Preview: Finals Fields Full of Past Champs
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
February 28, 2019
Seven reigning team champions and five singles title winners are returning for this weekend’s MHSAA Girls & Boys Bowling Finals.
But this sport annually seems to allow for a higher degree of the unexpected at this highest level of competition – so expect to see a few surprise contenders enter the mix with the past achievers.
Below is a look at possible contenders for all eight championships. This season's Finals will be bowled at the following centers: Division 1 at Allen Park’s Thunderbowl Lanes, Division 2 at Waterford’s Century Bowl, Division 3 at Muskegon’s Northway Lanes and Division 4 at Battle Creek's M-66 Bowl. Click for the full list of qualifiers, and come back to Second Half all weekend for coverage from all four Finals sites. Action begins both days at 8:25 a.m.
Division 1 Girls
Team: Oxford moved up from runner-up in 2017 to champion last season and continues to roll, posting the highest Regional score last week (3,778) in all of Division 1 and winning a Regional that saw three of the top five scores of the weekend. Flushing (3,762) and Lake Orion (3,742) followed Oxford that day, while Jenison (3,754) and New Baltimore Anchor Bay (3,743) also broke 3,700 in winning their respective Regionals.
Singles: Macomb Dakota senior Danielle McBride will be back seeking a repeat championship after winning last season’s final match by 103 pins. Jenison junior Lauren Slagter also is back after reaching last season’s semifinals. Total, eight of 16 from last year’s Finals match play will compete Saturday; Lake Orion junior Cheyenne Washington and Wyandotte Roosevelt junior Alicia Rager were in that group and won Regional titles last week. Holt senior Gabriella VanHorn, North Farmington junior Lyric Osteen, St. Clair Shores Lake Shore senior Jessica Ludwick and Plymouth senior Madalyn Harden also are coming off Regional championships.
Division 1 Boys
Team: Reigning champion Waterford Kettering is back after finishing second at its Regional to Farmington-Harrison – which had the highest Regional score in Division 2 at 4,209. Oxford won its Regional and was right behind in overall high score at 4,202 pins, and nine of 18 Finals qualifiers rolled at least 4,100.
Singles: Rockford junior Matt Buck is back after winning last year’s title by 27 pins. There could be a number of new contenders as none of the six Regional champs from last week made the match play at the Finals a year ago. Caledonia freshman Alec Bisterfeldt, Midland sophomore Izaac Goergen, Kettering senior Hunter Gates, Macomb Dakota senior Ryan James, Livonia Franklin junior Aaron Wright and Brownstown Woodhaven senior Jeffrey Lizewski all are coming off Regional wins.
Division 2 Girls
Team: Flint Kearsley has won five straight Division 2 titles and rolled a 4,093 at last week’s Regional – outpacing the rest of Division 2 by nearly 500 pins while placing the top two individuals. The teams Kearsley defeated in last season’s semifinal and final – Carleton Airport and Tecumseh, respectively – both are back this weekend after finishing first and second at their Regional, Airport with the division’s second-highest score at 3,610.
Singles: Five of last season’s match play qualifiers are back in the singles field, led by Kearsley junior Imari Blond – she was the runner-up last season and won her Regional last week. Warren Woods-Tower junior Cassie McCarren and Dearborn Heights Annapolis senior Emily Gurin both made the match play in 2018 and won Regionals last week as well. Charlotte sophomore Abby Mather, Hastings sophomore Ashland Hoyt and Fruitport sophomore Jessica Plichta also won Regional titles.
Division 2 Boys
Team: Reigning champion Battle Creek Pennfield and runner-up Coldwater both are back after Pennfield won last year’s final by seven pins. They finished third and second, respectively, at last week’s Regional to Sturgis, one of four teams in the division to roll 4,000 or higher. Tecumseh, a semifinalist last year, rolled the high at 4,099. Pennfield actually is going for a third straight team title – it won Division 3 in 2017.
