By BILL SNIER
COLUMBUS — The two underclassmen took away one main item from their state tournament experiences.
Just keep practicing.
New Philadelphia’s Landon LaBiche and Perry’s Eli Nave, both juniors making their first state appearances, didn’t get everything they wanted — or expected — Saturday during the OHSAA Division I Boys State Championships at HP Lanes.
But while both LaBiche and Nave have shots to return in 2026, this was a one-time thing for Jackson senior right-hander Alex Lovas.
“It was a great experience overall,” said Lovas, who finished with a 583 series in his first state appearance. “But a lot of my problems were not being able to string strikes together.
“I had four or five in a row in Game 1. But, after that, it was just doubles.”
Lovas started with 223, but three splits and a pair of spare misses led to games of 188 and 172 his final two.
“One thing is you have to make good shots, and you have to be able to repeat those shots,” said Lovas, who plans to bowl in adult league now that his high school career is over.
FOOTING ISSUES
LaBiche was cruising after shooting 224 in Game 1. But then he hit Lanes 21 and 22 and ran into a major issue.
“I had a lot of footing issues on the right lane. I was either sticking or slipping and had no consistency,” said LaBiche, who shot just 141 in Game 2 with five splits — all coming in a row after opening with a double.
“I just wasn’t able to make any adjustments, although I did make a ball change late and was able to close out the second game. With that issue, I went to more surface on the ball to get through the oil pattern.”
After starting with Storm Physix Blackout, he went to the Ion Max in Game 2 and finished with it in Game 3.
After being able to get things back to normal with his footing on the third pair, LaBiche ran off the front eight strikes before leaving a one-pin spare in the ninth. He failed to convert — one of his two missed makables.
“I made some bad decisions. I had some hand problems on the back end and I should have been adjusting those instead of moving my feet,” LaBiche said. “But I have to keep practicing and get better at single-pin spares.
“I also need to be able to read the transitions a little better.”
He finished Game 3 with 254 for a 619 series, finishing 42nd overall, just 46 pins out of All-Ohio status.
“He showed a lot of resilience coming back after that,” said Quakers head coach Jeff Locker, who returns LaBiche, who shot a pair of 300s during the regular season, and three other juniors next season.
“A lot of guys would have had a hard time coming back. He was on his way to a 300 that last game and was smoking. I’m proud of him.”
DIFFICULT START
Nave’s disappointment came from his first two games of 188 and 172.
“I don’t really know what the problem was. I was around the pocket, but it was either a little light or a little heavy,” Nave said. “I just wasn’t getting any pins to fall.”
He finished with five splits overall, but missed just one makable spare. Nave finished strong with 234 for a 585 series.
“I had some nerves early, but once we started practice, it wasn’t so bad,” Nave said. “I just have to keep practicing and making sure I can bowl on any condition.”
But all three had the same reaction to their first state appearances.
“I’m happy overall with how I bowled,” LaBiche said. “It was a good experience.”
Also among Northeast District individuals, Stow-Munroe Falls sophomore Trent Tucholski finished 34th with a 640 series, including a high game of 236 in Game 3.
NOTEBOOK: With Parma Padua Franciscan freshman two-handed lefty Zachary Mayne assault on the state tournament record book with his 858 series leading the way, 51 bowlers in the field shot 600 or better. … The top five bowlers shot 705 or better to make first-team All-Ohio, with the final honorable mention spot being at 665. … Cincinnati LaSalle sophomore Jace Amann got the final honorable-mention spot after a tie with Boardman senior Don Bagdassarian. Amann had a 269 to Bagdassarian’s 257 — both in Game 2. … Mayne had the lone 300 and also the pair of 279s for his series. Only two other bowlers — Jonathan Alder senior Drew Damron and Boardman junior Jessy McCutcheon — shot 270 or higher with 278 each.