AKRON — Kyle Dunne said he would like “to have a couple of frames back” from Sunday’s Northeast District Division I boys bowling tournament at Stonehedge Family Fun Center.
“I felt pretty good,” said the Highland senior two-handed right-hander, “and I think I threw it pretty well.”
He threw it well enough to lead the Individuals and earn a repeat trip to the Division I state boys tournament March 11 at Wayne Webb’s Columbus Bowl.
Dunne, who finished 33rd a year ago with a 585 series, shot 724 Sunday with a 277 in Game 1 to lead six individual qualifiers.
Joining Dunne will be Cleveland St. Ignatius freshman Mason Melgaard (703 series), Perry senior Kaleb Corrin (690), Wooster senior Dawson Gaynor (680), Canfield sophomore Matt Logan (674) and Boardman sophomore Austin Rule (669), who earned the final spot by seven pins over Copley junior Charles Franchetti.
“I would like nothing more than to be a state champion, but I have to take it one shot at a time,” Dunne said. “It was the fourth time I’ve bowled on this pattern and I’m kind of used to it.
“But it played differently each time. It’s challenging, but not so bad. You just have to make spares and take advantage of what’s there.”
Corrin will be making his fourth straight trip to state, but will be going alone this time after the Panthers finished 14th overall in the 20-team field with 3,830, 224 pins out of the cut, to end a four-year state run.
“It was tighter today and harder to play. But I stayed pretty clean and made it through,” Corrin said after following up a 263 in Game 1 with 195 in Game 2. He finished with 232.
“It’s my fourth year, but sadly not as a team. But I plan on going there for them.”
Corrin finished 49th a year ago with 559 after earning All-Ohio honorable-mention honors as a sophomore with 654. He didn’t bowl as a freshman during the three-game portion.
“Hopefully, I can place this year,” Corrin said.
Wooster’s Gaynor had three 200 games (244, 212, 225) to earn a state spot. The Generals were hoping for their first state trip in school history, but fell short by finishing seventh with 4,005, 49 pins out of the sixth and final qualifying spot. Freshman Gavin Ennis also shot 599.
“You have to go with a fresh mindset and just hope for the best,” Dunne said.
NOTEBOOK: The tournament had 20 teams and 20 individuals in the field. … Stow-Munroe Falls and Amherst Steele needed a two-frame rolloff to end play as the two tied for fifth and sixth. Both already had qualified for state, with the rolloff needed to determine seeding for state pairings. The Bulldogs won 35-28. … Thirty-two players shot 600 or higher, with five 700 series. … Franchetti had the high game of 278, while Dunne and Tallmadge’s Gavin Warren added 277. … There were 636 tickets sold for Sunday’s session with 542 being used. … GlenOak, which remained in the top six during the three regular games, posted a tourney-low 922 during the six-game Baker System round to finish 13th with 3,830. That included games of 127 and 138 their final two games. Senior Nathan Davis led the Eagles with 656. … The Division I girls close out the four-day Northeast District run at 10 a.m. Monday also at Stonehedge with 18 teams in the field also vying for six team and six individual state spots. Tickets, $8 for adults and $6 for students, are available only online at www.OHSAA.org/tickets … Among other area individuals, New Philadelphia senior Josh Henke had 572, Louisville’s Michael Emerick Jr. 560 and McKinley sophomore Jonathan Waggoner 525. … The field average was 920 or higher for each of the regular games, with a high of 943 in Game 3. Baker games were over 175 for all six, with a high of 192 in Game 3. The high team Baker game was 236 by Amherst Steele in Game 3. … There were 11 1,000 team games shot, with two each from Nordonia, Avon Lake, North Canton Hoover and Tallmadge. Stow-Munroe Falls advanced despite a high game of 997 and was the only member of the top six not to shoot 1,000.