Preview: Hundreds of Bowlers Set to Strike Again at MHSAA Finals
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
February 26, 2026
Hundreds of high school bowlers will once again converge this weekend for the MHSAA Bowling Finals, the 23rd edition of the season-ending tournament, led by three returning singles champions and three teams seeking repeat titles.
Teams compete the first day and singles the second, with action both days beginning at 8:25 a.m. There’s a slight scheduling change to note, however: While Division 2 at Waterford’s Century Bowl, Division 3 at Jackson’s Jax 60 and Division 4 at Taylor’s Skore Lanes will compete Friday and Saturday, this year’s Division 1 Finals at Allen Park’s Thunderbowl Lanes will be competed Sunday (team) and Monday (singles).
Below is a look at possible contenders for all 16 championships, team and singles. 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: West Michigan has earned the last two Division 1 team championships – won by Grandville in 2024 and Zeeland in 2025 – and Rockford is the top-ranked team rolling into this weekend as it pursues a first Finals team title in this sport. The Rams won their Regional at Sherman Bowling Center in Muskegon with a 3,063, one of four Regional scores topping 3,000 across all of Division 1. No. 3 Oxford and No. 10 Davison rolled the first and second-highest scores last weekend – 3,371 and 3,158, respectively, at Grand Blanc Lanes – and Livonia Churchill rolled a 3,110 to win at Super Bowl Lanes in Canton. Churchill is pursuing its first Finals championship, Oxford its first since 2018 and Davison its first since 2017. Neither reigning champion Grandville nor 2025 runner-up Holt qualified this time around.
Singles: Rockford is paced by junior Sofia DeLuccia, who finished as Finals singles runner-up last season and won her Regional last week with a 1,254 that ranked fourth across all of Division 1. Utica junior Ava Mazza also made the singles semifinals last season and was a Regional champion last week. Belleville junior Madison Thomas and Taylor senior Aria Ragland both made the quarterfinals a year ago and bowled against each other in last week’s Regional at Skore Lanes in Taylor, Thomas winning and Ragland placing third. Churchill senior Sophia Best – another Regional champion – also made the singles match play in 2025. Lake Orion junior Emma Brennan, White Lake Lakeland junior Savannah Reed, Caledonia junior Riley Kalacanic and Holt senior Emma Cadwell also are coming off Regional wins, Cadwell with a Division 1-best 1,391, one pin more than Best’s score last week. Cadwell was the Finals champion in 2024.
Boys Division 1
Team: Top-ranked Jenison finished second at the Sherman Bowling Center Regional last week to 2024 champion Grandville, and they are an intriguing pair this weekend. No. 10 Grand Blanc rolled the highest Regional score in Division 1, 3,713, to outpace No. 2 Davison’s 3,676, and No. 6 Macomb Dakota and Dearborn also topped 3,600 pins in winning their Regionals. After Grandville two years ago, Dakota in 2012 is the team competing this weekend that most recently won a Finals title.
Singles: Reigning champion Lyman Derrick III is back as a Wayne Memorial senior after defeating the 2024 champion to win last year’s title. Salem junior Andrew Fsadini also will return after making the quarterfinals last winter, and Dakota senior Cole Rogus is back after making the match play in a bracket that otherwise was filled with now-graduated seniors. Derrick finished third at his Regional and Fsadini second last week, while Rogus was a Regional champ and joined by Wyandotte Roosevelt sophomore Malachi Attard, Dearborn senior Christian Lamb, Grand Blanc senior Lucas Knowles, Detroit Catholic Central sophomore Gavin Trudeau, Hudsonville senior Mason DeWeerd, Troy Athens junior Gaige Gajewski and Grandville senior Ethan Brown.
Girls Division 2
Team: Swartz Creek is the reigning champion and Flint Kearsley won in 2024, and they are ranked 1 and 2, respectively, and coming off another epic matchup at their Regional at Richfield Bowl in Flint as Swartz Creek rolled a winning 3,187 with Kearsley just 40 pins off the pace. Tecumseh at 3,374 and No. 10 Bay City John Glenn at 3,061 were Regional champions as well and the only other teams to break 3,000 in Division 2. Tecumseh has three championships and four runner-up finishes at the Finals, and John Glenn has finished second six times including two years ago.
