Bowling closes out regular season at the Conference Tournament

Matthew Mahoney

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Bowling closes out regular season at the Conference Tournament

Bowling in the team’s last regular-season match, junior Ben Kastner led the boys team to an extremely important victory over Cedar Springs with his stellar score of 232. The boys would eventually come out victorious in the matchup, narrowly defeating the Red Hawks 16-14 in arguably their biggest win of the season. The girls, on the other hand, didn’t have the success the boys did; the girls were dominated from the start, losing 29-1.

Needing a win to cap off the regular season, the boys showed up. After losing to Cedar Springs 28.5-1.5 earlier in the season, the outlook didn’t look good; however, Ben and fellow junior Ryan Andrews led the way for the Rangers, with Ben’s 232 and Ryan in the 180 range. The baker games were split relatively evenly, but the individual matchups are what won the match for FHC. With a high of a score as 232, it was going to be pretty hard for the Red Hawks to win that matchup. The game finished in a 16-14 victory for the Rangers’ regular-season finale leading into the Conference Tournament on Saturday.

At the conference tournament, the boys lost their previous momentum. The Rangers placed last in the tournament; however, there was a bright spot. Junior Alex Souza was recognized for his fantastic scores on the day and the season overall, being acknowledged for his top-18 individual finish on Saturday as well as having a high season average.

Also bowling against Cedar Springs, the girls team didn’t find much success. With no high scores of note, the Red Hawks started off strong and never looked back. The 1 point for the Rangers was an individual matchup win from senior Sydney Payne.

Competing in the Conference Tournament on Saturday, the results were highlighted with individual success. With the tournament being a different format due to it being a Conference Championship, there were no specific places awarded besides the winner. The Rangers did not win; however, they did receive individual recognition for two bowlers. Senior Zoey Guikema had the tenth highest overall score in the individual matches on Saturday, while fellow senior Sydney Payne was recognized as an honorable mention on the All-Conference team for her performances throughout the entire season.

Next up, and possibly lastly, for the Ranger bowling team is the Regional Tournament on Friday and Saturday. With a strong team performance at Regionals, a State Championship birth is possible. Also, there is a possibility for the teams’ top bowlers to individually qualify for States if they score well on Friday and Saturday.