By BILL SNIER
LORAIN — Three veteran state contenders again will be making trips to Columbus next week.
But the fourth, which had to witness their boys team fall short on Saturday, will be making its initial journey to state.
Struthers earned its fifth state appearance overall, including its third straight, by topping a 15-team field during Saturday’s Northeast District Division II girls high school bowling tournament at Rebman Recreation.
The Wildcats, who finished with 3,798 total pinfall, will be joined by Triway (3,683), which will be making its fifth straight state trip; Fairport Harbor Harding (3,634), which also will be making its fifth state trip; and Rootstown (3,616), making its initial journey.
Teams bowled three regular team games and six Baker System games with the top four teams and top four individuals who were not members of those teams reaching the OHSAA Division II State Girls Championships, set for 10:30 a.m. March 2 at HP Lanes in Columbus.
Wickliffe senior Shelby Childress, who also will be making her initial state appearance, topped the individuals and led the tournament with a 652 series, ending Triway senior Emma Yoder’s three-year reign as district champion. Yoder finished second with 639.
Other individuals moving on are Open Door Christian junior Gabriella Riba with 609, Garrettsville Garfield freshman Sierra Foyo (592) and Wellington senior Whitney Kirchner (575).
HOLDING ON
A day after the Rover boys fell from fourth to seventh after their final two Baker games to miss the cut, Rootstown’s girls shot 210 and 191 in their final two to earn the final qualifying spot by 131 pins over LaBrae (3,485).
The Rovers got as high as third after Game 1 of the three-game team series, but fell to fourth and stayed there the remainder of the day, seeing their advantage cut to as low as 16 pins at one point.
“We didn’t bowl as well as we should have, but we practiced on a different shot all week than they put out,” Rootstown coach Andy Day said. “They just kept clawing. We controlled our own destiny and they lived up to it.”
Day said practice sessions as well as last week’s sectional tourney in their home center of Spins Bowl-Kent played “tighter.”
“This was down the lane and then it took off,” Day added.
The girls were aware of what happened Saturday to the boys, Day said.
“We just told the girls to bowl our own game,” Day said. “If we go out and shoot our average, we make it. But we had to go a little above average today and we made it.”
The Rovers shot a tourney-high 1,091 Baker series, a 181.3 average. Their season average was around 161.
Individually, senior Natalie Hammerschmidt led the Rovers with a 559 series. She was the lone Rootstown player to bowl all three regular games.
LEADING THE WAY
Struthers shot 909 in Game 1 and followed it with 949 in Game 2. The Wildcats were never out of the lead, opening a 152-pin lead at one point before Triway got to within 26 pins heading into the final two Baker games.
“They were just amazing all day. The last couple of weeks was the first time we really had everyone together again,” Struthers coach Bob Eisenbraun Jr. said. “They just threw the ball great and covered spares.”
Injuries and a hospitalization to have tonsils removed cost the Wildcats two of their starters until the final month of the season.
“We really didn’t have our starting five until the past month,” Eisenbraun said. “We practiced about six or seven times on this pattern at our house (Holiday Bowl in Struthers), but it played a little looser here with a little more friction.
“Our Bakers were consistent in the 170s and 180s across the board. Nothing real high, but nothing real low. We just covered spares and stayed out of trouble.”
The Wildcats had a low Baker game of 165 and a high of 189.
Struthers, which lost just senior Mary Williams off of their 2023 state team, was led by senior Mackinzie Allen with 605, junior Mackenzie Granger with 560 and junior Clare Coppola with 554.
FIVE-YEAR RUN
With seniors Yoder and Addy Meshew, who celebrated her birthday Saturday, leading the way, the Titans return to state for the fifth straight season after claiming the state title in 2022.
A four-game string of Bakers from games 1 through 4, when the Titans shot 814, moved Triway up from third to second and within shouting distance of Struthers. But they faltered with 137 and 128 the last two games to remain as district runner-up.
“Those first two Bakers (185, 186) got the ball rolling for us. We had a decent last game of individuals (922) and that got us back in the ball game,” Triway coach Corby Anderson said. “Then we had the turnaround in the Bakers and kept things rolling after the first two. All of a sudden, we were pouring everything in there.
“It was a good feeling to have those two games (228, 215). Going into those last two, we were 150 ahead of fifth, so we can have fun now. But they have to know they still have to stay focused, but keep having fun back there.”
Yoder, the 2022 state individual champion, led the Titans, but Meshew, the 2023 state runner-up finished eighth overall with 570. Freshman Raya Fiesler also had 504 and junior Kennedy Finley added 501.
