Utica's Mazza Adds to Family Highlight Reel in Claiming 1st Finals Title
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
March 2, 2026
ALLEN PARK — Growing up the daughter of former professional bowler John Mazza, Utica junior Ava Mazza said she has regularly watched old videos of her father when he was in his prime on the PBA Tour.
“Obviously I wasn’t born yet,” Ava Mazza said. “But on YouTube I’ve watched the Dick Weber Classic and him picking up a 7-10 split. It’s something I won’t forget watching.”
John Mazza now will have the same opportunity to rewatch highlights of Ava achieving a major title.
Following back-to-back semifinal appearances the last two years, Ava Mazza advanced this time all the way to the championship round of the Division 1 Singles Finals and won an all-Macomb County matchup against Macomb Dakota senior Brianne Jakuszanek 350-333 at Thunderbowl Lanes.
John Mazza, who is also the coach of Utica’s team, said it was the biggest thrill he’s had in bowling – even better than his own.
“Absolutely,” he said. “Anytime your kid does something incredible, everything else you’ve personally accomplished pales in comparison to it.”
Through the first game and first eight frames of the second, the deciding match was tight as could be.
Ava Mazza and Jakuszanek were tied after the first game at 170 apiece, and in the second game Jakuszanek held a one-pin advantage with both having a mark going into the ninth frame.
From there, Mazza took control, delivering strikes on her next three balls to prevail.
“I just took a deep breath, and it was everything I was working for,” she said. “I doubled in the 10th, and it got me the win.”
Indeed, after Mazza threw the second strike in the 10th frame, John Mazza broke down in tears knowing she had clinched it, and even came out to give her a tearful embrace before she threw her third shot.
“It was a sense of relief from all the pain and hard work,” John Mazza said. “We’ve had a lot of painful situations. We’re getting in these positions a lot, and it’s nice to finish it off. She had the ball in her hand with a chance to win it, and she threw the shots she needed to throw.”
Ava Mazza was fourth out of the qualifying block and started her run in match play by beating White Lake Lakeland junior Savannah Reed in the round of 16, 411-330. She then beat Livonia Churchill senior Sophia Best in the quarterfinals (422-317) and Taylor senior Aria Ragland in the semifinals (405-346).
“It just means everything to me,” Mazza said. “I’ve put in so much work and so much time. I’ve been working out, I’ve been reading books on the mental game. I’ve been working super hard to try and understand and perfect the games I struggle with the most.”
Jakuszanek was the 15th seed out of qualifying as she advanced to the match play round for the first time in her high school career.
She began her run with a win over Rockford junior Sofia DeLuccia in the round of 16 (348-331), then beat Caledonia sophomore Katelyn Light (385-345) in the quarterfinals and Southfield Arts & Technology senior Jaysa Taylor (404-305) in the semifinals.
“Just confidence in myself and telling myself I got this no matter what,” Jakuszanek said of what was working for her on the day. “It was my senior year, so just go out there and have fun.
“It was pretty tough. There were a lot of ball changes and a lot of angles that were difficult.”
Grass Lake Boys, Birch Run Girls Enjoy Title Time Again
March 26, 2021
JACKSON – Grass Lake got to experience a Finals championship in Division 4 last season. And that was something they didn’t want to miss this weekend – regardless of a switch into Division 3 for this winter.
The Warriors may have faced larger opponents this time at Jax 60, but the result indeed was the same as they clinched their second-straight championship and third overall defeating Boyne City 1,357-1,179.
Meanwhile, Birch Run’s girls claimed their first championship since 2017 after finishing runner-up two seasons ago, out-rolling Armada 1,200-1,152.
“We’ve had that feeling right from the beginning of the year,” Grass Lake coach Jeff Wyers said. “These boys wanted it bad. It’s been in their system since last year.”
A year ago the Warriors entered match play as the top seed and defeated Farwell in the final by 153 pins.
Grass Lake entered match play as the second seed this time and immediately got a challenge from Portland before prevailing by 21 pins. Then came a 282-pin win over Napoleon in the semifinal before the Warriors swept both the Baker (366-329) and regular game (991-850) portions of the final.
Junior Jack Marshall led three Grass Lake bowlers over 200 in the regular game with a 238, followed by junior Brenton Cochrane with a 228 and senior Sean Wyers with a 208. Senior Michael Deming rolled a 185 to lead Boyne.
Sean Wyers is his team’s only senior.
“We wouldn’t have made it here if everybody hadn’t pitched a little bit in,” he said. “It wasn’t just one of us, it was all of us. Everybody had their time to shine.”
Marjorrie Marlett and her teammates had been waiting to enjoy their own championship as Birch Run last won when these seniors were in eighth grade in 2017.
“I’ve been waiting four years for this, and I finally got it with my team,” said Marlett, who joined the varsity as a freshman. “We were just coming in to have fun and experience states just for states – having fun and enjoying ourselves and putting up a fight and never just getting down.”
Armada took the Bakers 365-343. But Birch Run followed junior Jillian Inman’s 215 and junior Cheyenne Brown’s 180 to claim the regular games 857-787.
“It is just so fulfilling. I’m so proud of the girls,” Birch Run coach Jane Severs said. “They worked so hard and put everything into it. I’m just overwhelmed for them. Their teamwork, and they motivate each other beyond words. They had fun, and they just went out there and screamed and yelled and had a good time.”
Birch Run, the second seed, downed Hudsonville Unity Christian and Jonesville on the way to the championship match. Armada entered match play the eighth seed but eliminated Caro and then Hillsdale to advance.
Senior Samantha Dulz led Armada with a 202 regular game in the final. The runner-up finish was the highest in program history.