Singles: Reigning champion Alec Keplinger, a senior from Coldwater, and runner-up Kyle Vermiyea, Cadillac junior, both are back. Escanaba junior Josh Worthen and New Boston Huron senior Zach Taylor both qualified for the Finals in 2018 but didn’t advance to the match play; they could take the next step after both winning their Regionals with scores above 1,300. Grand Rapids Northview junior Dan Frey, Sturgis senior Aaron Brown-O’Dell, Charlotte freshman Carson Kohler and Orchard Lake St. Mary’s senior Daniel Madigan also won Regional titles.
Division 3 Girls
Team: Alma earned its second team title in three seasons in 2018, but finished third at its Regional last week won by 2017 Finals champion Birch Run. The Panthers’ 3,631 was second-best in Division 3 to Flat Rock’s 3,710. Michigan Center at 3,624 was second to Flat Rock at their tournament but with the third-highest score in the entire division.
Singles: Ishpeming senior Megan Wilkins made the semifinals last season, and Livonia Clarenceville junior Madilynn Kieling made the quarterfinals. Three others who made the match play last season also are back this weekend, including Muskegon Oakridge senior Alyssa Major, who won her Regional last week. Flat Rock junior Amy Jackson, Paw Paw junior Emily VanderBurg, Caro junior Nicole Orton, Midland Bullock Creek senior Allison Woollard and Gladwin senior Bailey Weston all were Regional champs as well.
Division 3 Boys
Team: There will be a new champion of this division, and reigning runner-up Corunna is in contention although the Cavaliers finished second at their Regional. Birch Run won their tournament with a division-high 3,914 pins, 30 more than Livonia Clarenceville’s Regional title-winning score of 3,884 that was second-highest in the division.
Singles: Portland senior Jack Dalman was the Finals runner-up last season and returns, as does Sanford Meridian junior Kyle Nohel after making the semifinals. Boyne City sophomore Michael Deming rolled the highest Regional score in the division at 1,279, while Saginaw Swan Valley sophomore Braydon Lemmer won his right behind at 1,276 and Livonia Clarenceville freshman Jacob Johnson won his at 1,274. Hudsonville Unity Christian junior Kurtis Montsma, Grand Rapids South Christian senior Jeremy Kwekel and Richmond senior Zach Ray also won Regional titles.
Division 4 Girls
Team: Vandercook Lake has won the last two Division 4 championships and will enter Friday coming off a Regional title as well with a 3,667 that was nearly 200 pins better than any other team in the division. The second and third highest scores last week actually came from the same Regional, by Bronson (a semifinalist in 2018) and East Jackson. Both broke 3,400 pins.
Singles: Reigning champion Mackenzie Johnson kicked off her final high school postseason by winning her Regional last week by 109 pins. Traverse City Christian senior Savannah Bluemel, Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian senior Lydia France, Manchester senior Alyvia Hock, Burton Bendle senior Rylan Lambert and Brown City senior Courtney Wheeler also are coming off Regional titles.
Division 4 Boys
Team: Bronson won last season’s team title by 74 pins and will go for the repeat after rolling the fourth-highest Regional score – but second at its tournament to champion Napoleon’s 3,723. Grass Lake, third place at that Regional, and champs Baldwin and Riverview Gabriel Richard also cleared 3,700 pins, Gabriel Richard with a division-high 3,763.
Singles: Although last season’s champion and runner-up graduated, Bronson senior Brandon Hyska won the title in 2017. Vandercook Lake senior Korey Reichard won their Regional at 1,351, 54 pins more than anyone else in Division 4. Baldwin senior Ryan Kolenbrander, Ishpeming Westwood sophomore Robert Papp, Unionville-Sebewaing junior Ethan Androl, New Haven Merritt junior Cameron O’Connor and Allen Park Cabrini freshman Christopher Stevens also won Regional titles.
PHOTO: Macomb Dakota senior Danielle McBride rolls a frame during the Macomb County Tournament on Jan. 19. (Photo courtesy of C&G Newspapers.)
Preview: 315 Bowling Teams Primed to Pursue Team, Singles Championships
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
February 27, 2025
A total of 149 girls and 166 boys bowling teams will be represented across four divisions and two days of MHSAA Bowling Finals this weekend.
