By BILL SNIER
KENT — Fifteen Division II boys high school bowling teams rolled three regular and six Baker System games Friday to determine the four teams that would be moving on to district play.
It wasn’t enough.
Triway and Woodridge, after tying with 3,916 total pinfall following tournament play in the Northeast District Tri-County Sectional at Spins Bowl-Kent, went to a two-frame rolloff to determine the fourth district qualifier with each coach selecting one player to compete.
Titans senior right-handed two-hander Aeron Meshew struck on his first shot of the rolloff and then filled the 10th frame portion with a 10-pin spare and another strike to earn a 40-39 win and send the Titans to district.
“I’d rather throw the ball myself. I asked if we could let the coaches throw it,” Triway coach Vince Yoder said. “It’s really nerve-wracking when it comes down to one kid.”
United Local, which trailed by seven pins heading into the final two Baker games after taking the lead for the first time after Game 2 of the regular team games, took the sectional title with 4,082, followed by Akron Springfield with 4,036, just one pin ahead of third-place Rootstown (4,035).
Ravenna junior Jacob Stefansic was the top individual qualifier with a tournament-leading 701 series, including shooting 279 — also a tourney high — in Game 1. Other individuals moving on are Garrettsville Garfield junior Daniel Mcie (668), Tuslaw senior Cameron Kilgore (660) and Field sophomore Joey Dilworth (648).
The boys Northeast District tournament is set for 10 a.m. Feb. 23 at Rebman Recreation in Lorain.
TRIWAY ADVANCES
The Titans were hanging around the cut line all day, never falling more than 28 pins out of fourth place.
“As I’ve said in interviews before, this team is either hot or not. Today, we showed signs of hot,” Yoder said. “It was definitely up and down. We would get something going and then we would throw a split.
“We had trouble repeating shots. We were following Woodridge and one of their kids was throwing urethane and it gave us a wiggle spot down the lane (in Game 2, when the Titans shot just 883). Then we went back to our original pair and we had the same look as earlier.”
Senior Owen Fiesler led the Titans with a 657 series, Meshew added 606 and Max Fiesler had 587. But despite Fiesler having the hot hand, Yoder chose to go with Meshew in the rolloff.
“Owen had the best look all day, but when you have a pressure situation like that you put your most experienced player in there and go for it,” Yoder said. “Aeron had struggled, but those three shots were probably the three most consistent shots he threw all day back-to-back-to-back.”
Meshew admitted he “didn’t feeling anything, just really numb” after some beginning nervousness.
“I just calmed myself down before making the first shot. It was just like on our last pair,” Meshew said. “I knew I had to throw some good shots and keep it close and hit the pocket.
“It was kind of a guess because we hadn’t bowled on that pair, but he hadn’t either. It was a shot in the dark and it worked out. It was definitely tough I have to say.”
The two teams ended in a tie after Woodridge shot 212 in its final Baker game to Triway’s 192. But while the Titans shot 1,114 during Bakers, the Bulldogs had 1,100, including shooting 158 in Games 4 and 5.
Senior right-hander Chase West, who led Woodridge with a 609 series, bowled against Meshew and went spare, strike, spare, leaving a 2-4-5 on his opening shot. Senior Jackson Ondash also had 579.
UNITED LEADS FIELD
United took the lead in Game 2 with a 980 and held it until Game 3 of the Bakers before falling behind Rootstown by just seven pins heading into the final two games.
But the Golden Eagles shot 373 over those final two games to claim the sectional crown. It marks the fourth year that the fifth-year program has been represented at districts.
“Last year, we had a goal to get back to where we were,” United coach Gary Herold said. “When we started this season, we said we had some unfinished business. We look forward to the postseason.”
The Eagles lost senior Chris Combs, a 2023 state individual qualifier, to graduation. Seniors Ethan Hively (625) and Michael Hoffee (605) led United along with sophomore Josh Hawkins (583).
“We got the chance to bowl on the sectional pattern a lot this year at tournaments and our own house put it down for us,” Herold said. “We had good look at it and had a good idea what to do.
“We had a couple of Baker games where we struggled, but we really focus on our spares and try to have clean games. If we have an open, we do our best to try to double and cover it up.”
OTHER QUALIFIERS
Bakers is where Springfield excelled Friday. The Spartans were sitting in sixth place, 58 pins out of the final qualifying spot, after the three regular games
But Springfield opened Bakers with a tourney-high 266 and had a low of 171 en route to leading the tourney in that portion of the event with 1,292 (a 215.3 average).
“Bakers have been our strong point all season. We start out slow, but the kids always seem to come through in Bakers,” Springfield coach Dana Floyd said. “The fact that they’re just bowling two frames and have to concentrate on that seems to help the guys focus.
“It’s just one shot at a time and one step at a time from here.”
Senior Wyatt Keys led the Spartans with 627 and senior Michael Knox added 595.
Rootstown has just two varsity players returning from last season.
“Our goal coming in was just to qualify. I just wanted them to relax and make their spares,” Rootstown coach Thom Butcher said. “When they do that, they’re great.”
Butcher was happy with the performance until the last two Baker games, when the Rovers shot just 168 and 151 to fall from first to third.
“Our spare shooting the last two games was horrible. We were good until the eighth frame of the fourth game when we missed two 9-count spares the last two frames,” Butcher said. “But Justin (Miller) pulled us back in with three strikes in the 10th.
“But, overall, I’m happy with the way things went. I want them to enjoy this and they should be proud of what they did.”
Miller, a junior, threw 21 strikes in 24 shots during Bakers for the Rovers and shot 592. Junior Nick Moorehead led Rootstown with 603 and junior Sean Boveington added 568.
INDIVIDUALS MOVE ON
Stefansic came out of the gate strong to lead the field individually, with Mcie finishing second. Neither shot a game under 200, with Owen Fiesler being the only other player to do so.
Kilgore, who qualified for district as a sophomore and failed to advance last season, opened with a 182, but came back with 277 and 201 to finish third overall. Field, in its first year as a program, had its first district qualifier in Dilworth, who earned the final individual spot by 36 pins over Ravenna sophomore Matt Fuller (612).
NOTEBOOK: United held the lead after the three regular games with 2,890 and posted the high team game of 980 on the OHSAA sectional-district oil pattern. … If Woodridge would have won the rolloff, Owen Fiesler would have advanced as the fourth individual instead of Dilworth as the former finished fourth overall. … Each team bowled on its own pair of lanes, moving pairs after every regular game and every two Baker games. Kilgore, as the lone individual participant, bowled as a sixth bowler on a pair with Canton Central Catholic, which led after Game 1 with 970. The Crusaders ultimately finished ninth with 3,671. .. The Division II girls Tri-County sectional is set for 10 a.m. Monday also at Spins Bowl-Kent. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for students and can only be purchased online at https://www.ohsaa.org/tickets