“Bakers have been a problem, but that’s what we need when we get down there in match play. Bakers are where it is then,” Anderson said. “Our first three games were consistent. I felt like we had a decent look for the boys Saturday, but they were so wet-dry with the outsides hooking.
“With the girls I knew they would have a better look because the boys have more revs and more ball speed so they get in trouble when they get in the oil or get it to the dry too early. I knew we weren’t going to have that same problem today.”
MOVING UP THE LADDER
The Skippers return to state for the second straight year after winning the state title in 2018. But they had to move up the ladder after sitting seventh with an 834 after Game 1.
“We weren’t throwing the ball that badly; we were just a bit lost, and when you get a bit lost, you can get some strange breaks, which is what we were getting,” Skippers first-year coach Dean Vargo said. “We got into a little better rhythm in Game 2 and especially in Game 3. They started making some spares.
“The nice thing is we really didn’t have anyone really mash them. It was a good team effort.”
Fairport Harbor shot a tourney-high 975 in Game 3 to move up to second. The Skippers never dropped below third the rest of the day.
Junior Makenzie Pilny led the Skippers with a 608 series, good for fourth overall. Senior Andrea McKinney added 532 and junior Jillian Justinger had 530.
“We stayed clean during the Bakers and they picked it up and showed up in the middle a little bit,” Vargo added, after the Skipper had games of 129 and 141, with high of 188. “At the end, they had some nice games and that’s all she wrote. These girls are team players and they picked each other up all day.”
Vargo said his team was “nervous, but confident” going into Saturday’s tourney.
“I think that was the right attitude to go about it,” he added.
INDIVIDUAL WINNER
What is Childress, a right-hander, thinking about for her trip to Columbus?
“They have a zoo there, and I get to go there. I’m excited about that,” Childress said.
But there also is the bowling, with the senior rolling games of 202, 232 and 218 to finish 13 pins ahead of Yoder.
“There was a lot of oil in the middle, and I saw a lot of girls playing there and leaving splits and going high,” Childress said. “I was playing out between the first and second arrow area all day.
“I thought I would have to make a lot more spares than I had to, and I didn’t thankfully.
“I ended up missing only two spares all day so I’m pretty proud of myself. If I have clean games down in Columbus, I’ll be happy.”
Yoder wasn’t concerned about her title streak ending. But she was happy with the way she rolled the ball.
“I would say I rolled it very good for the most part. I had a couple of shots that I missed in, but I was pretty consistent otherwise,” said Yoder, a senior left-hander. “They hooked a lot more here than at Kent (sectional). We kind of saw what the boys did yesterday, so we expected it today.”
But from a team aspect, the Baker performance pleased Yoder.
“That was good to see, especially since we have five new girls,” Yoder said. “I think being able to put four games together like that in a row is really good for them to see and the team in general. It allows them to get a little more confidence to see what we are capable of doing.”
And the teams and individuals have to keep doing what they did at district next week in Columbus.
“We have enough girls who can throw the ball decent. If we can give them a look and figure out where they need to be and what surfaces to have on the balls, that pretty much will be it,” Anderson said. “The girls trust (coach) Vince (Yoder) and I. If we can get them in the right places on the lanes with the right ball, then they start getting some confidence they can do it.”
But it still comes down to spares.
“Spare shooting still is a problem a little bit. We have to make adjustments quicker, and that goes for coaches too,” Vargo said. “We have to see how our own balls shape on the lane, and that’s difficult for the girls to see. We had a couple of girls spinning the ball at the end so we have to have them stay behind the ball and let it do the work for them.”
But a week of practice remains to get them prepared.
NOTEBOOK: Open Door Christian also got as high as second at one point before falling back to ninth after shooting 114, 137 and 137 their final three Baker games. … Triway had the second-high Baker series with 1,079 while Struthers led the three-game series with 2,735. … Of the two combined Division II districts, boys and girls, seven of the eight state qualifying teams came off of the low side (Lanes 1-24) at Rebman along with five of the eight individuals. … The all-district team, made up of the top eight individual finishers, included Childress, Yoder, Riba, Pilny, Allen, Foy, Kirchner and Meshew. All eight advanced to state on either a team or as individual qualifiers. … United sophomore Brooklynn Herold, bowling as an individual qualifier, finished 14th with 552, missing the cut by 23 pins. … East Canton finished eighth overall with 3,379. Sophomore Madison LInt led the Hornets with 541. … Total attendance for both days of the Division II district was 650 paid admissions. … Division I takes the stage beginning Sunday, with the Northeast District Division I boys tourney set for 10 a.m. Ticket prices are $8 for adults and $5 for students and can be purchased only online 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.