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.”
Kearsley Girls Erase Last Year's Early Exit with 9th Title in 11 Seasons
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
March 1, 2024
WATERFORD — It might seem impossible that a team with eight MHSAA Finals titles over a span of 10 years would ever enter anything hungry for redemption.
But that was the case for Flint Kearsley’s girls bowling team going into the Division 2 Final on Friday at Century Bowl.
Last year, the Hornets suffered a disappointment they weren’t used to feeling, getting knocked out in the Quarterfinal round after earning the No. 1 seed during the qualifying block.
That defeat was way more on the minds of Kearsley all offseason, rather than the previous eight state titles.
“That was a debacle,” first-year Kearsley head coach Jeff Vanier said.
But that failure last year was long forgotten when this year’s competition was over, as Kearsley reclaimed its throne by beating Bay City John Glenn in the championship match, 3-1.
This was the first year of a new format in the knockout stage where the team that won three out of five Baker games was declared the winner. The previous format awarded the team with the most pins following two Baker games and a regular game.
John Glenn won the first game of the Final, 177-152, but Kearsley stormed back winning the second game 173-143, the third game 235-134 and the fourth game 165-122 to clinch its ninth title in 11 years.
The most pivotal moment for Kearsley might have come in a Quarterfinal match against Sturgis. Kearsley lost the first game (171-159) and won the second (179-145) before both teams struggled in the third game.
The Hornets ended up prevailing, 128-124, rallying after anchor bowler Ava Boggs struck out in the final frame.
“That gave us a 2-1 lead, and we went on from there,” Vanier said.
Kearsley finished off Sturgis in the fourth game, 210-165, and then recorded a three-game sweep of New Boston Huron to advance to the Final.
John Glenn was No. 1 out of the qualifying block before earning a five-game win over Marshall in the Quarterfinals and a four-game triumph over Tecumseh in the Semifinals.
“We made a lot of spares today, but when we got to the final match, we weren’t making spares,” John Glenn head coach Andy Gwizdala said. “During the Baker matches earlier in the day, we averaged 184, which means we made spares. We were consistent and made spares. That’s what we came here to do. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to finish it in the Final.”
Still, there was a lot for John Glenn to feel good about.
The Bobcats avenged losses from the Quarterfinal round of the tournament each of the last two years and don’t graduate any bowlers as they look ahead to 2024-25.
“We hope to be back next year,” Gwizdala said.