By BILL SNIER
NORTH CANTON — Hendrick Livengood and Payton Taylor had so much success in their first outing as a doubles duo, they decided to run it back again.
And the success continued.
Livengood, a 15-year-old North Canton Hoover High School sophomore, and Taylor, a 16-year-old Green sophomore, finished with 1,448 total pinfall to capture the 18U doubles and top the field overall during the second Stark County USBC Mini Citi Youth Tournament on Saturday at Park Centre Lanes.
The pair finished 58 pins ahead of the Lake duo of Benjamin and Andrew Venus (1,390) to earn the win in their division.
Other division doubles champions included East Canton freshmen Dylan Lint and Kenny Ford Jr. in 15U (1,392) and Wooster’s Carter Dye and Jaxon Dye (1,413) in the 12U division.
Singles also was contested Saturday in the handicapped event as the 44-player field bowled six games on the Park Centre house oil condition.
The three-game trio portion of the event, which also will conclude all-events competition, is set for 2 p.m. Sunday also at Park Centre with a $20 entry fee for the trio per player.
DOUBLES RUN
Livengood and Taylor also captured the Stark County USBC’s Halloween Youth Doubles in October at Park Centre. They both bowled in this event a year ago with different partners.
But Livengood has been on a personal Stark USBC tournament run, taking honors in an adult-junior event (with Lewis Stansbury), youth singles and last year’s Mini Citi doubles with Vikings teammate Aiden Chetto.
“We just decided to bowl stuff together and decided to bring it back again,” Livengood said of teaming with Taylor for this Mini Citi. “I was throwing my (Hammer) Effect Tour the first two, but since Park Centre’s lanes start to dive, it just started hooking real hard on the back ends and it was downhill from there.”
Livengood, who came in with just a 159 average based on the 2023-24 season, shot 603 actual. Taylor, a two-year starter on Green’s state qualifying team, came in at 162. Taylor is a second-team All-Stark County Conference Federal Division pick this season with a 173 average while Livengood is first team while averaging 208.50.
“This is a great finish to the season,” said Taylor, a Bulldogs right-hander who shot 608 actual in doubles and also finished fifth overall in singles with 674. “I’m happy with the way I’m throwing the ball right now. Last year, I had a problem with lofting. But I’m rolling the ball better this year definitely and I also have some speed, not like the 10 miles per hour I was before.”
Taylor used the Hammer NU all day, playing straight up the second arrow with a high game of 221. “I was able to play my same mark the whole time,” she added.
Livengood said “a whole lot of practice” has led to his improvement in his first year as a varsity starter for the Vikings.
“I have to slow my feet down. I just have a tendency to go too fast, and that was a problem today,” Livengood said. “I also have to learn to leave the shots that are bad in the past, which is still difficult to do. But if I keep working at it, I going to get up there.”
MORE DOUBLES
Lint and Ford have been longtime friends and were freshmen starters on the East Canton bowling team this winter.
“Bowling brought us closer,” Lint said, “and now we’re in baseball together and that brought us even closer.”
Ford, a 14-year-old left-hander, and Lint, a 15-year-old righty, shot 625 and 650 actual, respectively, during doubles to top the 15U field. It was the first time they have bowled together as a doubles team after Ford shot 615 and Lint 612 during the OHSAA Division II District at Spins Bowl Kent.
“For me, they played pretty dry, but I was able to get the ball to the pocket,” said Ford, whose target was around second arrow “with a lot of bend to it.”
“But they really didn’t change much for me in singles.”
Lint also played up second arrow from the right side “with just a little bend.”
“Picking up our spares was the key,” added Ford, who also shot in the 640s scratch for singles.
The Wooster doubles team of the Carters topped that division by 59 pins, with Jaxon also running away with the singles title with 738 — second-best in the entire tournament field.
SINGLES WINNERS
Lake senior Zachary Abbott turned in the top scratch individual totals in both singles and doubles.
In doubles, the Capital University commit and two-handed right-hander finished with 674 as he teamed with future college teammate Jonathan Waggoner of Canton McKinley to finish eighth overall with 1,213.
Abbott then was the lone bowler to shoot 700 in singles, finishing with 757 to top Perry senior left-hander Dylan Parsons (721) by 36 pins. Parsons shot 661 actual.
Ford (730) topped the 15U division by 15 pins over North Canton’s William Rice III (715) and Lint (714).
Jaxon Dye’s 738 was 79 pins higher than second-place Storm Minton of Massillon (659).
NOTEBOOK: In singles, the top two finishers in the 12U and 15U divisions were awarded scholarships and the top four in the 18U division. In doubles, first-place finishers in the 12U and 15U divisions earned scholarships along with the top two finishers in 18U. … Many of the players participating in Saturday’s events will not return Sunday due to participation in either the Great Lakes Junior Gold Tour event at Spins Bowl Akron or Pepsi Tournament competition in Coshocton. … At press time, there were eight entries for today’s trio event, with all-events still to be determined. Scholarships will be awarded in both categories, with the Stark USBC adding money to the scholarship fund. … Results are unofficial until averages and handicaps are verified. … Our thanks to the Stark County USBC’s Sue Vukmanovich for her assistance with this report. The group still is looking for volunteers to assist with the Ohio State USBC Women’s Championships, which will be held six weekends beginning May 22-23 at Eastbury Bowling Center and AMF Hall of Fame Lanes. Contact the Stark USBC for details.
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