By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
WICHITA -- Shawnee Heights' boys bowling team had been knocking at the door all season, posting top-three team finishes in city, league and regional competition.
Shawnee Heights junior Donovan Davis exchanges a high five with T-Bird coach Scott Mercer as Heghts celebrates its Class 5A team championship Friday in Wichita. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Shawnee Heights' boys bowling team poses for a picture after winning its first-ever Class 5A state team title. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
The T-Birds knocked that door down in Friday's Class 5A state tournament at Bowlero-Northrock, capturing the school's first boys state bowling team title by a 3,547-3,519 margin over Kansas City-Turner while Seaman finished third at 3,353 as United Kansas Conference team swept the top three places.
"They turned it up a notch today, that's all I can tell you,'' Shawnee Heights coach Scott Mercer said of his team. "They turned it up a notch, and then some.''
Shawnee Heights won the championship after not having a state qualifier in the 2023 state meet and despite not having a senior on the state team (two freshmen, two sophomores, two juniors) as the T-Birds put four bowlers in the top 20.
Junior Caden Cochrane led Shawnee Heights with a third-place individual finish Thursday, leading the T-Birds to the Class 5A team title. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Junior Caden Cochrane finished third individually with a 685 series while freshman Trey Donath was eighth (667), freshman Evan Jones ninth (665) and sophomore Henry Schattilly 18th (637).
"We just had to stay focused and just concentrate on what we were doing and got the job done,'' Cochrane said. "We were making good shots and picking up our spares.''
Rounding out the T-Bird lineup were junior Donovan Davis with a 591 series and sophomore Kaden Evans with a 510.
Shawnee Heights led at the start of the Baker games and fell behind Turner before coming on strong to close out the title.
Mercer said that despite their youth the T-Birds did a great job of keeping their composure on Friday.
"Last year they kind of clammed up a little bit at regionals,'' said Mercer, who claimed his first state title as a coach. "I prepped them this year, I said, 'It's just another day, just another event.' Then we got to state and I'm like, 'Oh boy, what's going to happen?'
"We had long talks last night and a couple days before and basically said, 'It's just another day and we've got some business that we've got to finish and let's go get it.' ''
Shawnee Heights had finished second to Seaman in the city championships and third in the UKC meet behind Seaman and Piper, but Friday was the T-Birds' day.
"I'm not going to lie, we've always said that, 'When's our day coming? And it's here today,'' Mercer said.
"It's an amazing day,'' Donath said. "We worked as a team and we did all the team things we could do together, we communicated together and we just got a win for today.''
Senior Riley Parkhurst finished 11th individually in Class 5A, leading Seaman to a third-place team trophy. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Seaman finished third as a team in the Class 5A state bowling tournament. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Seaman senior Riley Parkhurst paced the Vikings with an 11th-place individual finish (662) while the Vikings also got a 597 series from junior Alexander Prescott, a 587 from junior Dominic Figueroa, a 573 from sophomod Carsen Wood 573, a 560 from freshman Dylan Hunt and a 471 from freshman Landon Huxman.
Topeka West senior Dason Tidwell, competing as an individual, finished 20th with a 633 to earn a state medal while Highland Park sophomore Cristian Reyes rolled a 569 series.
Viking girls third in 5A, city bowlers earn four state medals
Seaman's rallied to finish third as a team in Friday's Class 5A girls state meet while the Vikings and Topeka West combined for four individual state medals.
Seaman's girls bowling team poses for a picture with its Class 5A third-place team trophy Friday in Wichita. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Seaman finished with a team score of 2,864 to finish third behind Great Bend (2,996) and Eisenhower (2,881), led by state medalists Kayla Mize and Paige Snyder.
Mize, a senior, finished 14th with a three-game series of 563 while Snyder, a freshman, placed 19th with a 542 series.
