On February 21, the Pleasant Valley boys bowling team made history by going to the IHSAA State Championship in Waterloo, Iowa.
The bowling season of 2018-2019 lasted from November to February, and resulted in huge successes. The team, led by Pat Meyer, consists of ten boys: Alton Barber, Nico Broussalian, Michael Carber, Clayton Coker, Joshua Delcorso, Dalton Hout, Cory LaBarge, Devin Lentz, Ethan Olderog, and Gavin Smith.
Alton Barber shared his favorite part of the season as a whole. “It definitely has to be the opportunity to advance to state and bowl with some of the best bowlers that I know. Not only was it an amazing time bowling, but we had a great time as a team and getting to have that experience in our senior year,” he said.
After competing in twelve games, the boys bowling team was able to advance to the IHSAA State Championship at the Cadillac Lanes in Waterloo, Iowa. In competitive bowling, the setup is quite different compared to bowling for fun.
At this competition, the boys must go through the first round, which consists of bowling individually. This round lasts around 30 to 45 minutes but each person must play two games within this round. This means that six players from the team bowl an individual ten frame scoring. The top five total pins from the two games are then added to the team’s first frame of round two.
The next round of this competition is what bowlers call the Baker games. This rounds lasts approximately 45 to 60 minutes. There are five baker games, but is considered as one equivalent game. Instead of each person bowling a ten frame scoring, the whole team bowls the ten frame scoring.
When the bowlers finish these two rounds, the scores of both rounds are combined to determine who wins the state championship. The Pleasant Valley boys bowling team are the IHSAA 3A State Runner-ups with a total score of 3053.
Barber commented on the results of the Bowling State Championship. “Our season was the most successful that PV has ever had. Not only did we advance to state, but we finished second overall as a team and had many of our bowlers place individually.”
For round one, three Spartans placed in the top ten. Alton Barber placed third with a score of 482, Cory LaBarge placed seventh with a score of 446, and Josh Delcorso placed eighth with a score of 433. The overall team’s effort at the State Championship brought home Pleasant Valley High School’s first bowling trophy.
Player Cory LaBarge shared his thoughts on the 2018-2019 bowling season. “We set out the season of a goal to make it to state and bring home some hardware. We had some ups and downs throughout the season, but really came together as a team to achieve our goal,” LaBarge said.
Due to a successful season, the PV boys bowling team made history in Pleasant Valley and brought home its first ever bowling trophy.
