One year after the girls? bowling squad made school history, the boys? team from Lake Orion High School is doing the same.
The boys? placed third at Friday’s team regionals, held at Grand Blanc Lanes, qualifying for the state meet this week in Muskegon.
‘It was really close,? said Coach Kevin Crowther, whose team edged Oxford for the final spot by just two pins. ‘And that’s after 21 games, so it could’ve gone either way. We got a little lucky.?
The team rolled six Baker-format games (five players take turns alternating frames) and three team games (amounting to 15 individual games).
On top of that, varsity bowlers spent Saturday bowling six games apiece in the individual regionals.
Rob Bondon led the Dragons with a ninth place finish, qualifying for individual state finals with a 1,255-pin total. John Frye placed 11th on the boys? side, just missing out on qualifying for states, while Andrea Miller placed 12th on the girls? side.
‘They were a little bummed out, but they did a really good job,? Crowther said.
Jeff Suma and Blake Stephen also placed among the top-20 finishers on the boys? side, no easy feat considering they all bowled about 11 games in a two-day span.
‘In a competitive environment, that’s pretty taxing both mentally and physically,? Crowther noted.
In team competition, Crowther said Kyle Young, who filled in briefly for Eric Ramaekers, helped the team get over the top.
‘If he hadn’t stepped in there, we wouldn’t have been a state qualifier,? he said.
Bondon, Frye, Suma, Stephen and Ramaekers, along with Young and Sean Ramaekers, have made up the varsity unit this season.
As a team, the girls? placed eighth at the regional.
The finals will be held Friday (team) and Saturday (individual) at Northway Lanes in Muskegon. Look for updates at www.lakeorionreview.com.