Keeping to Form, Kearsley Girls Bounce Back from 2025 Miss with 2026 Success
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
February 27, 2026
WATERFORD — Recent history certainly has shown one thing about the Flint Kearsley girls bowling program:
The Hornets may go one year without winning a state championship, but they don’t go two years in a row without a title.
That was the case again Friday at the Division 2 Finals, as Kearsley reclaimed its spot on the state’s throne by sweeping Marshall in the championship match.
It was the 11th Finals title since 2012 for Kearsley. Every year during that stretch that Kearsley has failed to win a championship, it has come back and won the following season.
Hornets senior Delaney Vanier said as is usually the case, not winning the title last year stoked a fire within the team throughout the season and again Friday.
“One hundred and 10 percent,” she said. “We pushed ourselves to the max every practice, every match and every tournament. This is what we wanted, and this is what we came to do.”
For the first part of the day though, Kearsley struggled.
It was the No. 5 seed out of the qualifying block, and the situation really seemed dire when Kearsley fell behind 2-0 to Tecumseh in the Quarterfinal round.
“We had to have a few talks today because we were missing some easy spares,” Kearsley head coach Jeff Vanier said. “We were throwing good shots, but it just wasn’t happening. We were down 0-2 in the first match. We ended up winning three and juggled some things around. We ended up going sweep, sweep.”
Delaney Vanier said she had one thought when the team fell behind 0-2 to Tecumseh.
“Scary,” Vanier said. “I was so nervous. My adrenaline was going crazy. But I’m glad we pulled through.”
After beating Tecumseh, Kearsley swept top-seeded Bay City John Glenn in the Semifinals.
The Hornets then rolled past first-time finalist Marshall 169-113, 154-126, 182-154.
The Redhawks had advanced to the Semifinals by the narrowest of margins against 2025 champion Swartz Creek. The teams were tied two games apiece going into the fifth and then were tied after the fifth game, prompting a roll-off.
Marshall won the roll-off by one pin, and then defeated Dearborn Divine Child 3-1 in the Semifinals.
“A heck of a run,” Marshall head coach Jim Stealy said. “Our kids bowled their tails off. They learned to bowl in pressure situations. Out of the seven girls I had here today, two of them were in a match play situation two years ago, but only one of them did any actual bowling. For all of my girls except one, bowling in a match play situation was new. They had to learn how to make pressure shots, and they haven’t had to make pressure shots like that before.
“In our first round matchup against Swartz Creek, they were struggling to do that. But then it started to click, and we kind of got through that and we were good.”
Holt's Cadwell Completes 58-Pin Comeback to Claim Singles Title
By
Perry A. Farrell
Special for MHSAA.com
March 2, 2024
ALLEN PARK – Facing a 58-pin deficit heading into Game 2 of Saturday’s Division 1 singles championship match, Holt sophomore Emma Cadwell needed some help if she was going to catch and Flushing’s Hannah Reid.
Reid – the 2023 Division 1 runner-up – had won the first game of the Final 216-158.
But while Reid struggled in the second game, Cadwell rallied – and prevailed with a two-game 362-359 win at Thunderbowl Lanes.
“I just tried to stay focused,’’ said Cadwell. “I really didn’t see this happening my sophomore year. We went with a ball change in the second game, and it paid off. I kind of felt the momentum change early in the second game. I didn’t know what was going to happen. I just tried to execute my shots.’’
Reid, after dispatching Utica freshman Ava Mazza in the Semifinals, 418-387, found herself in the championship match for the second-straight season.
But in nearly a reversal of the first game, Cadwell emerged with a 204-143 advantage in the second to lock up the title.
Rockford freshman Sofia DeLuccia was the top qualifier for match play at 1,338 pins, five more than Reid.
She was eliminated in the first round by 16th seed Haley Streatmans, from Macomb L’Anse Creuse North, 339-338. Streatmans advanced to face Cadwell, who had bested Amber Spicer of Belleville, 316-290.
Caldwell moved on to the Semifinals by defeating Streatmans, 365-359, and then eliminated Zeeland’s Brianna Fortney, 332-326, to reach the Final.
Reid held serve at the two-seed, defeating Holt’s Madison Rue, 356-287, to face Grace Polega from Utica Ford, a 428-366 winner over Lauren Zalenski from L’Anse Creuse North. Reid continued her march to the Final with a 364-362 victory over Polega.
Livonia Franklin’s Brooklyn Hannah was third in qualifying at 1,296 pins, and Traverse City West’s Alyssa Tanner was fourth at 1,264. Macomb Dakota’s Haylie Patterson jumped into the field with games of 223, 241 and 193 to jump to the 14th seed and a showdown with Livonia Franklin’s Brooklyn Hannah.
Fortney, who helped Zeeland to the team title Friday, qualified 12th at 1,172. She had to face teammate and senior classmate Rylee Smith in the opening round. Tied at 359, the two had a roll-off with Fortney advancing 49-18. Fortney moved on to take on Tanner, who had won 398-331 over Sophia Matheson of Utica Eisenhower. Fortney jumped ahead early and prevailed, 474-370 to face Caldwell.
Mazza, the daughter of former Professional Bowlers Association star John Mazza, qualified sixth at 1,261. She then eliminated Samantha Mason of Southfield Arts & Technology 407-361 to take on Patterson, who had raced past Hannah, 401-340. Mazza was good, ending Patterson’s run 410-361.