Singles: We could see a rematch of last season’s championship pairing, as Tecumseh senior Kierra Pinter will return seeking to repeat and Carleton Airport senior Abby Hill will be back after finishing only 14 pins off the pace a year ago. St. Clair Shores Lake Shore junior Sara Augustitus made the quarterfinals last season and is coming of winning her Regional by 55 pins last week. Cedar Springs senior Phoebe Fisk, Flint Kearsley junior Olivia Hurst, Swartz Creek sophomore Allison Temple and Sparta senior Shallan Momber all will bowl again after reaching the match play as well in 2025. Fisk joined Augustitus as a Regional champion last week, along with Bay City John Glenn senior Lacy Jamrog, Tecumseh junior Katherine Sullivan, Lowell freshman Emerson DeWit, Kearsley senior Delaney Vanier, Three Rivers junior Jayna Larson and Dearborn Divine Child junior Julia Sovinski.
Boys Division 2
Team: No. 3 Kearsley is competing for a fourth-straight Finals team championship and rolled a 3,762 last week at Richfield Bowl to win its Regional by 533 pins and outpace the next-best in Division 1 by 120. No. 8 New Boston Huron finished runner-up last season and in 2023 and also will be back, and Tecumseh has two Finals runner-up finishes over the last seven seasons and rolled that second-highest Regional score of 3,642. No. 4 Carleton Airport also cleared 3,600 pins, winning its Regional at Westland Bowl by nearly 600, and No. 2 St. Clair Shores Lake Shore just missed 3,600, falling six pins shy to win at 48 in Commerce. Top-ranked Bay City Western also was a Regional champ and is seeking its first Finals title.
Singles: Vicksburg senior Jordan Butler is back seeking a repeat after claiming last year’s title by 13 pins. Kearsley senior Jameson Vanier just missed making the match play last year after winning the Division 2 championship as a sophomore, but he’s back after winning his Regional last week by 96 pins with a 1,412, the highest score at any Division 2 Regional. DeWitt senior Griffin Lindemann is back after making the semifinals, New Boston Huron junior Hunter Wyszynski and Lake Shore senior Gregg Winters will return after reaching quarters, and Bay City Western senior Aiden Archuleta adds to a strong returning field after also bowling in the match play a year ago. Wyszynski joined Vanier as a Regional champion last week, as did Bay City Western senior Stefano Clifford, Adrian junior Aiden Voelkle, Sparta senior Gabe Fowle, Grand Rapids Christian junior Ryan Jonker, Lake Shore junior Ethan Edwards and Marshall senior Ayden George.
Girls Division 3
Team: Top-ranked Grass Lake is seeking not only its first Finals team title, but also to become the ninth school in nine years to finish first in Division 3. Neither reigning champion Livonia Clarenceville nor 2025 runner-up Adrian Madison will be in this field, but No. 10 Ishpeming Westwood and No. 4 Flint Powers Catholic are back after reaching the semifinals last year. Grass Lake’s best finish at a Finals was runner-up in Division 4 in 2022, but its Regional-winning score of 3,057 last week at Royal Scot in Lansing was 166 pins higher than anyone else’s in Division 3.
Singles: Maggie Smith finished runner-up at last season’s Final and may be the favorite among a loaded field after claiming a Regional championship at Lenawee Rec Bowling Center in Adrian. Madison Heights Bishop Foley senior Jacey Thibodeau also will be back after making the 2025 semifinals, and Flint Powers Catholic sophomore Payton Swanson, Grass Lake junior Marielle Schafran, Imlay City senior Morgan Robertson and Armada senior Maggie Fradle all are returning quarterfinalists. Armada senior Reese Cecil and Grand Rapids West Catholic senior Mylee Dykstra and junior Ashley Van Linden also advanced to last year’s match play, and Dykstra, Fradle, Napoleon freshman Jada Gallagher, Belding senior Mackenzie Swan, Ovid-Elsie junior Brooke Pugsley, Midland Bullock Creek senior Trinity Rowe and Ogemaw Heights senior Elena Martinez also are coming off Regional titles.
Boys Division 3
Team: The top-ranked team and reigning Finals champion both didn’t make the field this weekend, but the qualifiers from Strikers Entertainment in Richmond might be the pair to watch. Croswell-Lexington enters the weekend ranked No. 7 but also was the Finals runner-up a year ago and won last week’s Regional just ahead of No. 2 Armada with a 3,356 – the second-highest score in all of Division 3. The highest Regional score in Division 3 was 3,378 and belonged to Olivet, which is unranked but shouldn’t be concerned as only three top-10 teams advanced to this weekend’s tournament.
