By BILL SNIER
snieronbowling.com
NORTH CANTON — J.C. Heighway had reached out to a couple of teams about possibly joining the 18-team Stark County High School Bowling Conference for the 2024-25 season.
“We had reached out, but not heard anything back,” said the SCHSBC commissioner, now entering his 12th season after taking a couple of seasons off to coach at Walsh University, said.
“But I also really didn’t want to push things.”
Then, an opportunity with Salem High School, a member of the Eastern Buckeye Conference, presented itself. The Quakers decided to begin varsity bowling programs for boys and girls during the upcoming season.
“Minerva’s Nick Embrogno (head boys coach) gave us the head’s up that they were starting a team, and he gave me the contact information,” Heighway said. “So I shot off an email to their athletic director (Matt Freeman) that we had heard through the grapevine that they were starting a program and asking if there was anything we could do to help.”
Due to vacations at the end of the school year, Freeman didn’t respond immediately, But eventually, he did email Heighway that the Quakers indeed were beginning a program.
“I gave them the option of joining us and having a set bowling conference schedule. I know how difficult it is for a first-year program to set up a schedule,” Heighway said. “He told me they had not been thinking along the lines of joining a conference the first year, that they were thinking about bowling local teams.
“I responded that it might be in their best interest to look at what we have to offer — a banquet, the website, other coaches who know what is going with high school bowling, good competition right off the bat and that the other EBC teams are involved.”
After a few more emails, Heighway sent a copy of a proposed schedule “to give them an idea of what their matches and opponents would look like.”
“He didn’t respond immediately, so we thought maybe they wanted to go their own way the first year and we would try again next year,” Heighway added.
But the response did come just three days later — and the Quakers wanted to join. Following a vote of conference coaches, Salem was added as the 19th member.
Freeman said in an earlier interview that Heighway’s persistence and the conference’s attention to detail were key to Salem’s decision.
“The first year, they just are going with the 14-match conference schedule and one tournament to keep it basic,” Heighway said.
Heighway said he would like to see Salem in the conference’s annual Early Bird Tournament, which is set for Nov. 16 at a site to be determined.
“It might be in their best interest to be in that so they can meet other coaches and I would be there to help explain things as we went along,” Heighway said. “They might be young and fresh, but we have a lot of experience on our end to help them along.”
COACHING CHANGES
There are a few coaching changes already announced for the upcoming season:
- Lake will have a new head coach following the retirement of Patrick King. The Blue Streaks at last report were doing interviews for the position.
- Salem will not post the opening for bowling coaches until around Aug. 1, according to Freeman.
- Alliance assistant coach Sean Kelly has moved up to head coach following the resignations of Brian and Lucinda Kelly.
- Vince Yoder, who started Triway’s boys program during the 2012-13 season, and girls coach Corby Anderson have both resigned. The future of the program has yet to be determined. The Titans girls captured the OHSAA Division II state title in 2022.
- Dave Davis, now superintendent of the Carrollton Exempted Village Schools, has stepped down as boys bowling coach. Assistant coach Dr. Greg Fair also has stepped down. Girls junior varsity coach Joe Phillis will take over as boys head coach and Wendy Russell remains as the girls coach. Davis said the district still is looking for a boys assistant coach.
- Mark Boron has taken over as Perry’s boys coach following the resignation of Don Sprout.
DIVISION CHANGES
With the addition of Salem, Canton South has been moved to the National Division, joining Triway, Canton Central Catholic, Louisville, Lake Center Christian and Massillon. Salem moves into the American Division, which already has EBC members Alliance, Carrollton, Marlington and Minerva along with United Local.
“It just made sense, with Canton South’s location (near State Route 30). They share the same home as Central (AMF Hall of Fame Lanes), and Triway, Massillon and Louisville are more accessible to them,” Heighway said.
The Federal Division remains at seven teams, with the other two divisions at six.
“If we could find a way to add two more teams, that would be the best with three seven-team divisions,” Heighway said. “The schedules and awards would be even then. I know 21 is a lot, but that’s where we were most of the time I was here the first time, and we got as high as 28. We could split up the other division matches and be on a cycle again.”
The current league schedules call for two matches against Division opponents (home, away) and four out-of-division matches.
OTHER ITEMS
WEBSITE: Although it “took lots of hours to make it interactive again,” Heighway has full control over the site and does all the updating and graphics. “We’re updating it constantly,” he added. The site is at: https://www.schsbc.org/ The conference also has a Facebook page at:
https://www.facebook.com/StarkCountyHSBowlingConference
HALL OF FAME: The conference’s hall of fame will return in 2025, with applications for the 2024 class available at the bottom of the front page of the website. “Nothing has changed with the application,” Heighway said. “But we need people to make nominations to keep it going.”
IMPORTANT DATES
- Early Bird Tournament, Nov. 16 with site to be determined;
- Alumni Tournament, Oct. 19, with site to be announced. “We hope to have flyers out on that the next few weeks,” Heighway said of the event which serves as a conference fund-raiser.
- First official practice date is Nov. 1, with the first matches permitted to begin Nov. 15. The first conference match is set for Nov. 18, with the final matches (barring weather adjustments) on Feb. 28.
- The annual conference banquet will return to Raintree Golf Course and Event Center in Uniontown at 3 p.m. April 6. “By booking it early, we keep the same price as a year ago,” Heighway said.
OTHER CHANGES
- Heighway’s plans for college prep tournaments in the summer months will be put on hold until 2025. “We’re going to try to bring it back … it was just too many things at one time this year,” he added. “We would like to put a little board together with experience on their ends so that we can give the kinds with perspectives beyond high school. The more the better.”
- The Player of the Week will continue next season, but more nominations are needed. “It worked well at the beginning, but as we went along, I think coaches were just kind of waiting,” Heighway said. “We would like them to nominate someone every week regardless since we do have honorable mentions. It’s all about giving the kids more notoriety for their accomplishments and to get their faces out there so college coaches can see them.”
- Heighway said some “tweaks” suggested by coaches may be made to the annual All-Star Match, with is set for March 22.
- There has not been a dues increase for members “since the beginning.” “We have to look at our financials and make some decisions,” Heighway said, adding an increase may be in the offing. “It’s a little more stressful to work with what we have.”
There will be more to come when the coaches hold their annual preseason meeting in early September.