Several have won before. A handful had winners just last season. Many more have an opportunity to take home a trophy or celebrate an individual champion for the first time.
Below is a look at possible contenders for all 16 championships, team and singles. Action begins both days at 8:25 a.m. – teams competing Friday and singles Saturday – with Division 1 at Allen Park’s Thunderbowl Lanes, Division 2 at Waterford's Century Bowl, Division 3 at Jackson’s Jax 60 and Division 4 at Muskegon’s Northway Lanes. Find the full list of qualifiers and come back all weekend for coverage from all four Finals sites on MHSAA.com.
Girls Division 1
Team: Reigning champion Zeeland did not qualify this time, but West Michigan again boasts an intriguing contender with Rockford posting a division-best 3,383 to win the Regional at Sherman Bowling Center in Muskegon. Utica United is ranked No. 1 and also broke 3,100 pins to win at Five Star Lanes in Sterling Heights – and qualify three bowlers for singles competition as well. Grand Blanc (3,260) and Ypsilanti Lincoln (3,201) both broke 3,000 pins in Regional victories, and 2024 Finals runner-up South Lyon was close at 2,987. South Lyon is ranked No. 2 and Grand Blanc No. 3.
Singles: Last season’s champion will not return, but 2023 champion Katherine Stephens from Clarkston will be back after finishing second at Century Bowl at Waterford to Novi senior Madeline Gazzarari at their Regional last week. Stephens, also a senior, did not make the field last year, and Gazzarari missed match play but was a semifinalist in 2023. Utica United sophomore Ava Mazza made the semifinals last season and has qualified for this weekend, as have Holt senior Madison Rue, Macomb L’Anse Creuse North sophomore Lauren Zalenski, Livonia Franklin senior Brooklyn Hannah, Belleville senior Amber Spicer, Utica United senior Sophia Matheson and Rockford sophomore Sofia DeLuccia from the 2024 match play bracket. Grand Haven senior Jenna McKinzie, Caledonia junior Addison Luxford, Flushing senior Lily Jurvelin, Utica United senior Hadley Clark and Southfield Arts & Technology junior Jaysa Taylor joined Gazzarari, Hannah and Spicer as Regional champions.
Boys Division 1
Team: Grandville is the reigning champion, ranked No. 1, and won its Regional last week at Sherman Bowling Center by 10 pins. Davison, last season’s Finals runner-up, rolled a division-best 3,732 to win at Grand Blanc Lanes, and Plymouth had the second-highest total in Division 1 of 3,686 to win at Super Bowl Lanes in Canton. Davison is ranked No. 2 and has finished Finals runner-up twice. No. 6 Oxford and No. 9 Jenison also were among overall high scorers last week, as was Belleville.
Singles: Utica United senior Dylan Hamden jumped from the quarterfinals as a sophomore to champion last season, and will bowl for a repeat. Davison senior Joe Merz won his Regional last week and made the semifinals last year, and Grandville senior Bonham Pulcifer and Hudsonville senior Ferris Eldred are returning quarterfinalists. Utica United senior Kingston Corpuz, Portage Central senior Matt Sprau and Macomb Dakota junior Cole Ragus also made the match play a year ago and will bowl this weekend. Rogus joins Merz coming off a Regional title, as does Wyandotte Roosevelt senior Peyton Webster, Northville junior Drew Bandilla, Zeeland West senior Noah VanderVelde, Hartland senior Haden Hebel, Muskegon Mona Shores senior Derek Kern and Troy senior Jacob Kondratyev.
Girls Division 2
Team: Flint Kearsley took back the title last season, the Hornets’ third over the last four years and ninth over the last 11. They are ranked No. 2 and rolled a division second-best 3,308 to win their Regional last week at Richfield Bowl in Flint. The top Regional score in Division 2 belonged to Bay City John Glenn, last season’s Finals runner-up. The Bobcats rolled a 3,311 to win by 370 pins at Gaylord Bowling Center. No. 7 Three Rivers posted a similar victory at Kalamazoo’s Continental Lanes, rolling a 3,208 to win by 412 pins. Top-ranked Swartz Creek was second to Kearsley at Richfield Bowl, 145 pins back, and No. 4 Tecumseh edged No. 5 Mason by six pins to win at Ten Pin Alley. John Glenn has finished Finals runner-up seven times since winning the first Class B title in 2004.
