Dad's Memory Drives Bunch to Finish Kearsley Weekend Sweep with Singles Win
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
February 28, 2026
WATERFORD — Whenever she got into times of trouble or adversity during the Division 2 Singles Finals on Saturday, Flint Kearsley junior Noel Bunch knew who to turn to for comfort.
Throughout the day, Bunch said her late father was often on her mind, particularly when she needed a good shot. Her father died last November after battling cancer.
“Bowling has been a part of my family my whole life,” Bunch said. “(My dad) was a bowler and he taught me how to bowl. I just really wanted to keep the tradition going. I was just trying to think about that it was for him and I could do this.”
Bunch indeed did it for her family and herself, claiming her first individual Finals title and the first for a Kearsley girls bowler since Megan Time won in 2020.
Bunch also pulled a championship double after being a part of Kearsley’s team title Friday.
She qualified for the singles tournament the last two years, but didn’t make it past the qualifying block due to a big obstacle,
“This was my first year where I wasn’t super sick,” Bunch said. “I’ve been sick the last two years for states.”
Bunch defeated Three Rivers junior Jayna Larson in the final, overcoming a two-pin deficit after the first game (197-195) to win the second, 224-171, for a 419-368 overall win.
Bunch started off slowly in the second game but caught fire, bowling six straight strikes between the fourth and 10th frames to take control.
“It was a ball adjustment,” Kearsley head coach Jeff Vanier said. “Her one ball was going a little too long. One lane was hooking more than the other. Once we figured that out, we made a ball change in the 10th frame of the first game. I liked how it read the lanes.”
Bunch went wire-to-wire, finishing first out of the qualifying block and beginning match play with a round of 16 win over Bay City John Glenn senior Haylee Timm.
Bunch then beat Swartz Creek sophomore Allison Temple in the quarterfinals and Dearborn Divine Child sophomore Ella Leieniewski in the semifinals.
“She has been one of my top bowlers,” Vanier said of Bunch. “She’s either been my anchor bowler or my fourth bowler. She’s my best spare shooter, probably, on my team. She’s been solid all year.”
Larson was the second seed out of the qualifying block, and began her run to the final with a win over Divine Child junior Julia Sovinski in the round of 16. Larson then topped Kearsley senior Delaney Vanier in the quarterfinals and Bay City John Glenn junior Chelsie Voss in the semifinals.
It was the third straight year at the Singles Finals for Larson, who lost in the round of 16 two years ago and missed qualifying by eight pins last year.
“I was just trying to focus and not be nervous, because when I was nervous I would tend to miss it at the bottom,’ Larson said. “Just be focused and try to hit a good shot.”
Grandville Girls Go Distance Twice in Match Play to Secure 1st Finals Title
By
Perry A. Farrell
Special for MHSAA.com
February 28, 2025
ALLEN PARK – Paiton Thompson couldn’t stop crying.
The senior anchor bowler helped Grandville’s girls bowling team to its first Division 1 title with a 3-2 championship match victory Friday at Thunderbowl Lanes.
The Bulldogs shot just 116 in the first game against Holt, but won three of the next four, including 158-153 in the finale.
“I told them we had to start making spares,’’ said coach Nick Watkins. “We started throwing and making spares.’’
Said Thompson: “We didn’t get down on ourselves. I can’t stop crying. Being a senior makes this everything to me.’’
There was a clear favorite.
Utica United, a cooperative of bowlers from Utica High and Utica Eisenhower, brought a talented lineup, led by Hadley Clark, Sophia Matheson and Ava Mazza.
All three also qualified for Saturday’s singles championship.
After a series of close calls Friday, the top-ranked Utica squad fell in the semifinals to an inspired Holt team, ranked seventh in the state. That set the stage for the championship against fifth-ranked Grandville, which had raced to the finals by defeating Rockford, 3-0, with the last game a 190-189 thriller.
In the first game of the championship, Grandville had seven opens in the first nine frames in falling to the Rams,153-116.
Still with open frames galore, Grandville tied the match at 1-1, with a 148-132 win in the second game. Holt then took the lead again with a 210-161 verdict in the third.
However, Grandville rallied to tie the match 2-2 with a 181-133 fourth-game win, and then clinched with the five-pin victory in Game 5.
With three of the best bowlers in the Macomb Area Conference Red, Utica United dominated the qualifying round, shooting a 3,404, which was almost 200 pins better than No. 2 seed South Lyon’s 3,220. Macomb Dakota was third at 3,101 and Holt fourth at 3,069.
In the quarterfinals, Utica had a miserable first game, shooting 115 and losing, but rallied to down Walled Lake Northern, 3-1. Meanwhile, Rockford eliminated Dakota, 3-2, winning the deciding game by three pins.
Holt stopped Westland John Glenn, 3-2, to advance against Utica. Grandville was the last team to reach the semifinals, defeating South Lyon, 3-2, to face Rockford.