OAKWOOD — It was one pin. One lousy, stinking pin.
But that one stick just two short years ago provided motivation and focus for McKinley High School’s boys bowling team as it entered the Division I Northeast District tournament Monday at Roseland Lanes.
“It’s one pin that you can never forget about,” McKinley head coach Kim Heaton said. “At the end of every practice leading up to this point, we preached that every pin matters. They all know that because we drill it into their heads.
“It was devastating then, and we didn’t want to relive it.”
After failing to advance to state by that one pin in 2020, the Bulldogs were on a mission after capturing last week’s Stark sectional title at Eastbury. This time, there was no repeat.
McKinley, standing eighth after Game 1 of the regular three-game set, moved up to fourth after three games and used its six Baker System games to maintain its spot, finishing fifth with 4,171 total pinfall to earn its first trip to the state tournament.
The Bulldogs will be joined by Perry, which will make its fourth straight state appearance after finishing third with 4,179.
Nordonia took the lead after Game 1 and never relinquished it, earning its fourth state trip in five years by winning the district title with 4,342, 128 pins ahead of second-place Boardman, which used a 246 in its final Baker game to move up in the standings.
Berea-Midpark took fourth with 4,177 and the surprise team, Parma Padua Franciscan, gained the sixth spot at 4,120 by just five pins over Medina Highland. It came after the Bruins put together a 1,355 Baker block to blow away the field.
The top six teams and top six individuals who were not members of advancing teams moved on to the state Division I tournament, set for March 11 at Wayne Webb’s Columbus Bowl in Columbus.
HAVING COMPANY
McKinley junior Zach McCutchan, who earned an individual berth the year the Bulldogs failed to advance, came up big in the Baker games for the Bulldogs, He finished with a 636 series as four McKinley players — including seniors Dylan Shankle (637), Alex Coffelt (617) and Brandon Leggett (602) — had 600s.
“This just feels great with the hard work we put in this season. This is just a great group of guys,” McCutchan said. “I would much rather go as a team …having the boys behind you, cheering you on and providing energy.”
Heaton said the key during the next step will be maintaining focus and finishing games.
“Pretty much everything matters from here. It’s do or die here, and this was the last stop,” Heaton said. “I told them that if we want to be there (state), we have to finish our games — and we did — and have fun.”
McCutchan, who has state experience, knows there will be early nerves.
“We just have to have fun. They will be a little nervous at the start, but after we get a couple of shots in, the nerves will go down and we just have to play our game,” McCutchan said.
LITTLE KEYS PANTHERS
After finishing as sectional runner-up, senior Bryce Little again led Perry with a 666 series, Juniors Caleb Corrin and Evan Nave added 648 and 565, respectively.
“It was important to get out, but we didn’t want to stress out ourselves,” Little said. “We just came in with one goal, to reach state, and that’s what we did
“Last year in sectionals and districts I was hesitant, waiting for someone else to take the initiative. This year, I told myself I was not going to let that happen again.”
Panthers coach Alex Lincoln admitted he had been nervous since sectionals, but not about his team’s ability to move on.
“I just didn’t know if we were going to be able to carry,” said Lincoln, whose goal is for the Panthers to advance to the final eight at state after missing the cut the past three years. “We’ve been throwing the ball great, shooting spares better than normal, and that continued today.
“Being around the pocket was key for us. We had more nine counts than anything else. It’s easier to shoot a middle-of-the-lane spare than a 6-7-10 (split).”
PADUA’S SURGE
Padua shot just 767 in Game 1 and stood 18th in the 19-team field. The Bruins then put it all together.
“My team has been fantastic all year long. I just told them it was time to put the pedal to the metal and put their big-boy pants on,” Padua head coach Rick Parschen said. “I knew after the first game they still had a chance, but we had to keep pushing.”
Push they did as the Bruins rose to 14th after Game 2 and stood 11th after Game 3, 201 pins out of the final cut spot.
Then came the Bakers. The Bruins started with 223 and 233 and kept rolling, finishing with an average of 225.8 for the six games. They concluded with 253 and 219 to pull ahead of Highland after trailing by 55 pins going into the final two Baker games. Highland had 202 and 210.
“We knew we had to be focused and make better shots after Game 1,” said Parschen, whose team earned its fourth trip to state in five seasons. “We looked for the best they could do. They felt comfortable with the condition and we had the right lineup. They had the mojo going.”
Sophomore Brendan Tahsler led Padua with a 628.
TEAM ACCOMPLISHMENT
It also is the fourth state trip in five years for Nordonia, which advanced to match play a year ago but lost 3-2 to Marion Harding during the quarterfinal round.
“Bowling as a team was key. All eight of my kids helped out each other, and they stayed together,” Nordonia head coach Ty Lachowski said. “When one kid struggles, it’s next man up. That’s how we’ve been all year.”
The Knights had 3,179 after the opening three games, 121 pins ahead of Berea-Midpark. Junior individual runner-up Bryce Lewin led Nordonia with a 740 series and junior Matt Willis added 644.
Highland junior Kyle Dunne was the individual champion, leading the state qualifiers with a 741 series. Other individual qualifiers included Tallmadge junior Gavin Warren 715, Amherst Steele junior JP Gregory 710, North Olmsted senior Christian Stuver 696, Kent Roosevelt senior Matthew Richards 687 and Willoughby South junior Anthony Shields 663.
FAILING TO ADVANCE
GlenOak junior Nate Davis posted a 647 series, but missed qualifying by just 16 pins. He had a pair of 240 games, but struggled with carry during his second game to go along with a pocked 7-10 split and finished 16th overall.
Among other Stark individuals, Jackson senior Gunnar Schulz finished 52nd with 551; Marlington senior Keegan Edwards finished 62nd with a 532; and Louisville sophomore Gage McKeever was 91st with 410.
Hoover struggled as a team early and never recovered, finishing 18th with 3,523. Senior Connor Sabella was high for the Vikings with 537,
Wooster also struggled, finishing 16th with 3,572. Senior Seth Opoatz was high for the Generals with 531.
The Division I girls have their shot at state beginning at 10 a.m. Tuesday also at Roseland.
DIVISION I NORTHEAST DISTRICT
(At Roseland Lanes, Oakwood)
Final team standings (top six advance to state): 1, Nordonia 4,342; 2, Boardman 4,215; 3, Perry 4,179; 4, Berea-Midpark 4,177; 5, McKinley 4,171; 6, Padua Franciscan 4,120; 7 Highland 4,115; 8, Willoughby South 4,102; 9, Avon 4,041; 10, Norton 3,971;. 11, Amherst Steele 3,917; 12, Mentor 3,772; 13, Stow-Munroe Falls 3,722; 14, Eastlake North 3,687; 15, Cleveland St. Ignatius 3,666;l 16, Wooster 3,572; 17, Springfield 3,528; 18, Hoover 3,523; 19, Cuyahoga Falls ,3,451.