The Daily Standard
Story Archive
Fort Recovery's Deanna Brown will look to help the Indians girls bowling team have a successful Division II state bowling tournament this weekend in Columbus.
A change has done the Fort Recovery bowling program good.
After having to go north for district play in the past, The Indians were reassigned to the Southwest District, avoiding all their Midwest Athletic Conference foes except for Versailles.
The move south paid off this season as the girls team earned their second straight trip to the Division II state tournament and the boys earned their first-ever state team berth.
They'll be joined by the Coldwater and St. Henry boys and the St. Marys girls this weekend at HP Lanes in Columbus. The girls will compete on Friday with the boys taking to the lanes on Saturday.
The Fort Recovery girls nearly made the championship round of the tournament last year, missing eighth-place by just 13 pins to finish ninth.
The Indians, coached by Alison Rosengrant, have four bowlers back from last season's squad. Kayla Heitkamp finished 21st last season with a 545 series while Deanna Brown, this season's MAC Bowler of the Year, added a 480 series. Emily Lauber and Ella Schoen each bowled two regulation games last year at state with Lauber bowling a 368 and Schoen a 307.
At the district tournament in Beavercreek, Lauber, Schoen and Brown each threw three regulation games with Heitkamp bowling one game. Freshman Lilah Thien had a 593 series to finish sixth in the individual standings while Jadyn Wyerick bowled two games. Senior Saidy Deroo and freshman Maddie Weigel will be ready in case they're called up to bowl.
Fort Recovery's Riley Grieshop will look to help the Indians boys bowling team have a successful Division II state bowling tournament this weekend in Columbus.
After missing a berth to state at the Northwest District tournament last season by 65 pins, the Fort Recovery boys went south to Beavercreek and faced a tough field and claimed the fourth and final qualifying spot with a 75-pin margin over Springfield Shawnee.
Coach Corey Gerlach had to retool his team this season as six seniors graduated from last season's squad.
Senior Riley Grieshop and junior Gabe Acheson are back this season. Grieshop finished third in the individual standings at district with a 702 series. Acheson added a 604 series. Freshman Leland Wilson is the only other Fort bowler to bowl all three regulation games at Beavercreek, rolling a 591. Senior Eli Lennartz and juniors Reece LeFevre, Garrett Diller and AJ Siefring each bowled one game while junior Anthony Roessner did not bowl in regulation but will be ready if needed.
Coldwater's Caleb Wendel was state individual runner-up last season and will look to help the Cavaliers win the program's fifth state championship this season.
The Coldwater boys are no strangers to state as the Cavaliers are riding an eight-year streak of competing at state. The team was runner-up in 2022 and won their fourth OHSAA title in 2020.
Rick Hartings' crew is looking to make amends for last season where the team posted the best qualifying round to reach the eight-team championship bracket, but lost in the quarterfinals in five games to Liberty Center to end the season.
Much like Fort Recovery's boys, Coldwater was senior-heavy last season, but return veterans from last season in Caleb Wendel and Austin Burden. Wendel was state individual runner-up with a 702 series last season while Burden bowled two regulation games.
Burden, the MAC boys Bowler of the Year, has been on a tear in adding the district medalist award to his sectional medal after bowling a 725 series at Interstate Lanes in Rossford. Wendel added a 634 series. Senior Brady Mathewson finished with a 626 series with freshman Andrew Meyers bowling a 620 series. Freshman Drew Schulze rolled a 234 game while sophomore Clay Schulze bowled a 170 in his one game. Freshmen Braylon Brown and Carter Miller will be on the bench if needed.
Connor Jacobs has been key to St. Henry's run to the Division II state tournament.
The St. Henry boys have not been to state as a team since 2019 and are making its sixth appearance having finished second to Coldwater in the first OHSAA state tournament in 2007.
The Redskins finished second behind Coldwater at the Rossford district as coach Travis Schlater brings a young group to state. Brayden Heitbrink and Ian Bruggeman are the lone seniors. Heitbrink bowled a 622 series at district while Bruggeman did not bowl in regulation.
The rest of the state lineup is made up of sophomores. Connor Jacobs bowled a 607 series with Nick Lefeld adding a 590 series. Ethan Brunswick finished with a 514 series while Ben Wendel bowled two games (392 total) and Ben Wendel bowling a 138. Vincent Lochtefeld will be at the ready if help is needed.
St. Marys' Ali Kable will look to get St. Marys back into the championship round this year.
After just missing out on a WBL title, St. Marys' girls will look to continue its postseason success after winning sectional and finishing second at district.
The Roughriders are young as coach Jay Gibson does not have a senior on his state roster with five sophomores and a freshman joining juniors Kaleigh Caywood and Kallie McKinley, who bowled for Shawnee last season.
Ali Kable was the only returning bowler who bowled in the regulation round last season as the Riders were senior-laden. St. Marys finished third in qualifying last season and reached the semifinals before losing to eventual state champion Kenton Ridge in five games.
Kylee Smith bowled a 557 series at district with Caywood rolling a 534. Kable had a 523 with McKinley adding a 503 and Braylee Mullins a 457. On the bench for the Roughriders are sophomores Hannah Jeanneret and Sophie Long and freshman Maylee Fischbach.
Also representing the MAC at state this year is Versailles, who shared the overall MAC title with Fort Recovery. The Tigers edged out Fort Recovery by 25 pins to win the district title in Beavercreek. Danielle Francis led Versailles with a 610 series to finish fourth overall. Danica York was ninth with a 583 series.