Topeka West senior Megan Wood placed sixth in Class 5A in Friday's state tournament at Wichita. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Topeka West senior Brenna Rutschmann finished seventh in Class 5A girls bowling Friday at Wichita. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Topeka West seniors Megan Wood and Brenna Rutschmann, who both qualified for state as individuals, were the highest finishing city bowlers in 5A, with Wood bowling a 584 series to finish sixth and Rutschmann bowling a 580 series to finish seventh.
In addition to Mize and and Snyder, Seaman got a 533 series from senior Cheyenne Turkin, a 484 from sophomore Claire LaDuke, a 483 from senior JaeLinn Thetford and a 452 from freshman Ava Carlson.
Shawnee Heights sophomore Reese Bell, who also qualified as an individual, bowled a 476 series.
CLASS 5A STATE BOWLING TOURNAMENT
At Bowlero-Northrock
BOYS
Team scores
Shawnee Heights 3,547, Kansas City-Turner 3,519, Seaman 3,353, Eisenhower 3,302, Kansas City-Piper 3,276, Andover 3,255, Hutchinson 3,251, Lansing 3,164, Maize South 3,099 .
Individual results
1. Rhett Ryman, Kansas City-Turner, 724; 2. Campbell Peterson, Salina South, 713; 3. Caden Cochrane, Shawnee Heights, 685; 4. James Duty, Eisenhower, 677; 5. Brody Ummel, Hutchinson, 674; 6. Caydrick Couch, Emporia, 673; 7. Will Winkelbauer, Maize South, 671; 8. Trey Donath, Shawnee Heights, 667; 9. Evan Jones, Shawnee Heights, 665; 10. Darron Spak, Kansas City Piper, 663; 11. Riley Parkhurst, Seaman, 662; 12. Terick Coleman, Lansing, 662; 13. Phoenix Martin, Kansas City Turner, 660; 14. Taylor Kessler, Kansas City Turner, 655; 15. Miles Blue, Eisenhower, 650; 16. Morgan Liggett, Emporia, 643; 17. Trevor Formy-Duval, Andover, 638; 18. Henry Schattilly, Shawnee Heights, 637; 19. Jacob Bofink, Hutchinson, 635; 20. Dason Tidwell, Topeka West, 633.
Other Shawnee Heights -- Donovan Davis 591, Kaden Evans 510.
Other Seaman -- Alexander Prescott 597, Dominic Figueroa 587, Carsen Wood 573, Dylan Hunt 560, Landon Huxman 471.
Highland Park -- Cristian Reyes 569.
GIRLS
Team scores
Great Bend 2,996, Eisenhower 2,881, Seaman 2,864, Maize South 2,824, Bishop Carroll 2,708; Basehor-Linwood 2,696, St. James Academy 2,674, Salina South 2,673, Leavenworth 2,368.
Individual results
1. Olyvia Choura, Eisenhower, 674; 2. Taylor Brim, St. James Academy, 642; 3. Ava Kohlmeier, Maize South, 619; 4. Kaylin Wahlmeier, Great Bend, 613; 5. Ellyse Findley, Basehor-Linwood, 588; 6. Megan Wood, Topeka West, 584; 7. Brenna Rutschmann, Topeka West, 580; 8. Ann Timmermeyer, Bishop Carroll, 579; 9. Rocelyn Show, Salina Central, 578; 10. Emilee Nelson, Great Bend, 578; 11. Jordyn Betschart, Eisenhower, 575; 12. Taylor Schick, Lansing, 574; 13. Zoey Mayberry, Great Bend, 565; 14. Kayla Mize, Seaman, 563; 15. Paige Schuler, Maize South, 562; 16. Paighton Crumley, Andover Central, 555; 17. Danae Loomis, Eisenhower, 555; 18. Rylee Lambeth, Salina South, 547; 19. Paige Snyder, Seaman, 542; 20. Danika Williams, Emporia, 541.
Other Seaman -- Cheyenne Turkin 533, Claire LaDuke 484, JaeLinn Thetford 483, Ava Carlson 452.
Shawnee Heights -- Reese Bell 476.
