Comets bowlers win districts, advance to state tournament

CC boys will be making their third straight appearance; girls their second

By John Burbridge sports@charlescitypress.com

CHARLES CITY — For those who wanted to dethrone the defending district champion Charles City boys bowling team at its own house, you can’t say that the Comets didn’t leave the door open for them.

To start the first game of the Class 1A District 2 state qualifier at Comet Bowl, five of the six Comet bowlers opened in the first frame.

Meanwhile, the team rolling on the same pair of lanes — the Forest City Indians— started out with five straight strikes.

Charles City managed to make up some ground, but after the first game of the two-game series round, the Indians had a 14 pin lead over the hosting Comets.

“We have three new guys this year, and they were just a little jittery,” Charles City senior anchorman Drew Mitchell said. “It took us a while to settle down.”

While settling down the Comets began knocking down pins with greater efficiency in the second game. They bowled a five-bowler-marked total of 1,133 with Mitchell leading the way with a 257.

Now nursing a 121-pin lead over Forest City in the six-team field, the Comets started the Baker rotation with a 258.

“We had a spare in the first game, then we strung about six strikes after that,” said Mitchell, whose team would go on and roll a rotation total of 1,054 (just under 211 average) to shut any open door while winning the tournament going away with a combined total of 3,161.

Decorah overtook Forest City during the Baker rotation for a second-place total of 2,872.

The win advances the Comet boys to the Class 1A State Finals, Feb. 20 at Plaza Lanes in Des Moines. Last year, Charles City placed fourth in both the boys and girls competition.

“The main thing is to relax and have fun down there,” said Mitchell, whose was the district boys individual champion with a 472 individual series.

Comet leadoff man Hunter Brockney was second (447), followed by Vinton-Shellsburg’s Josh Staab (429), North Iowa’s Spencer Armstrong (428) and Decorah’s Bryon Bruening (422).

The Comet girls won their state qualifier with a combined total (2,904) that would have placed them second among the boys.

Defending state individual champion Macy Ross led the way with a two-game series of 415 and, as the anchor in the Baker rotation round, helped the Comets attain a five-game total of 987 while increasing an already comfortable lead over eventual runner-up Vinton-Shellsburg.

Ross was the individual runner-up to Vinton-Shellsburg’s Korey Murdock (442), who also bowled the highest game among the boys and the girls (265).

Charles City sophomore Baili Girkin was third (412), followed by North Iowa’s Jenna Berschman (400) and Allison Almelien (397).

Last year, the Comets came into Des Moines a day early and spent the night in order to practice on Plaza Lanes’ synthetic surface.

“I don’t know if that did any good,” Charles City head coach Doug Bohlen said. “But in the coming week we’re going to bowl on synthetics. It may be at Greene (Freeze Frame Bowl) or some other places.

“We’re going to have to slow our roll down … taking a  mile off the speed of the ball to give it a chance to hook on those lanes.”

Only the first-place teams and the top five individual bowlers advance to state, though there is an “at-large” eighth slot awarded to the highest-scoring team among the seven district runners-up.

Charles City, which has had a high school bowling program for three years, will be making its third trip to state with the boys and second trip down with the girls.

Class 1A District 2
State Qualifier

Feb. 14

At Comet Bowl

Boys Results

1. Charles City 3,161, 2. Decorah 2,872, 3. Forest City 2,772, 4. Vinton-Shellsburg 2,757, 5. North Iowa 2,480, 6. North Fayette Valley 2,443.

Top Individuals

1. Drew Mitchell (CC) 472, 2. Hunter Brockney (CC) 447, 3. Josh Staab (VS) 429, 4. Spencer Armstrong (NI) 428, 5. Bryon Bruening (D) 422.

CHARLES CITY — Hunter Brockney 214, 233-447; Kaleb Ross 175, 227-402; Noah Reams 191, 204-395; Jacob Greenzweig 179, 212-391; Cade Schmidt 160, 183-342; Drew Mitchell 215, 257-472 (2,107). BAKER ROTATION: 258, 178, 191, 204, 223 (1,054).

Girls Results

1. Charles City 2,904, 2. Vinton-Shellsburg 2,619, 3. North Iowa 2,555, 4. Forest City 2,231, 5. Decorah 1,953, 6. North Fayette Valley 229.

Top Individuals

1. Korey Murdock (VS) 442, 2. Macy Ross (CC) 415, 3. Bailie Girkin (CC) 412, 4. Jenna Berschman (NI) 400, 5. Allison Almelien 397.

CHARLES CITY — Mija Cotton 159, 210-369; Madison Ross 153, 187-340; Macy Ross 234, 181-415; Falyn Knecht 138, 173-311; Katie Sickman 172, 209-381; Baili Girkin 217, 195-412 (1,917). BAKER ROTATION: 213, 191, 162, 229, 192 (987).