By BILL SNIER
LORAIN — It was the story of three high school boys bowling teams attempting to make their first state appearances.
What it came down to was the performance of each during six Baker System games and, in particular, the final two.
Coventry, the Medina sectional champion, had little problem duplicating that performance during the Northeast District Division II boys tournament Friday, rolling to a 181-pin lead after the opening three team games and cruising to a 155-pin victory at Rebman Recreation.
The Comets finished with 4,293 total pinfall, with three of their individuals finishing among the top 16, to claim the district title.
“They caught fire early, we were striking early and came out big,” said Coventry coach Aaron Rose, whose Comets will be making their second state appearance and first since 2016.
Joining the Comets will be 2014 state champion Warren Champion (4,138), which returns to state for the first time since 2016, along with McDonald (4,085) and United Local (4,053) — both making their initial state team appearances.
Teams bowled three regular games and six Baker System games with the top four teams and top four individuals who were not members of those teams advancing to state.
Rootstown junior Justin Miller was the top individual with 760, including 268 in Game 2, as the top four individual finishers overall advanced. Joining Miller are Brooklyn sophomore Adam Cowper (749), Notre Dame Cathedral Latin senior Dakota McFadden (685) and Akron Springfield senior Michael Knox (685). McFadden won the tiebreaker with a higher game (279-267).
The OHSAA Division II State Boys Championships are set for 10:30 a.m. March 1 at HP Lanes in Columbus.
BLUE DEVILS JUMP
United and Roostown remained in the top four until the final two Baker System games. McDonald, the Metro Athletic Conference champions, took over the fifth spot after the opening three games and remained there until the final surge.
That’s when the Blue Devils finished with 215, 183, 235 and 247 during their final four Baker games en route to a 1,222 total. They jumped from fifth, five pins out of the cut, to third the final two Bakers.
“These guys are so resilient it is unbelievable. They never gave up. That’s the way the whole season went for us,” said McDonald coach Jim Getz, whose team will make its first state appearance in its 14 years as a program.
“The last two Bakers, I did say something. I knew going in we were really close, so I got them together and told them this is what we have to do: We have to get together as a team, move forward and shoot over 200 if you want to make it to the next level.”
Getz, who used his entire roster during Bakers, also made some lineup changes.
“It’s something we’ve done all season in Bakers,” Getz said. “Normally, we go out there and strive to have the highest Bakers of any team, and we averaged over 200 all season.
“That’s what these kids are made of and we brought them in like that. I wanted to move them around to get more out of each one of them. If someone had a split or open, we moved them so they would be more comfortable and get the team started so we could go.”
Junior Garek Deluga led the Blue Devils with a 675 series, junior Zach Bregar shot 611.
EAGLES HOLD ON
United was second behind Coventry, trailing by 116 pins, heading into the Baker round. But the Golden Eagles had just one 200 game and shot 1,110 in the Baker set.
“I got nervous after we got in Bakers and started to struggle a little bit. Of course, we were bowling right beside Coventry and saw what they were shooting,” United coach Gary Herold Jr. said. “We knew they were going to run away with it.
“I was just trying to make sure my guys picked up spares. It was still a struggle and we’re just happy to get out.”
The Eagles shot 191 and 183 their final two Bakers, but had to see how Rootstown performed to see if they survived.
“We had some splits that really cost us,” Herold said. “At sectionals, we would open up, but we would double to help cover that. We didn’t do that much today.”
Senior Ethan Hively, one of the four Eagles seniors who will be making the first state trip in the program’s six-year history, led United with 630. He was followed by seniors Patrick Bryan (599) and Preston Furlong (588) and sophomore Josh Hawkins (572).
Bakers became a free-fall for Rootstown, which was in the top four all day until the final two games. The Rovers shot just 1,010 in the six-game round and dropped from third to seventh after 171 and 164 in the final two.
“It was all about spares. Some of the kids got tense and it rubbed off on a couple of others,” Rootstown coach Thom Butcher said. “That’s what happens with inexperienced bowlers. Next year, we have a bunch of seniors and I’m going to try and bowl three or four more tournaments to see if that works.”