Singles: Reigning champion Caitlyn Johnson finished second at her Regional at B’s Bowling Center in Flint last week to book a return to this weekend, and her semifinal opponent from last season Olivia Demick from New Boston Huron also will be back. Both are seniors. Charlotte senior Lori Jackson, John Glenn senior Caeli Schultz and Jackson Northwest sophomore Casey Jahr are back after making the 2024 quarterfinals, and Sparta senior Kylee Dines and Cedar Springs junior Phoebe Fisk also are back from the match play bracket. Schultz and Dines won Regional titles last week, along with Ada Forest Hills Eastern senior Emilee Nowicki, Three Rivers sophomore Jayna Larson, Trenton senior Hannah Feijoo, Warren Woods Tower senior Kasie Golema, Kearsley sophomore Olivia Hurst and Pinckney freshman Danielle Martyka. Larson and senior teammate Tayler Mohney (who also qualified for this weekend) reached Finals match play in Division 3 last season.
Boys Division 2
Team: Flint Kearsley has won the last two Division 2 titles and also is ranked No. 1 and coming off a Regional championship after throwing a 3,558 at Richfield Bowl. Only two other Division 2 teams broke 3,500 pins last week – No. 9 Swartz Creek to finish 45 pins back of Kearsley, and No. 3 Bay City Westen to win by 416 pins at Gaylord Bowling Center. No. 2 New Boston Huron was another Regional champion, at Westland Bowl, as was No. 5 Mason by 28 pins ahead of No. 7 Tecumseh at Ten Pin Alley.
Singles: Kearsley junior Jameson Vanier earned an opportunity to repeat as champion with a third-place Regional finish, and Tecumseh senior Palmer Ziemer is back after making the semifinals last year. Madison Heights Lamphere senior Nicholas Weidenbach won his Regional last week and was a quarterfinalist last winter, and Bay City John Glenn senior Nathan Gwizdala, Mason senior Daniel Barth, Bay City Western junior Aiden Archuleta, Sparta senior Josiah Reister and Carleton Airport sophomore Brayden Siders are back after making the 2024 match play. Siders, Reister and Archuleta also were Regional champs last week, joined by Tecumseh senior Ryan Knight, Lowell senior Caden Witten, Kearsley junior Nathan Richardson and Sturgis junior Andrew Matz.
Girls Division 3
Team: Reigning champion Madison Heights Bishop Foley didn’t qualify for this Finals weekend, but 2024 runner-up Milan did finishing 23 pins behind Adrian Madison at Station 300 in Saline. Top-ranked Livonia Clarenceville also was a Regional champion, by 373 pins at B’s Bowling Center, as was No. 4 Armada by 206 pins at Strikers Entertainment in Richmond. No. 5 Grass Lake was first at Royal Scot in Lansing, with No. 2 Michigan Center second to advance as well. Clarenceville’s 2,912 was the division high.
Singles: All four semifinalists from last season graduated, but Bishop Foley junior Jacey Thibodeau, Milan junior Maggie Smith and Dundee junior Abigail DeBruyne are back from the quarterfinals – Thibodeau and Smith after winning Regional titles and DeBruyne as the runner-up to Smith last week. Hillsdale senior Shalee Van Heerde and Armada junior Reese Cecil also qualified again after making the match play last winter, Van Heerde by winning her Regional. Other Regional champs were Boyne City senior Lauren LaBute, Central Montcalm freshman Savana Pearson, Coloma senior Maddy Hamilton, Armada junior Maggie Fradle and Pinconning senior Layla St. Peter.
Boys Division 3
Team: Frankenmuth swept team and singles championships in 2024, and the Eagles will return after finishing second to Midland Bullock Creek at Northern Lanes in Sanford last week. Bullock Creek’s 3,488 was the third-highest score in all of Division 3 in Regional competition, following No. 5 Blissfield’s winning 3,591 at Station 300 and No. 4 Hopkins’ 3,522 at Park Center Lanes in Wyoming. No. 2 Milan – last season’s Finals runner-up – was Regional runner-up to Blissfield. Top-ranked Croswell-Lexington qualified as a Regional runner-up behind league rival Almont and ahead of another league rival in No. 3 Armada, which did not advance.
