Utica United Completes Championship Run with Narrow Final Victory
By
Perry A. Farrell
Special for MHSAA.com
February 28, 2025
ALLEN PARK – A first-time participant in the MHSAA Division 1 Boys Bowling Final at Thunderbowl Lanes, football powerhouse Belleville attempted to add a championship trophy in a different sport.
But Utica United did not allow that to happen Friday.
The Utica team – a cooperative made up of bowlers from Eisenhower and Utica High – was more consistent and prevailed 3-1, winning the deciding game 174-169.
The lineup of Zachary Kukuk, Evan Cicotte, Marco Mazza, Kingston Corpuz and Dylan Harnden proved too much.
“To win a singles and now a team title is great,’’ said Harnden, last year’s Division 1 Singles Final winner. “I thought the guys bowled great today. We knew all the teams here were good. We knew Belleville was going to be good and Wayne Memorial.
“We stayed focused. Being a senior makes this extra special.’’
Belleville dominated Livonia Churchill in the semifinal, advancing to the with a sweep. It took Utica United five games to dispose of Wayne Memorial.
Utica then opened the final with a 212-203 win to take Game 1 and kept the pressure on with a 216-182 victory in game 2.
“The fresh oil in the finals was a challenge, but we stayed consistent,’’ Mazza said.
The Tigers finally broke through in Game 3, prevailing 223-213. But Utica then finished the match with the narrow victory in Game 4.
Coach Phil Roberts completed his 15th and last season leading the Tigers.
“I’ll be 81 before the start of next season, so it’s time,’’ he said.
Grandville edged Davison 3,715 to 3,714 during qualifying to claim the top seed heading into match play. Utica was third at 3,707 and Belleville fourth at 3,486.
Grandville’s bracket run was short-lived. After winning the first game of their first match, the Bulldogs dropped the final three and were eliminated by Livonia Churchill.
Davison also fell in its bracket opener, losing the first two games to Wayne Memorial, rallying to tie the match but then losing the decider.
Utica stopped Jenison, 3-2, in another quarterfinal to set up a showdown with Wayne Memorial. Belleville defeated Hudsonville 3-1, setting up a semifinal with Churchill.
Be the Referee: Bowling Ball Rules
By
Paige Winne
MHSAA Marketing & Social Media Coordinator
December 17, 2024
Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.
Below is this week's segment – Bowling Ball Rules - Listen
We’re bowling today, and the question is: Can a bowler use a bowling ball with no holes?
The answer is yes – but there are some rules around it.
A ball with no holes would have to follow static balance rules. If the ball weighs more than 10 pounds, it may not have more than three ounces of difference between any two halves of the ball.
Additionally, there needs to be a plus sign (+) engraved on the ball where the bowler will place their dominant hand if the ball has more than a three-quarter ounce imbalance between any two halves of the ball.
If there is no imbalance, the plus sign is not needed, and the bowler can place their dominant hand anywhere on the bowling ball they like.
Previous 2024-25 Editions
Dec. 10: Neck Laceration Protector - Listen
Dec. 3: Basketball Goaltending - Listen
Nov. 26: 11-Player Finals Replay - Listen
Nov. 19: 8-Player vs. 11-Player Football - Listen
Nov. 12: Back Row Setter - Listen
Nov. 5: Football OT - Listen
Oct. 29: Officials Registration - Listen
Oct. 22: Volleyball Serve - Listen
Oct. 15: "You Make the Call" - Soccer Offside - Listen
Oct. 8: Roughing the Passer - Listen
Oct. 1: Abnormal Course Condition - Listen
Sept. 25: Tennis Nets - Listen
Sept. 18: Libero - Listen
Sept. 10: Cross Country Uniforms - Listen
Sept. 3: Soccer Handling - Listen
Aug. 24: Football Holding - Listen
(MHSAA file photo.)