Singles: Croswell-Lexington senior Carter Ramage won his Regional with a Division 3 second-best 1,337 last week and is the only bowler returning who made at least the quarterfinals a year ago. Olivet senior Michael Fitzner is the only other qualifier this weekend who reached the 2025 match play. But another large wave of standouts has arrived. Shepherd freshman Brody Veale rolled the highest Regional-winning score, 1,342, and was one of four freshmen Regional champs, joined by Durand’s Noah Wood, Adrian Madison’s Bently Richard and Grand Rapids Catholic Central’s Myles Ott. Ishpeming Westwood senior Roman Yuhas and Bronson junior Clayton Shortridge also won their Regionals, both among five bowlers total in Division 3 who broke 1,300 pins.
Girls Division 4
Team: Top-ranked Ravenna is coming off its first team championship in this sport and might be in line for a second straight after winning its Regional at Muskegon’s Northway Lanes with a 3,044 – nearly 1,000 pins higher than the runner-up at its site and 139 higher than any other team in all of Division 4. Last season’s Finals runner-up Bad Axe – ranked No. 7 this time – will be back as well, and No. 2 Jonesville could provide the strongest challenge after winning its Regional at Jackson’s Jax 60 with a 2,905. Bad Axe and Jonesville are both seeking first Finals championships.
Singles: Ravenna junior Taylor Nutt and Byron junior Kara Chapman both made the semifinals last season and won their Regionals last week – Nutt by 69 pins and Chapman by 92. Bax Axe senior Jasmyn Ranquist is another strong contender after making the quarterfinals last season and winning her Regional last week by 283 pins, and Allen Park Cabrini senior Kourtney Downham could make another move after also making the 2025 quarterfinals and finishing second at her Regional. Ithaca junior Estes Purvis, Ravenna sophomore Gabby Nutt and Sandusky senior Victoria Shea are back after also advancing to the match play, Purvis coming off a Regional title. Other Regional champs last week were Hudson junior Ellie Loar, Jackson Lumen Christi junior Allison Wheeler, Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central senior Chloe Orris and Alcona senior Makayla Prince.
Boys Division 4
Team: Jonesville is the top-ranked team in Division 4, won its Regional at Jax 60 and is seeking its first Finals championship since 2018 in Division 3. But No. 10 Blissfield is riding high and could provide a significant challenge after winning its Regional (also at Jax 60) with a 3,568. Traverse City Christian – the Finals champ in 2024 – and 2022 title winner Plymouth Christian Academy both won their Regionals as well, and Ithaca and Burton Atherton joined PCA and Blissfield as Regional winners that topped 3,200 pins. No. 2 New Lothrop was the runner-up to Atherton but missed 3,200 by just three pins.
Singles: Taylor Trillium senior Le’Veon Greenwade was the only non-senior to reach the quarterfinals last year, and he’s back after winning his Regional last week. New Lothrop sophomore Dominick Dilts, Atherton senior Brennen Eaton and Detroit Loyola senior Cody Champion also reached the 2025 Finals match play and will return, Eaton also coming off a Regional title and Champion after finishing runner-up last week to Greenwade. Blissfield sophomore Alex Kudlac, Coloma senior James Anthony, Holton junior Aiden Reilly, St. Charles junior Brenden Servantes, St. Louis junior Thailan Raby and Maple City Glen Lake senior Tanner Crick also won Regional titles, Kudlac with the division’s high score of 1,376.
PHOTO Saginaw Nouvel Catholic Central’s Alex McCarthy celebrates during his run to the Division 4 singles championship last season.
D1's Best Celebrate 1st Finals Titles
By
Jason Schmitt
Special for MHSAA.com
March 1, 2019
ALLEN PARK – Blake Ryntz had no clue that the tears he was shedding late Friday morning in his father’s arms would – five hours later – morph from ones of sadness to those of triumph.
But that’s what the sport of bowling can do to a person.
Ryntz, a senior on the Farmington-Harrison Unified bowling squad, thought his team had missed qualifying for Finals match play. But he and his teammates actually barely had made the cut and then proceeded to crush the competition, defeating Oxford in the championship match to claim the program’s first-ever MHSAA boys bowling championship.
