Coming into the 2019-2020 season, the storyline around the team this year is sophomore Katolina Cunningham. She is the only girl on the team and looks to show what she can do to prove she belongs. Coming off a rough season last year, the bowling team will be combining this year into one team with both boys and girls. 

“It’s different and can be challenging at times, but I’ve gotten used to it,” Katolina said. She says she is beginning to feel very comfortable with the team and is looking forward to the upcoming season. 

After the boys team last year started off the season with a loss to rival Forest Hills Northern, there is a circle on the calendar around that match for this season. It is a huge game, and FHC will need to come back strong to try to get a win. They will have until January 20th to be ready for FHN, and winning that match is a huge goal for the team this season. 

Coach Grant Vermeer is very optimistic about this upcoming season as there are a lot of returning players that made a huge impact from last season. This year’s team is going to be special because of all the experience they will have from the past season, which should give them an upper hand on most teams. 

“This is the first year of my five years coaching that we didn’t graduate any seniors from the boys team last year,” Coach Vermeer said. “We have an awesome group of guys that are experienced and comfortable bowling on varsity.” 

Moving on from last season, there are a few key returners that Coach Vermeer thinks will be a huge part of their success this season.

“[Senior] Alex Souza went to States last year and has improved a lot since last season, so he’ll definitely be one to watch,” Vermeer said. Another player returning from last year that will be a huge asset to the team is senior Ben Kastner. According to Coach Vermeer, either Ben or Alex will hold the “anchor” bowler spot this season. 

Peyton Price is a freshman this year coming in with a lot of bowling experience. He has been bowling in a few different leagues, which has allowed him to bowl on varsity this year.  

Vermeer has had a lot of time to think about what has to happen this season for them to be more successful. Coach Vermeer knew that last year was not what either he or the team was looking to get from the season, and to have many returning players is crucial in having a comeback season from last year. 

“Last year we had a number of bowlers rotating in and out of varsity, which made us very inconsistent in our scores,” Vermeer said. “We lost a number of matches that we should have easily won. Having more experienced guys to choose from should help us be very competitive this year.” 

The main focus for this season is to have a better year than last year and keep improving after every week. The team is very optimistic about this year’s team and what they are capable of doing.

The varsity bowling team will have its first match on Wednesday, December 11 against Northview at Northfield Lanes. Northview is a talented team and to start off the season with a win against them would be a huge confidence boost for the Rangers.