By BILL SNIER
COLUMBUS — United Local High School coach Gary Herold jokes that senior Ethan Hively always wants to know what position he’s in during matches and tournaments.
“At the hotel last night, he was asking if there was first team, second team and honorable mention,” Herold said. “So I knew he was ready for today.”
The two-handed right-hander definitely was that. After starting with 244 out of the gate, he followed with 239 and 243 for a 729 series to capture the individual state title during Friday’s OHSAA Division II Boys State Bowling Championships on Friday at HP Lanes.
Hively, who didn’t begin seriously bowling until his sophomore year and has committed to attend the University of Akron, was “just on,” according to Herold.
“He’s been bowling three seasons for us and he’s just a heckuva talent,” Herold said after his Eagles reached state for the first time in school history.
Hively said he “just kept striking … I found a mark and never had to move once.”
“I just had the best carry with my ball and had no problems with anything,” he added.
Hively led the Golden Eagles to a sixth-place finish during the qualifying round of three individual and three Baker System games after they got as high as second after the opening three-game set with 2,977 total pinfall, 283 pins behind qualifying leader Coldwater (3,260).
“I saw state in our future, but never saw winning this,” said HIvely, who averaged 205.53 in the Stark County High School Bowling Conference this season. “Just getting here was good enough.”
Hively, who will major in computer engineering at Akron, checked past scores following qualifying. But Friday’s individual scores were not posted until after the break between qualifying and the beginning of match play.
“I was looking at previous years, and I thought there was no way I wasn’t top five,” Hively said. “But when I heard someone else bowled a 700, I was like crap.”
As it turned out, HIvely beat that other 700 — state runner-up and Coldwater junior Caleb Wendel — by 24 pins (702) and third-place finisher Alan Derry, a Warren Champion senior, by 25 (701).
Hively used a new Motiv Jackal Ghost he got just a week ago. He said he had about 20 practice games on the ball, but had not used it in competition. He originally threw one-handed, but converted to two-handed his sophomore season.
“I came out throwing a house ball to start with. But some of my teammates were going two-handed and I said, ‘that looks easy,’ ” said HIvely, who also participates in soccer and track at United. “I began asking around if I should do it. It just seemed to fit me and my style.”
“When he converted to two-handed, he just ran with it,” Herold said. “He had a goal to lead sectional and districts.”
Hively, who was standing at 25 (board) and sending his ball between second and third arrow, said the team peaked at the right time.
“We had a slow start to the season. If it wasn’t for that, we could have won our division,” Hively said. “We just kept grinding … and a lot of us got new equipment too. We had a lot of momentum.”
TEAM COMES UP SHORT
Bakers were a problem for the Golden Eagles during district, and the difficulties reappeared Friday when they shot just 518 during qualifying in that set, with a 159 and 143.
Then, in their opening match against No. 3 seed Marion Pleasant, which ultimately took home its first state title, United shot 150-150 its first two games in the best-of-five format before finishing with 177 in a 3-0 loss.
“I just told them they had a great season. We had a goal, and that was to get here, so I’m very proud of them,” Herold said. “We have four seniors on this team, and just to get to match play and out of the qualifying round, that was phenomenal.
“Did I expect to be here at the beginning of the season? No. We started struggling at first, but we had a coach and athlete time and we ended up our regular season on a 13-match winning streak, so we went into sectionals pretty confident.”
While the Eagles struggled with spare shooting, Pleasant had games of 224, 166 and 256. United finished eighth overall.
“As district, our Bakers were a little dicey. And we get here, it’s the same thing,” Herold said. “We just didn’t pick up spares.”
HIvely said the condition for the match-play round was different as the bowlers returned to fresh oil which had been applied early in the morning.
“The oil seemed heavier,” Hively said. “I had to slow the ball down and come around it a little more.”
United senior Patrick Bryan also shot 624, missing an All-Ohio spot by just two pins. Senior Michael Hoffee also added 576 and sophomore Josh Hawkins had 523.
“Next year, we lose four seniors, so we have to see who comes out,” Herold said. “We just get back to work rebuilding. We will cross that bridge when we come to it.
“I know we have a few kids coming in who are pretty decent.”
But they also will hear the same message from Herold that Hively and his teammates heard all season.
“We always stress spares,” Herold said, “and that’s what we’ll do next season. We’re going to come back fighting to get here again next year.”