By BILL SNIER
COLUMBUS — For two Tuscarawas County teams, putting on their shoes and rolling bowling balls here was achieving goals they set at the beginning of the 2023-24 season.
But for two other Northeast District representatives, it was a frustrating end to positive postseason runs — one by the slimmest of margins.
There were several storylines during the 18th annual OHSAA Division I State Boys Bowling Championships on Friday at HP Lanes. But none was more frustrating than the one engineered by Cleveland St. Ignatius.
The Wildcats, who entered the Baker System three-game round just five pins out of the match-play cut in their state tourney debut, rolled just 536 during the round with a 163 their final game.
They finished just one pin out of the cut — 3,398-3,397 in total pinfall.
Washington Court House Miami Trace, which was 10th and 68 pins out of the cut going into the Baker round, finished with 600 and a 224 its last game to hurdle both Ignatius and Plain City Jonathan Alder, which shot 522 in Bakers, to take the last berth.
“We were there all day. We beat Alder by two, but we didn’t know who was behind us,” Ignatius coach Jim Viets said. “We knew someone could pass us.”
It was a frustrating end for the Wildcats, who were 11th after Game 1, but moved back up to ninth after Game 2 with a 1,009.
“We practice all year long, from November to now. It’s spares, spares, spares and pin count,” Viets said. “When you have a strike, the next pin count is important.
“When you leave a 4-pin and miss it or a 2-pin in the middle of the lane, you should never miss it. It wasn’t just one person … it was anybody, anywhere. Anywhere along the way, you can find one pin.”
The Wildcats will return seven varsity players next season along with a strong junior varsity roster.
“We take off from here. We’ll be back the next four or five years,” Viets said. “They will use this as motivation. Next year, they will know what it takes to advance.
“We just need to move into the next round. We were confident if we got there, but it just wasn’t to be.”
A year ago, North Canton Hoover also missed the cut to the final eight by just two pins.
REACHING A GOAL
Both New Philadellphia and Dover, in just their second seasons in the Northeast District, gained state spots — the goal for both when the season began.
But both ran into problems in their first state team appearances.
“The kids just couldn’t keep up with the transition,” Dover coach Steve Scherer said. “We practiced Thursday and they had a fairly good look, but the lanes just didn’t play the same (Friday). They chased it all day.”
Scherer felt nerves also played a factor for the Tornadoes, who were led by junior Jacob. Shanklin’s 615 series, good for 19th overall and just 13 pins out of an All-Ohio spot. Sophomore Kris Miller also shot 582.
The Tornadoes finished 14th overall with 3,148 — 250 pins out of the cut.
“We tried different balls and different lines, but we couldn’t find anything that worked real well. They said they were relaxed, but I really didn’t believe them,” Scherer said. “It was the first time to state for our three seniors and they obviously wanted to do well on their way out.
“We set a goal at the beginning of the season to make state and we made it. Everything past that point was a bonus. So I told them to enjoy themselves and savor the moment, but we just didn’t perform.”
It was a similar situation for Dover rival New Philadelphia.
“Our goal was to get here. We were very positive, they were very excited,” Quakers coach Jeff Locker said. “I don’t think we were overconfident. But we were confident, and we knew what we had to do.
“It was just one of those days where the coin didn’t flip the way they wanted it to.”
The Quakers, who finished 15th with 3,121, 27 pins behind the Tornadoes, were led by sophomore Jack Fair’s 589 series and seniors Gabe Fair (539) and Alex Knisely (536). Junior Landon Labiche added 533.
“The atmosphere could have been part of it. When you get in there and it starts to hit you, ‘Oh, this is it.’ But I think they handled it well,” Locker said. “You need tournaments throughout the season to get accustomed to this, but it’s never going to be to this level.
“Everyone knows this is it.”
Dover loses three seniors while New Philadelphia loses two.
“We want them to stay active. You don’t put the balls away until September,” Locker said. “They’re a little down and we’ll talk about it. We have to learn to adjust.”
“Phil has a lot of kids back and we have a lot of kids coming back,” Scherer said. “Giving the underclassmen a taste of state is what’s it’s all about.
“It’s big for our programs. We have the opportunity to make it again, a little more seasoned and a little more prepared.”
SPARTANS FALL SHORT
Boardman, which finished 12th after dropping to 15th after Game 1, was making its second state appearance.
“It was not a good day … not our best showing down here,” Boardman coach John Lucansky said. “There was nothing we could do. Just go home and work on it and hopefully come back next year stronger.”
Junior Austin Rule, who made All-Ohio honorable mention a year ago while qualifying as an individual, shot 572 and finished 41st. Junior Caden Wilcox led the Spartans with a 603 series.
“It think it was nerves more or less. We can teach them to throw bowling balls, but teaching them to stay calm is another thing,” Lucansky said. “It’s a learning experience. One kid has been here three times (Rule) and others two times, but it was the first time for our freshman.
“But we graduate only one, so hopefully, we’ll be better next year.”
Amherst Steele, which also advanced from the Northeast District, finished 16th with 3,021.