LEADING THE PACK
Coventry had no problem dealing with the pressure of leading the field. Freshman Wade Allen led the Comets with a 681 series, good for fifth overall. He was joined by senior Jayden Oakes (626) and sophomore Aidan Jensen (623).
Coventry opened with 1,036 and followed with a tourney-high 1,098 in Game 2.
“Four of my five bowlers started with the first seven (strikes) in at least one of the first two games,” Rose said. “We were just striking and we didn’t stop. Plus, we were making our spares, got a big lead and just maintained it.”
It didn’t stop in the Bakers as the Comets shot 279 in Game 2 en route to 1,234 during that block.
“The funny thing is we struggled in practice here on Thursday, but they played totally different than they did today,” Rose said. “They dried out a lot more then. We practiced on one side and bowled on this side. It seemed like the oil held up a little more today and we were successful.
“We just wanted to keep up the momentum.”
It was a different day for Champion, as the Flashes shot just 929 in Game 1 to sit 10th in the 17-team field.
“Our sectionals played the same. We started a little slow, got a little fast and our Bakers were rocky,” Champion coach Josh Phelps said. “The only thing we did a lot of practice on during the week was Wednesday, using the same Baker lineup as we used today. And we stuck with it through all six games.”
It led to Champion leading the tournament with a 1,260 Baker set, an average of 210 and just one game below 200 (198 in Game 6).
“Our biggest thing was when one guy was down, another guy picked them up,” Phelps said. “Coventry was too far ahead and we knew that in the back of our minds. We just told them don’t worry about catching Coventry, do what you can do yourself because you can’t focus on what other people are doing. You can only focus on your own game.”
Junior Garrett Martin led the Flashes with a 620 series and senior Alan Derry added 619.
ON TOP AT THE END
The Rovers’ Miller, a two-handed right-hander, added 244 and 248 in Games 1 and 3 to finish first individually.
“I had good ball reaction in all three games. I just kept doing the same thing and it worked,” said Miller, who used a 900 Global Reality for all three games with a target around the eighth board at the peak.
He also was at a loss for what happened to the Rovers in Bakers although he will be making his first state trip.
“We just got tense,” Miller said. “The big thing is staying loose. When you’re tense, everyone feels it. It is what it is.”
Miller’s state goal? “I just want to shoot at least 600,” he added.
The four state contenders also have goals.
“When we get down there, these guys still will be resilient, still push and show what they’re made off,” Getz said of McDonald. “They’re going to be really tough there.”
“We know it’s going to be a different pattern and it’s going to play differently,” Rose said. “But we have to make our spares. That’s the name of the game.”
“This is our sixth year and my fifth as coach and we’ve been to district four times although we did get an individual out last year (Chris Combs). But getting a team out is huge for us,” Herold said. “We have four seniors and they will at least get the chance to see what state feels like.”
NOTEBOOK: Teams again bowled on their own pair of lanes Friday, with one district individual qualifier being added on each pair for a total of six bowlers. They moved pairs every game and after every two Baker games. Teams bowled on both sides of the the two-sided center. … Tuslaw senior Cameron Kilgore, who bowled sectionals and district as an individual, shot 654, but finished 27 pins out of the individual cut. He shot just 181 in Game 3. … The top eight individuals were named to the all-tournament team, with Kilgore gaining that final spot. Others were Miller, Cowper, McFadden, Knox, Allen, Delliga and Clearview’s Logan Klamer (662). Kilgore and Klamer were the only two not to advance. … Coventry had both the high team game (1,098) and Baker game (279), both in Game 2 of the respective rounds. … The Northeast District Division II girls tournament is at 10 a.m. Saturday. Ticket prices are $8 for adults and $5 for students and can be purchased only on line at www.ohsaa.org/tickets. No cash will be accepted at the door. … Fans should use the same site for state tournament tickets, which are priced at $15 for adults and $10 for students.