball adjustment and then threw seven in a row,” Nyenhuis said. “So I was up 60, but I just kept telling myself we were tied."
Division 3 at Airport Lanes
JACKSON – This already had been a memorable season for Grand Rapids West Catholic. But Trent Clark added a finishing stroke Saturday.
Clark pulled off arguably the gutsiest run of the Singles Finals, winning his first three matches by four, eight and 11 pins before downing Caro’s Jarred Pretzer 376-324 in the finale.
“This is the best group of kids you could ask for. Trent Clark did an amazing job this season,” West Catholic coach Mike Hall said. “He finished with a 220 average for the season and a high game of 289. He works every day on his game and strives to be the best.
“West Catholic won their conference for the first time in school history, and now Trent is the first to become state champ in school history.”
Division 4 at Century Lanes
WATERFORD – Sandusky senior Tyler Johnston qualified for the MHSAA Singles Finals all four of his high school seasons. One more day wasn't going to keep him from winning the Division 4 title.
Johnston also made the match play for the fourth time Sunday, and survived two and four-pin wins before defeating Rogers City's Zach Hazel 424-371 in the Final.
"The brown out yesterday was a very long day," said Sandusky coach and Tyler's dad Jeremy Johnston, noting the power outage at Sunnybrook Lanes that moved Division 4 competition back one day and to a different center. "I know all three of my boys that qualified for singles did not bowl well Friday and were happy to hear the tournament was moved, even though it was a long wait.
"We have only bowled at Century Lanes once, and didn't know what to expect. But it worked out well for Tyler."
PHOTO of Taylor Greene receiving his championship medal at the Division 1 Final. Click for detailed results from all MHSAA Singles Finals.