Mechanicsburg’s Faith Ford plants and throws during the DII Bowling Championship at HP Lanes in Columbus, Ohio. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Brian Bayless)
In a day full of cheers and tears, Mechanicsburg, St. Mary’s and Versailles made strong showings at the DII Girls Bowling Championship, but Springfield Kenton Ridge took home the top prize.
By Jarrod Ulrey
COLUMBUS – A slow start didn’t deter the Mechanicsburg girls bowling team from its best finish at the Division II state tournament in almost a decade. On Saturday at HP Lanes, the Indians were just 12th after rolling 757 in the opening game, but that proved to be one of their few rough moments at the event.
Mechanicsburg bounced back to earn the fourth seed for the championship round after shooting 3,113 during the qualifying round and went on to reach the state final. With a 3-0 loss to second-seeded Springfield Kenton Ridge in the championship match, the Indians left with the runner-up trophy – their best finish since winning their second title in three seasons in 2016.
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“We were able to do so much,” senior Gwen Westfall said. “We did great today if you really think about it. We had a great season. We deserved this. We are such a great team. We really work with each other, have great communication skills and just really love each other.”
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Mechanicsburg, which finished ninth in 2020 and sixth in 2022, made it one round further than last season when it lost in a semifinal to finish fourth. During the qualifying round, senior Faith Ford finished 17th (552), Westfall came in 18th (547), and senior Hannah Dingledine placed 33rd (525). In the championship match, Kenton Ridge won the first 179-127, the second game 199-174 and the third game 177-167.
Fort Loramie Senior Gianna Bulcher delivers the ball during at HP Lanes in Columbus during the OHSAA DII Championship on March 2, 2024.
“I’m proud of them,” coach David Bush said.
“We had five seniors, so we’re starting over fresh next year. All of the (seniors) started. We came up a little short, missed a few spares and had a rough first game, but I thought they adjusted. We just couldn’t get a couple breaks the last two games (against Kenton Ridge).”
St. Marys was the third seed for the championship round after rolling a 3,205 during the qualifying round and beat sixth-seeded Wooster Triway 3-1 before falling 3-2 to Kenton Ridge in the second round to finish third. “We fought all day and were seeded well,” St. Marys coach Jay Gibson said. “When you get into bakers, it’s who is rolling their best at the time. They’re a good team, so I’m not taking anything away from them. We just left too many spares in the last game. “We had four seniors, and one of them was my daughter (Chloe Gibson), so that hurts a little bit harder. For those four seniors it was their third trip here, and they’ve had great careers, so you just hate to see it end like that for them.”
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During the qualifying round for St. Marys, senior Kayla Homan tied for 10th (571) and earned second-team all-state honors. “I’m very happy with that,” Homan said. “I started off very rough. The fresh oil was not my thing this morning, but a ball change made all the difference for me. This is my third time being at state, and it’s such a wonderful environment and a great feeling being here.”
St. Mary’s Chloe Gibson threw a 146-199-224 (569) to tie for 12th individually during the State D2 Bowling Championships on March 2, 2024.
Chloe Gibson tied for 12th (569) to receive honorable mention all-state honors. Senior Allyson Speckman was 32nd (528), freshman Addison Duncan tied for 33rd (525) and senior Ella Kable tied for 49th (504). “It’s really nice to finish (fourth), but I wish we could have come out with a win,” Chloe Gibson said. “We had four seniors and four freshmen, so we have more talent coming up and really just love the game.”
After earning the fifth seed for the championship round, Versailles led 2-1 but lost the final two games for a 3-2 loss to Mechanicsburg in the first round to finish sixth. “(Open frames) at the wrong time cost us,” coach Tyler Phlipot said. “They drained three strikes in a row in the last baker game, and that hurt. They got on a roll a little bit. We had our opportunities in the first four baker games and just couldn’t close it out.” During the qualifying round for the Tigers, senior Carlie Gehret shot 557 to finish 16th, missing honorable mention all-state by four pins.
Versailles Samantha Yerick plants and delivers during the D2 State Championship match at HP Lanes in Columbus, Ohio.
Also for Versailles, junior Danielle Francis finished 29th (531) and senior Megan Mangen was 38th (522). “They bowled well, fed off each other, and did everything I asked them to do all day,” Phlipot said. “We made the right adjustments, and I couldn’t be more proud of the girls right now. (We had) four seniors who did a lot for the program the last four years. I can’t say enough about those girls. They’re going to be missed truly. “(The season) went real well. We started out real slow and kind of got into a good rhythm, won a tournament in Columbus midseason, did well in baker bash, won the MAC tournament and got second at sectionals, third at district, and fifth at state. That’s pretty good. It’s something to be proud of.”
Fort Recovery was leading after the first game of the qualifying round after rolling a 920 but wound up settling for ninth (3,017) as the top eight advanced to the championship round. Leading the Indians were junior Kayla Heitkamp (tied for 21st, 545) and senior Brooklyn Wyerick (tied for 35th, 524).
Competing as individuals for Fort Loramie, senior Gianna Bulcher finished 25th (537) and senior Aliya Hoelscher tied for 41st (519).
Junior Mackenzie Clark tied for 52nd (498) to lead Graham, which placed 13th (2,719).
Graham southpaw Kenzie Clark approaches the line at HP Lanes in Columbus, Ohio on March 2nd, 2024.
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