Saturday, March 1st, 2008
Coldwater takes third at state bowling
By Gary R. Rasberry
Compiled by Gary R. Rasberry
A strong bowling day was not enough as the Coldwater boys bowling fell short in its drive to a second straight state title in taking third place in the 2008 State Bowling Tournament at Tiki Lanes in Lancaster on Friday.
The Cavaliers were in good position after the qualifying round, rolling a 3,070 for the second-best total and earning one of the eight spots for the finals.
In the opening championship round series, Coldwater beat Youngstown Boardman three games to two, winning 236-215 in the fifth and final game. In the semifinals, the Cavaliers faced off against Centerville. The match went to a fifth game again as Centerville won 244-190.
"We bowled well all day," said Coldwater coach Rick Hartings. "Centerville rolled that 244 in the final game, throwing strikes on the final seven balls of the game."
In the final, Stebbins beat Centerville 3-1 in the best-of-five final, taking the clincher 217-206.
In the individual standings, Chad Livingston paced the Cavaliers with a 690, earning fifth-place honors. Coldwater got a big day from Brad Selhorst, who earned 15th place with a 651 series.
"He wasn't a starter until the end of the season," said Hartings. "He came in and had the second highest series for us. He bowled well. We all bowled well."
Other Coldwater bowlers included Wes Stienecker (588, 40th), Josh Waltmire (571, 53rd) and Justin Franzer (570, 54th).
The other area team in the tournament, Celina, missed out on the final, bowling a 2,861 for 12th place. The Bulldogs were just 63 pins from the eighth-place effort of Westerville Central.
Jordan Howard and Tyler Shellabarger paced the Bulldogs with matching 601 series. Cory Coats added a 569 in the full series.
Action resumes today at Tiki Lanes with the girls teams and individual tournament. The Coldwater girls will be competing.