Ravenna Girls Finish Comeback in Deciding Match to Claim 1st Finals Win

By Nick Cooper
Special for MHSAA.com

February 28, 2025

MUSKEGON – Friday was a storybook ending for Ravenna’s Emma Herremans.

The Bulldogs’ lone senior bowler helped secure the program’s first Finals team championship.

Ravenna went the distance with Bad Axe in the deciding match, even trailing 2-1 before winning the final two games 172-150 and 186-179 to clinch.

“It feels amazing. I have to take a pause to just take everything in,” said Herremans.

Ravenna’s championship capped off an undefeated season and was the first Finals title for the school in any sport other than football.

“We just sat there, and our hearts were racing the entire time,” said Ravenna coach Jason Nutt.

En route to the championship, the top-seeded Bulldogs defeated No. 8 seed Jackson Lumen Christi and No. 5 seed Jonesville.

Bracket play featured multiple seeding upsets with No. 7 Homer sweeping second seed Burton Atherton in three games in a quarterfinal. Fifth seed Jonesville defeated No. 4 seed Allen Park Cabrini during the same round.

Ravenna posted the top score during qualifying, 2,899 pins, to outpace the field by 164.

After reaching the quarterfinals in 2024 and then winning the championship in 2025, Ravenna figures to assert itself as a statewide presence for years to come. Looking to the future, Nutt’s expectation for his program is one of optimism.

“It’s good to get one. We should continue to get strong,” he said.

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Be the Referee: Baker Bowling

By Paige Winne
MHSAA Marketing & Social Media Coordinator

February 28, 2023

Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.

Below is this week's segment – Baker Bowling - Listen

What happens if a player bowls out of turn during a Baker game?

First – what’s a Baker game? That’s when the five members of a team alternate bowling frames. The number one bowler goes in frames 1 and 6 … and on down the line.

If a bowler goes out of turn during MHSAA competition, in accordance with USBC Rule 8, Item d, a dead ball would be declared – the delivery does not count, the pins must be re-spotted, and the correct bowler is then required to continue play.

While a recent change to NCAA Bowling rules would penalize bowling out of order on the wrong lane with a zero for the attempt starting with the first infraction, the NCAA rule is not used for MHSAA competition.

Instead, the frame is re-set, and the correct bowler is free to continue.

Previous Editions:

Feb. 21: Ski Finish - Listen
Feb. 14: Swimming Touchpads - Listen
Feb. 7: In or Out-of-Bounds in Wrestling - Listen
Jan. 31: Over the Back - Listen
Jan. 24: Competitive Cheer Judges - Listen
Jan. 17: More Lines - Listen
Jan. 10: On the Line - Listen
Jan. 3: Basketball Measurements - Listen
Dec. 13: Pregame Dunks - Listen
Dec. 6: Gymnastics Judges - Listen
Nov. 22: Football Finals Replay - Listen
Nov. 15: Back Row Illegal Blocker - Listen
Nov. 8: Swim Turn Judges - Listen
Nov. 1: Soccer Referee Jersey Colors - Listen
Oct. 25: Cross Country Tie-Breaker - Listen
Oct. 18: Soccer Shootouts - Listen
Oct. 11: Safety in End ZoneListen
Oct. 4: Football Overtime Penalty - Listen
Sept. 27: Kickoff Goal - Listen
Sept. 20: Soccer Timing - Listen
Sept. 13: Volleyball Replays - Listen
Sept. 6: Switching Sides - Listen
Aug. 30: Play Clock - Listen
Aug. 23: Intentional Grounding Change
- Listen