Singles: Gladstone senior Matt Meyer fell 30 pins shy in last season’s championship match, but he’ll attempt another run and coming off a Regional title this time. Croswell-Lexington sophomore Joshua Gunderson and Milan senior Max Jenness are returning quarterfinalists and won Regionals last week as well, and senior Dom Danneffel also will return after reaching the quarterfinals in 2024. Frankenmuth senior Liam Liddle and Almont senior Hunter Ross will return after reaching the Finals match play. Also winning Regional titles last week were Napoleon senior Ethan Ross, Wyoming Kelloggsville junior Donovan Hernandez-Henning, Central Montcalm senior Paytin Pearson, Livonia Clarenceville junior Sam Wiacek and Bullock Creek senior Cole Gilbert.
Girls Division 4
Team: Another new champion is guaranteed in this division as reigning champion Traverse City Christian – and runner-up Bronson – did not qualify. In fact, a first-time champion is very likely – of the 16 teams competing this weekend, only Sandusky has won a Finals team title before, most recently in 2012. Ravenna was the only Regional champion last week to break 3,000 pins, with 3,002 to win by 340 at Sherman Lanes. Top-ranked Jonesville, No. 4 Bad Axe and No. 6 Burton Atherton also were among Regional champions.
Singles: Bad Axe junior Jasmyn Ranquist is seeking to repeat and won her Regional last week by 322 pins with a 1,363 at Monitor Lanes in Bay City. Memphis senior Lauren Castillo also will be back after finishing Finals runner-up a year ago, as will 2024 semifinalists MacKenzey Forster from Atherton and Kourtney Downham from Allen Park Cabrini. They are a senior and junior, respectively. Atherton senior Reagan Baker won her Regional last week and is back from last year’s quarterfinals, and Hudson junior Ellie Loar, Bronson senior Morgan McConn and Ravenna sophomore Taylor Nutt are back after making match play – McConn and Nutt as two more Regional champs last week. Mancelona sophomore Hailey Kauffman, Addison senior Molly Brown, Taylor Trillium Academy senior Sara Brunell and Ithaca senior Isabel Guild also were Regional title winners.
Boys Division 4
Team: Reigning champion Traverse City Christian did not qualify, but last season’s runner-up and current No. 2 Jonesville won its Regional at M-66 Bowl in Battle Creek and will pursue its first championship since winning Division 3 in 2018. Jonesville’s 3,367 also was the highest Regional score in all of Division 4, and Jackson Lumen Christi fell only a pin shy of 3,000 in winning its Regional at Jax 60 in Jackson. No. 3 Ravenna and No. 9 Bronson were the only other ranked teams to advance, both finishing as Regional runners-up.
Singles: Two past champions will compete this weekend, as Hudson junior Carter Fournier is returning after winning last year’s title and 2023 champ Alex McCarthy is back as a senior at Saginaw Nouvel Catholic Central. Returning as well is last season’s runner-up, Allen Park Cabrini senior Bryce Cadaret, and Jonesville senior Andrew Sackett after reaching the semifinals in 2024. Detroit Loyola junior Cody Champion, Traverse City Christian senior Ethan Ehlert, Lumen Christi senior Zachary Kremer and Burton Atherton junior Brennen Eaton also are back after making the match play. Oscoda senior Josh McDonald, Grandville Calvin Christian senior Brandon Tavera, Burr Oak senior Jacob Trennepohl, Vandercook Lake freshman Bruer Gieske, New Haven senior Nathan Patton and Ithaca senior Broden Peska were joined by McCarthy and Eaton as Regional champions last week.
PHOTO Westland John Glenn's Tiara Henderson was an individual Regional runner-up in Division 1 and also helped her team finish second and qualify for this weekend's Finals. (Photo courtesy of the Westland John Glenn athletic department.)