Senior Austin Burden rolled a team-high series of 459 to pace Coldwater in Saturday MAC league play. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
Coldwater and St. Henry squared off Saturday, both unbeaten in league play, to determine the outright leader at the midpoint of the season. A surprise contribution sparked Coldwater to a 2860-2656 win.
It’s true. You don’t hear much about head-to-head competition in high school bowling with the league standings on the line.
Maybe you should…but that’s just the way it is.
So when Coldwater (8-1 overall, and 4-0 in MAC) and St. Henry met Saturday at Speedway Lanes in New Bremen, both undefeated in the MAC, yes…the natural rivalry between to schools just five miles apart boiled to the top.
In short, St. Henry got off to a fast start in the first of two individual contests, while Coldwater struggled to find its footing….or the 1-3 pocket.
“Don’t know why,” said C0ldwater coach Rick Hartings. “But warming up St. Henry was in the pocket and we were all over the place. It took us a while to figure things out.”
It took a while, and it took some individual leadership on a day when the score sheets got a breather…just nine scores of 220 or better…and Coldwater had four of them.
Versailles’ Blake Henry led the Tigers with a high game of 234.
Little by little Harting’s Cavaliers began to reel things in in the sixth frame of the first game, then led from start to finish in the second game to record an eventual 2860 to 2656 win.
Coldwater got a lot of help from senior Austin Burden, who rolled a 222…and had a 289 in his sights when he began the second game with five strikes in a row. Throwing a nine-pin spare in the seventh, he was still looking at a possible 279 when he opened on his first ball in the tenth. He finished with a 237.
“I don’t know how that happened,” said Burden, smiling. “I probably got a little nervous.”
“It can happen,” said Hartings. “You can try too hard to throw the best ball of the match, and end up throwing the worst.”
But Burden’s case of the goo-goo didn’t deter teammates Caleb Wendel and Andrew Meyers, who both rolled 222 to help fuel the comeback.
And, it didn’t deter freshman named Drew Schulze when he was called on by Hartings to step up in the second game.
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The brother of former Coldwater standout Jasmine Schulze (now bowling for Wright State’s women’s team), the Cavs’ freshman answered the need by rolling the highest score of the day…a 247!
Fort Recovery’s Leland Wilson claimed high game with a 230.
“We put him in there and he gave the team a huge lift,” added Hartings. “I’m happy for Drew. That was a big moment for him.”
It was Schulze’s best game of the year, having previously bowled just seven games, previously averaging 196.7.
In other highlights….
St. Henry’s Connor Jacobs had a 223 to lead the Redskins.
New Bremen’s Brady Blickle led the Cardinals with a high game of 229.
Fort Recovery’s Leland Wilson had a team high of 230.
Versailles’ Blake Henry led the Tigesr with a 234.
And Minster’s Rylan Edwards had the Wildcats’ high game with a 236.
Community Lanes is so much more than a bowling center…stop and see for yourself when you can.