“To me, it’s motivating. Barely making it in, you’ve got to show them who’s number one,” said Ryntz, who fired a 269 in his team’s final game against the Wildcats. “I went in thinking it was a fresh start. Everything that happened this morning, just forget about it. Inside me, I knew I could drop three really good games to help us get to the Finals.”
That he did, as sixth-seeded Farmington-Harrison cruised past Macomb L’Anse Creuse North in the quarterfinals and then Salem in the semifinals to set up the showdown with their rivals from the Oakland Activities Association. The team shot 1,463 and 1,435 in its first two wins before putting up 1,453 in defeating Oxford.
“It’s surreal,” said Farmington-Harrison head coach Dennis Hermani, whose team shot Baker games of 225 and 221 and a team score of 1,007 in the final. “These kids have bought into our mantra of “This isn’t bowling, it’s family.’ We had alumni from 10-12 years ago drive here today, took the afternoon off from work. JV kids, parents from years ago. They really bought in and support our program.”
Farmington-Harrison entered the tournament ranked No. 1 in the state, having posted the highest Regional score a week ago. The team struggled a bit in its Baker games and bowled sub-par in its two team games. But it snuck past Roseville, Oxford and Macomb Dakota – which narrowly missed qualifying by just five pins.
“I’m so proud of them. We barely made the cut today, by nine pins,” Hermani said. We did not bowl very well this morning, and they were feeling the pressure. All they kept saying (was) that they wanted to get in this (Stadium) room. Once they got in this room, they performed outstanding.”
Along with Ryntz, Evan Yards (202), Jonah Musial (184), Sean Ronald (183) and Christian Dorsey (169) also scored for the team in the final. Devon Osborn and Ryan Wrublewski were also a part of Hermani’s championship squad.
Justin Sisson (208) and Luke Acton (191) led the way for Oxford, a team with no seniors on its roster. Coach JR Lafnear was happy for Hermani and his team, but just as excited about his team’s future.
“I’ve got all juniors and sophomores here and they’re all coming back, so we couldn’t be happier,” said the coach, whose team made its first appearance in the championship match. “The boys battled hard all day. We won the OAA and set our sights in here on doing the best we could. And we were runner-up to an outstanding team from Harrison. I’m not disappointed at all.”
Oxford defeated top-seeded Westland John Glenn is its first match before knocking off Jackson in the semifinals.
Across the alley, Jenison captured its first MHSAA girls bowling championship, knocking off two-time champion New Baltimore Anchor Bay 1,307-1,200 in the title match. The Wildcats were seeded fourth after qualifying and had to knock off top-seeded Taylor in the semifinals before bouncing the second-seeded Tars in the championship match.
“All season long, I’ve always asked the girls, ‘Just give me your best,’ and today they did that,” Jenison coach Kim Becker said. “They just pulled it out. Everything started falling our way; they pumped each other up. The momentum got going, and it just carried through.”
Jenison led Anchor Bay by 38 pins after two Baker games, but then things began to go against Becker’s team. The Wildcats had six open frames through their four turns in the regular game, and the Tars began clawing their way back into the match.
But then the “Bowling Gods,” as Becker put it, started looking down on her Jenison team. Her anchor bowler, Lauren Slagter, picked up an ugly split in the fifth frame and then used a little luck to strike in the seventh to help right the ship. Up to that point in the game, her team had picked her up. So she hoped that her stretch from the fifth through the eighth frames could do the same for her teammates.
“I was just trying to do my best to make up for what I did in that first half of the game,” Slagter said. “It ended up OK. I’m happy with the turnout.”
Alexis VanWayckhuyse led all bowlers with an individual game of 244, helping her team to a 941 team score. Anna Bartz had a 209, while Sarena Overbeek (182), Racquel Kranenberg (155) and Slagter (151) rounded out the Wildcats’ scoring.
Jenison, the fourth seed in the draw, defeated Rockford in the quarterfinals.
Anchor Bay, which previously had won Division 1 titles in 2007 and 2011, was seeded second in the draw and beat Sterling Heights Stevenson and Westland John Glenn on its way to the final. Kate Kaltz fired a 193 to lead her team against Jenison. Amanda Fsadni (189), Emily Fulgenti (182), Kaitlyn Cavender (168) and Merisa Batkins (140) also scored for their team.
“These girls bowled fantastic,” said Anchor Bay coach Buddy VanWieringen. “This is the best team I’ve had in quite a few years. I’ve had a lot of great coaching help this year. It’s been a fun season.”
Click for full girls results and full boys results.