COLUMBUS — Carrollton High School had a simple goal entering Saturday’s OHSAA Division II State Championships: another top-eight finish.
The Warriors achieved that goal at Wayne Webb’s Columbus Bowl, and almost got a bit more.
Holding on to the final qualifying spot after three regular games by just six pins, the Warriors put together the high tourney three-game Baker System block of 529, including 205 in their final game, to qualify eighth.
“Going into the Bakers, we knew it was tight,” Carrollton coach Wendy Russell said after her team advanced by 33 pins. “We told them we had to have three solid Bakers, and we did that. We missed a lot of spares. We should have been 200 pins higher than we were.
“But they pulled out that 205 in the final Baker and that ultimately did it.”
Carrollton’s reward for advancing? A first-round battle with top-seeded Napoleon, which gained that honor by 11 pins over eventual state champion Triway.
The Warriors took the Lady Wildcats to five games before falling 3-2 in the match 185-135 in the final game.
“We were seeded No. 8 and you can’t ask for anything more than these girls taking the No. 1 seed to five games,” Russell said. “They fought hard to the end … that’s all you can ask as coaches.”
After falling in Game 1 162-154, the Warriors came back to win two in a row (165-147, 160-159) before dropping the last two.
The Warriors, who finished seventh a year ago after qualifying fifth, lose just two players from a team that captured Stark Conference, Eastern Buckeye Conference, district and sectional titles.
“Only two of these girls were with me here last year so they were brand new to this experience,” Russell said. “It’s truly a proud parent moment for me. They are a great group of kids.”
Senior Tara Oberlin led the Warriors with a 509 series and was the lone Warrior player to complete all three qualifying games.
“We had some nerves at the start and we had to gather up, but that’s to be expected,” Russell said. “My first year coaching here was overwhelming to me. We you get here you have the lights and music going, the national anthem, introductions … that’s when it set in for these kids.”
CENTRAL, MINERVA FALL SHORT
Central Catholic and Minerva also fell victim to nerves as they finished 15th (2,568 total pinfall) and 16th (2,518), respectively.
“We just wanted to compete. We missed some easy spares,” Minerva coach Gary Cress said. “It was a good learning experience for a young team with four freshmen.
“We can grow off of it. If we can get back here next year it’s a plus for us.”
The Lions, who don’t have a senior on their roster, were led by freshman Jadynn Thompson’s 547 series, good for 16th place — one spot out of the top 15 who qualify for the All-Ohio team. Sophomore Shelby Worrell also shot 487.
“Jadynn just didn’t get any breaks all season,” Cress said. “You get a few breaks here and there and she could have five or six (strikes) in a row.”
Cress said ball speed also was a sign of nerves for the Lions.
“We were throwing the ball a bit too hard for the pattern. We had to slow it down without crossing the body and dropping the shoulders,” Cress said. “We have to work on that along with the mental part of the game.
“You have to have short-term memory when you miss a spare and just go on to the next frame. But I’m proud of these girls to get this far considering how young we are.”
This marked Minerva’s state appearance since 2019 and sixth overall.
The Crusaders, on the other hand, were making their first appearance.
“I’m standing here with a big smile on my face regardless of where we ended up,” Central head coach Bud Stebbins said. “We ended up among the top 16 teams in the state. It’s an emotional moment for me.
“We worked hard for the 10 years I’ve been with the program and we finally cracked that nut and got here. That’s pretty impressive.”
As with Minerva, spare shooting led to the Crusaders’ undoing.
“Our nerves got the best of us today. The girls came in not making spares and were real tight,” Stebbins said. “They stayed pretty tight the whole day, even into Bakers.
“We struggled to get them lined up and everybody got a little quick and were pulling the ball. Trying to get them to slow down and make good shots was a challenge.”
Senior Alina Stebbins led the Crusaders with a a 510 series, and junior Sarah Colucy added 497.
The Crusaders lose two seniors from their roster, but Stebbins has girls back to build on.
“We have three juniors, two of them solid contributors, and a sophomore, who with a little work, is going to be right there with the rest,” Stebbins said.
“We have a pretty good stable right now, but we still have to fill that fifth spot.”
And all three teams have the same goal: a return trip.
“Our hope is that this motivates them, gets them hungry to come back,” Cress said. “We were kind of the underdogs because we were so young, but we like that role.
“We have nothing to lose and everything to win.”
ALSO IN NORTHEAST: Struthers also reached the championship round as the No. 3 seed with 3,030 total pinfall, 203 behind Triway. The Wildcats fell in the opening round of match play to Liberty Center 3-2. Individually, senior Hailey DeGenaro led the Wildcats wth a 588 series, fifth overall, junior Mary Williams shot 539 and freshman Clare Coppola added 519. Champion did not make the cut, falling 33 pins short of No. 8 Carrollton in ninth place with 2,780.