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.

Finals Preview: A Decade of Pinfalls

February 28, 2013

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Beginning with Friday's Team Finals, the MHSAA will cap a decade of bowling as a sponsored sport by awarding 16 champions over a 30-hour period.

On the girls side, a number of previously-successful teams and individuals should contend again. The boys Team Finals in particular should be a little more unpredictable, with two of four 2012 champions not qualifying for this season's field. 

All Team Finals are Friday, and Individual Finals are Saturday. Click for the full list of girls qualifies and boys qualifiers, and come back to Second Half all weekend for coverage from all four Finals sites.

Girls Division 1

Team: Reigning champion Davison has been ranked No. 1 in the last two coaches association polls and rolled the highest Regional score, 3,876. Only Macomb Dakota – a Quarterfinalist last season – came within 170 pins of matching the Cardinals last weekend, rolling a 3,865. Second-ranked Muskegon Mona Shores did win its Regional, tallying a 3,683.

Individual: Reigning champion Allison Morris was only a freshman last season when she defeated then-junior Kristen Young of Clinton Township Chippewa Valley 393-354 in the Final. Both are back, along with six more of last season’s match play qualifiers. Davison senior Brooke Wood was a Semifinalist in 2012 and Sterling Heights Stevenson senior Lauren Krywy was an all-state first-team selection. Wood’s 1,310 was 72 pins more than any other Regional score in this division last weekend.

Boys Division 1

Team: There definitely will be a new champion in this division, as 2012 and 2011 winner Macomb Dakota didn’t qualify for Friday’s tournament. Nor did 2012 Semifinalist Davison, although runner-up Canton did get in with a third place at its Regional. Unranked Utica was the fourth Semifinalist last season and posted the division’s highest Regional score of 4,156, followed at its Regional and overall by also-unranked Macomb L’Anse Creuse North (4,144).

Individual: This could be the most unpredictable of the weekend’s events, with none of last season’s Division 1 match play qualifiers back for these Finals. But Division 2 champion Derek Nyenhuis is rolling in this division this season, and was runner-up at his Regional. Another intriguing possibility is Utica senior Josh Pointer, who bowled last year for Dakota’s team champion and threw a 300 in winning his Regional with a 1,392. Only two others – Kalamazoo Loy Norrix junior Zach Brandt (1,371) and Grand Blanc senior Travis Sutherland (1,321) broke 1,300 pins in Division 1 last week. 

Girls Division 2

Team: Flint Kearsley claimed its first championship last season by 161 pins over runner-up Tecumseh, and those two plus Semifinalists Jackson Northwest and Charlotte all are back this weekend after claiming Regional championships. Although third-ranked Holly did not qualify for the Finals, No. 4 Bay City Western did by finishing second to Kearsley at their Regional. Jackson Northwest’s 3,934 was the highest Regional score in the division.

Individual: Only four of last season’s match play qualifiers in this division weren't seniors, but three are back at the Finals including reigning champion Jordan Richard. The Tecumseh senior won her Regional by 25 pins over sister Haley, also a senior. Teammate Lauren McKowen, another senior, also is back after making the 2012 match play. Richland Gull Lake senior Samantha Knight rolled a 1,199 for the top Regional score in Division 2 last weekend, and three other 2012 Finals qualifiers also won Regionals.

Boys Division 2

Team: Like in Division 1, there will be a new champ as last year’s winner, Mason, didn't qualify. But Bay City John Glenn lost to the Bulldogs by only three pins last season and won its Regional by 123 with a total of 3,923 to finish ahead of No. 2 Bay City Western and No. 3 Flint Kearsley at their site. Top-ranked Swartz Creek also won its Regional, but the high score in the division went to unranked South Lyon, 4,013.

Individual: With Wyoming’s Nyenhuis now in Division 1, the only match play qualifier coming back in Division 2 is Bay City John Glenn senior Nathan Moszyk, who won his Regional with the second-highest score in his division for the day. The best belonged to Holly senior Andrew Anderson, who rolled a 1,359 to win his Regional by 127 pins.  

Girls Division 3

Team: Reigning champion Flat Rock defeated runner-up Richmond by 106 pins in last season’s Final, but with 3,619 was only 10 better than the Blue Devils for top Regional score in Division 3 last weekend. Six of last season’s Quarterfinalists will be back Friday, with unranked Cheboygan one to watch after rolling the third-highest Regional score in this division, 3,550.

Individual: Although seven of last season’s 16 match play qualifiers are back this weekend, this championship could land with any of a number of contenders with only Richmond junior Noelle Scheuer back among 2012 Quarterfinalists. She won her Regional with the third-highest score in D3 last weekend – a 1,202 – while Flat Rock senior Lindsay Risden was first for the weekend with a 1,325 and Alma junior Hannah Chase was second with a 1,297. Chase was the top match play qualifier last season, and Risden missed the group by just 23 pins.

Boys Division 3

Team: Reigning champion Fremont is ranked No. 1 again and qualified second at its Regional behind unranked Hudsonville Unity Christian. Ishpeming and South Haven both will be back as well after making the Semifinals last season. Ishpeming was one of four teams to break 4,000 pins at a D3 Regional, where it finished runner-up to No. 8 Pinconning – the top roller in the division for this round with a score of 4,366.

Individual: Onsted senior Cory Hunt, Unity Christian junior Troy Potgeter and Otsego junior Ryan Lovett all made the Quarterfinals last season, and Hunt won his Regional last weekend. A contender to keep in mind is Essexville-Garber senior Ethan Ayala, who qualified for the Finals last season and threw the best Regional score in Division 3 last weekend of 1,361. Bridgeport senior Oscar Gutierrez was just behind him with a 1,327.

Girls Division 4

Team: All eight of last season’s Quarterfinalists advanced to Friday’s championship tournament again, with reigning champion Sandusky (3,347), runner-up Vandercook Lake (3,618) and three others winning Regionals. One of those, Portland St. Patrick, rolled the division’s highest Regional score of 3,673.

Individual: Vandercook Lake likewise could dominate this competition, with three who made the match play last season back again. Junior Jessica Bunch won her Regional with a 1,233, with teammates Becky Cecil (senior), Malloree Ambs and Kelsea Reichard (both juniors) rounding out the top four – and any of the four would've won two other Regionals with their scores. Watch for Sandusky junior Melissa Sleda, a Finals qualifier in 2012 and the second-highest roller of all Division 4 Regional competitors last weekend with a 1,168.

Boys Division 4

Team: Rogers City is ranked only No. 6, but it’s the reigning champion and won its Regional by 237 pins. But top-ranked Sandusky – a Semifinalist last season – plus No. 2 St. Louis and No. 5 Bad Axe all are in Friday’s field as well. Unranked Ravenna posted the highest Regional score in Division 4, 3,847.

Individual: Only four non-seniors made the 2012 match play, and only Whittemore-Prescott senior Cody Clough is back for Saturday – he advanced to the Quarterfinals last season. Muskegon Western Michigan Christian senior Jacob Bush made Finals weekend last season, and could be a contender after winning his Regional with a Division 4-best score of 1,341.

PHOTO: St. Louis sophomore Zach Fenby hopes to help the Sharks win their first MHSAA team championship this weekend. (Click to see more at HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)