By BILL SNIER
COLUMBUS — Addison Rudibaugh had a personal goal coming to HP Lanes on Friday.
She fell one spot short.
The East Liverpool senior finished as the individual state runner-up with 668 during the OHSAA Division II Girls State Bowling Championships.
She finished third a year ago with a 630 series — 38 pins less.
“I’m not disappointed. If I bowled better the second game it could have been different,” said Rudibaugh, who had games of 230, 171 and 267.
“Last night during practice, I was playing straight up. But today, I was able to get it out a little bit and it would come back. Getting it out more was the goal. All I had to do was make a little move left with my feet.”
Game 2 was the problem, as she started out with a split and three missed spares.
“By the fifth frame, I got back into my groove,” Rudibaugh said. “My dad (East Liverpool coach Brian Rudibaugh) said Game 3 was going to be our big game.”
She ran off the first seven strikes before leaving a 10-pin in the eighth. She missed the spare.
“Ten pins were a problem today. My heart started racing really bad. I made a good shot, but it just did’t carry,” Rudibaugh said, adding a possible 300 was mentioned by her father.
The Potters team joined Rudibaugh for her third trip to state, but finished 15th with 3,073 total pinfall.
“We struggled pretty badly. They were all pretty nervous,” Rudibaugh said. “I understand that because I was that way as a sophomore when I first came here.
“But after being here a couple of times, it was just another day of bowling and everything will be good.”
GOING MINUS THE TEAM
Three Stark County High School Bowling Conference individuals also reached state, but fell short of All-Ohio recognition.
Triway senior Kennedy Finley was making her fourth straight state appearance.
But this time was different. She was by herself.
“It was very different. I told my coach I just didn’t feel right,” said Finley, who shot 553 to finish 26th overall after making All-Ohio a year ago by finishing ninth with a 576 series.
Finley was a starting freshman when he Titans won the state title in 2022. They also qualified the past two seasons as a team.
“My freshman year, I was just coming up with all these girls who were older and knew what this environment was like,” said Finley, who had to assume the role of team leader this season. “Here and now, it’s amazing how far I’ve come and matured into this great bowler.
“I was trying not to put too much pressure on myself, but I think I did too much of that early in the season. I just needed to settle down and play my game.”
In addition, Triway underwent coaching changes this season with the longtime staff of Vince Yoder and Corby Anderson leaving and Chriss Steiner (girls) and Karlie Way (boys) coming in to replace them.
“Chriss’ coaching style is a lot different,” Finley said. “I’m interested see how he does it next year.”
Finley had games of 193, 169 and 191 while bowling with the Struthers team.
“We were all playing essentially the same area of the lane,” Finley said. “Everyone seemed to struggle on that second pair.”
FALLING JUST SHORT
East Canton junior Madison Lint finished with 586 in her first state appearance, falling five pins short of All-Ohio honors. She missed three makable spares all day, but one came in the 10th frame of Game 3 when she missed a 7-pin.
“It was really fun … I really enjoyed it. I had some nerves a little bit before I got here, but once I settled in, I was OK,” Lint said. “The lanes seemed to be hooking more today than in practice. I didn’t move much all day.”
Her coach and father, Matt Lint, said “she threw the ball better than in districts today … overall, better than she has been.”
A pocket 7-10 split and a solid 8-pin leave, both in Game 1, also cost Lint, who had 203, 192 and 191.
“Her spare shooting needs to be cleaned up a little bit. But we’re a young team and we lose only one from our core group,” Matt Lint said. “We’re hoping to get through as a team next year. That’s our goal.”
As for Madison Lint, she learned some lessons in her first appearance.
“I have to try to stay positive, keep going through my game and try to hit my mark,” Madison said. “I need to shoot spares better. I missed a couple of easy ones today.”
SURPRISE ATMOSPHERE
Canton Central Catholic junior Frances Palaski also was making her first state appearance.
“It was just shocking … the amount of people and all the security. I’ve been in similar big tournaments, but not like that,” said Palaski, who finished with 504 in her state debut.
She started with 190, but followed with 162 and 152.
“I kind of kept moving around, thinking it would be better,” Palaski said. “But then I ended up where I started. Spare shooting was a problem all day.”
Central coach Bud Stebbins said Palaski was “pretty good with her strike ball, but a little bit of nerves caused some pulling … we were trying to work that out.”
The Crusaders also will lose just one player off of this year’s team and would like to make their second state appearance in 2026.
As for Palaski, Stebbins said, “We have to work on shooting straighter instead of hooking across the lane.”
Palaski’s offseason goals?
“Spare shooting. I have to work on everything,” she added.
Also competing was Garaway senior Ava Starner, who had games of 166, 177 and 150 for a 493 series to finish 59th overall.
NOTEBOOK: This was the second year that teams bowled on their own pair of lanes with one individual qualifier — a format used in some Northeast District sectionals and district play. Teams moved each game during the three regular game portion. But they remained on the same pair for all five Baker System games during qualifying. … Napoleon junior Arianna Kiessling captured her second state individual title with a 703 series, shooting 248 and 257 her final two games. She also won the title in 2023 with a 674 series and finished 14th a year ago with 565. … Carrollton’s Kaylee Russell, who won the state individual title last season, is on the cover of the official program along with former United Local player Ethan Hively, who won the boys individual title last season.