By BILL SNIER
NORTH CANTON — With just 17 days until the beginning of 2024-25 tryouts, the Stark County High School Bowling Conference has increased its membership by one and is looking forward to its traditional opening event — the SCHSBC Early Bird on Nov. 16 at Park Centre Lanes.
“After talking to all our coaches (during Saturday’s preseason meeting), we should be full for the Early Bird,” said SCHSBC commissioner J.C. Heighway, who is entering his 12th year overall. “We have possibly one opening at this point, but we do have a junior varsity team willing to take the spot if it remains open.”
In addition to 17 SCHSBC schools, East Canton from the Inter-Valley Conference also will be among the 18 boys and 18 girls teams in the field.
Heighway also provided an update on the SCHSBC’s annual Alumni Tournament, which is set for 9 a.m. Oct. 27 also at Park Centre.
Teams will bowl 12 Baker System games in the adults-only event, moving pairs after every two games. The field will then be cut for best-of-five match-play rounds until a winner is determined.
“As of today, we have 17 teams, but we do have possibly three more to get us up to 20, but a couple are still looking for a fifth bowler,” Heighway said of the conference’s main fund-raiser. “We want to get 20, but we can go more if we double book on pairs.”
More information on that event can be found on the conference’s Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/StarkCountyHSBowlingConference
JOINING THE CONFERENCE
Salem announced this summer that it will become the 19th member of the conference for the 2024-25 season in its first year of bowling. It also becomes the fifth member of the Eastern Buckeye Conference to join the SCHSBC, following Minerva, Carrollton, Marlington and Alliance. All five will be part of the American Division, with United Local being the sixth member.
Other divisions will remain the same for 2024-25 as follows:
- Federal Division: North Canton Hoover, GlenOak, Perry, Green, Lake, Jackson, McKinley; and
- National Division: Triway, Lake Center Christian, Louisville, Canton Central Catholic, Massillon and Canton South.
Although there have been several coaching changes (see our report on those here: https://snieronbowling.com/2024/10/13/h-s-bowling-steiner-way-to-lead-triway-program-other-schools-also-have-changes-as-season-approaches/), Heighway also said there will be several site changes for teams.
Teams making moves to new home bowling centers include: GlenOak (Eastbury Bowling Center); Lake Center Christian (Park Centre), Green (Apollo 3, formerly Turkeyfoot Lanes) and Carrollton (Atwood Lanes). Alliance will have a couple of home matches at the Alliance Elks while Salem will be using Hunt Club Lanes in Salem..
UPCOMING EVENTS
Heighway also announced the conference plans to hold a golf outing fund-raiser in 2025.
“We tried to do it last year, but it didn’t work out. We’re going to put a board together with coaches and price it out to see where we can have it,” Heighway said, adding he would like to hold it in early summer to avoid proximity to the Alumni Tournament.
“We would like to get a sponsor for each hole. With the size of the conference and the coaches we have, we think we can make it a pretty good outing.”
Heighway also said with the loss of the bowling proprietors for sponsorship, the conference also is looking for sponsors for the first- and second-team all-conference selections for 2024-25.
“We would like to get a sponsor to replace them,” Heighway said, adding sponsorships from Hosner Carpet One, Cutler Realty (Mike Lucius), Roosters-Game Time, Heighway Awards, Park Centre, Ten Back Pro Shop, Northeast Ohio Travel League and snieronbowling.com remain.
Heighway returned as conference commissioner last season after bowing out while serving as head coach at Walsh University.
“I have three kids and I want to make sure this conference is here when they get to high school. My youngest one is only two so I might be here awhile,” Heighway said. “Financially, we are in good shape right now and we have enough to run it at our current standards for at least three more years.”
Other special dates to remember for conference members this season:
- The East-West All-Star Match is tentatively set for March 22 at Apollo 3 in Green. “They expressed an interest in hosting and they are in the rotation,” Heighway said.
- The conference’s annual banquet is set for 3 p.m. April 6 again at Raintree Golf Course and Banquet Center in Green.
“Other than some coaching and site changes and the addition of Salem, everything else is pretty much the same,” Heighway said. “All of our coaching vacancies now have been filled so we are ready to go.”
TOURNAMENT UPDATES
Tournament director Ray Stalnaker has announced dates for his four annual events at Spins Bowl-Akron.
Those events include the 23rd annual Christmas Invitational, set for Dec. 26 (boys) and Dec. 27 (girls); the 12th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Invitational, set for Jan. 20; and the third annual Super Bowling Bash on Feb. 9.
Entry forms for these tournaments can be found below.
In addition, Park Centre Lanes is continuing its annual Holiday Tournament, set for 9 a.m. Dec. 31 with boys and girls divisions.
Teams will bowl two regular games and six Baker System games before the respective fields are cut to the top eight for best-of-five Baker System matches until the final two remain. For information, call 330-499-0555. Entry fee is $100.
In addition, a list of tournaments — both area and statewide — can be found on the Ohio High School Bowling wesbsite at: https://www.ohsb.org/tournaments.html
