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.
Benzie Central Boys Looking to Add Finals Run to Growing Lanes Legacy
By
Tom Spencer
Special for MHSAA.com
February 21, 2025
Best ever.
All season long, Logan Hewitt, Kameron Johnson, Keaton Hickey, Jeremiah Wilkinson, Tyler Brooks, Lorin McNiel and Jaylan Ewing have performed like the best bowling team in Benzie Central’s history.
Nothing is changing either. Last month, their names were entered into the record book for combining for the highest two-game series score in program history – 1,777 pins – while competing against Traverse City Central, Traverse City West, Cadillac, Traverse City Christian, Frankfort and Glen Lake.
On the same day, the team produced the school-record single team game, 975, and Brooks racked up the highest individual game in Benzie boys history at 277.
Then this week, while winning the Division 4 Regional championship, the Benzie bowlers set a school record with a 243 Baker game and then reset their two-game series record at 1,782.
Now, they’d like to stake claim to the school’s first MHSAA Finals bowling championship when they return to Northway Lanes in the Muskegon – the site of their Regional success – for next Friday’s Final.
“We don’t give up,” said Benzie coach Chip Fryer, now in his 22nd season with the Huskies. “We keep trying right to the end, no matter what, to do our best.”
And their best has been pretty darn good.
“I am not surprised at their records,” Fryer admitted. “I know they are fully capable.”
Good practice games are discussed and analyzed as the Huskies strive for more, Fryer noted.
“I challenge them If they go out and bowl a 170 in practice to try to add 10 or 20 pins on top of that in matches,” Fryer said. “We talk about making a couple more spares here or there or getting a good break and carrying a strike here and there.”
Brooks and Wilkinson also qualified for the Singles Final this year. Hewitt fell one pin short.
Wilkerson had two Regional games over 200 en route to qualifying. Hickey had led the Huskies in the Regional team competition with two games over 200.
Those four Huskies are seniors. In fact, of the 12 bowlers on the varsity and junior varsity squads this year, only two will be back next season. So Benzie is going for broke, with lots of previous Regional and Final experience.
“They know how to get there,” Fryer said. Jeremiah (Wilkinson), Logan (Hewitt) and Tyler (Brooks) were on the team back in 2023 when we won Regionals for the first time in school history. And Jeremiah and Logan were on the first team we ever had qualified for states the year before.”
Brooks did not join the bowling team until his sophomore year. He averaged 145 per game then. Last year he averaged 162 and finished 25th in the Singles Final qualifying block. He is averaging 180 this year and has high aspirations for himself and his team.
“We’ve all put in the time, and I feel like we’re pretty prepared,” Brooks said minutes before a late-season practice. “I like to strive to greatness. I always want to get better.”
Brooks recalls every moment of his school-record 277 game. He was matched up with Traverse City Central’s Carter Banton, who just missed qualifying for match play at last year’s Division 1 Singles Final. Banton and Brooks both entered the seventh frame with a perfect game.
Banton didn’t mark in the seventh, and Brooks picked up a spare before hitting strikes the rest of the way.
“The ball checked up and went a little high and left me a spare, and I made the spare,” Brooks recollected. “Carter is a great bowler, and I just want to bowl the best I could.”
Brooks was one pin from a possible perfect game.
“It was just one little frame,” Brook acknowledged. “The rest were strikes.”
Brooks’s 277 made a huge contribution to the team’s 975 record, as did Hewitt’s 244. McNiel and Hickey both rolled a 153. Wilkinson had a 144. The 975 toppled the previous school record by more than 50 pins.
Johnson rolled a 177 in the second game as the Huskies set the two-game series school record in January, subbing for McNiel. Hewitt was next at 170, Brooks followed at 166, Hickey at 159 and Wilkinson 137.
When the Huskies broke their record at the Regional, Hickey led the way with a 233 and 220. Wilkinson kicked in a 190 and 181. Brooks had a 182 and 176, Hewitt had a 148 and 147, and McNiel and Ewing each bowled one game, scoring 139 and 158, respectively.
Next, the Huskies are planning to place their highest ever at the Team Final.
“The last two times we’ve qualified for states we finished 11th, and they only take the top eight into the bracket,” Frey said. “Missing a seven pin or a 10 pin or a single pin spare costs you the game. We’ re going to hopefully increase their scores just by making those spares.”
Tom Spencer is a longtime MHSAA-registered basketball and soccer official, and former softball and baseball official, and he also has coached in the northern Lower Peninsula area. He previously has written for the Saginaw News, Bay County Sports Page and Midland Daily News. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Benzie bowlers Jayden Ewing, standing, and Logan Hewitt share a fist bump during a recent match. (Middle) Senior Tyler Brooks bowls a frame. (Below) Brooks, right, and teammate Keaton Hickey confer during a break. (Photos by Tom Spencer.)