By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
Wednesday afternoon was a successful day for two USD 501 high schools in the Highland Park bowling quadrangular at Gage Bowl.
The Topeka High boys team won by a 113-pin margin over Washington County, while the Highland Park girls defeated second-place Topeka High by 74 pin.
Topeka High boys win first meet of the year
Wednesday was the first team win of the season on for the Trojan boys, who compiled a 2,348 team score.
Topeka High's boys bowling team won the Highland Park quadrangular Wednesday at Gage Bowl. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
“This was awesome, and everyone bowled fantastic today,” Topeka High coach Brian Brunkow said. “They struggled after the first game a bit. In the second game, (Gage Bowl) brushed a lot of oil into place, and the boys had a hard time changing. But the boys did make a major change after the second game.
“I give them all the credit because they really had to work hard to manage their approach and get everything down the line the way it should be. We didn’t do bad at Emporia yesterday and here today, but they need to watch how they do and how they mark a lane.”
Topeka High bowler Austin Mitchell took top honors with a first-place series finish, rolling a 635 series.
Along with the team, Mitchell also took his first individual win of the 2023 campaign.
“To be honest, it just feels great because the last few days haven’t been it for me,” Mitchell said. “I think the adjustments that were able to be made were important for me today. I ended up using my first ball that I got, the Tropical Storm and I was able to hit my mark almost every single time. The lanes were working with me instead of against me.”
Mitchell’s teammate, Thomas Patterson, finished 11 pins behind him with a 624 series and took a second-place individual finish.
Hayden’s team took a third-place finish with a 2,035 series. Wildcat bowler Evan George finished in fifth place with a team-high 558 series.
Highland Park boys’ finished in fourth place with a 1,638 series.
Highland Park girls edge Topeka High
Highland Park’s 1,792-1,718 victory over Topeka High was secured by five bowlers instead of six, with senior leadership going a long way for the Scots to pull out a win.
“I think we relied on the consistency of our three seniors,” Highland Park coach Marcie Hartwig said. “We also had some big contributions from our two freshmen today that was able to help us out quite a bit and bring us some big numbers. We just have to keep reiterating what we do in practice and get ready for the next (meet).”
Highland Park was led by individual champion Renee Spinner, who bowled a 511 series. Spinner has placed in multiple meets this year and, according to Hartwig, has been one of the most consistent bowlers Highland Park has.
“In the last few tournaments, I’ve just been putting a lot of information together,” Spinner said. “As a team, we’ve done really well. The entire team has grown like crazy since last year. We have a full team this year, which is good for the future of this program. And for now, I think I’m just going to home, rest and enjoy the weekend that we have.”
Spinner wasn’t alone in the top-five individual placements as Corina Roberts took a fourth-place finish for Highland Park with a 470 series.
The Topeka High girls narrowly missed first place with a 1,718 team score. Renesme Lonnen finished second individually with a 494 series, while teammate Aleshia White cracked the top five in fifth place with a 428 series.
Hayden finished the quadrangular with a 1,640-team series. Emily Ireland led the Wildcats with a 487 series, finishing third individually..
KSHSAA Bowling Regionals
KSHSAA has released its regional placements for schools around the state.
City schools such as Seaman, Highland Park, Topeka West, Shawnee Heights and Hayden will bowl on Tuesday, Feb 21 in the 5A regional at West Ridge Lanes hosted by Seaman.
Washburn Rural and Topeka High will bowl on Friday, Feb. 24, in the 6A regional hosted by Washburn Rural at West Ridge Lanes.
HIGHLAND PARK QUADRANGULAR
At Gage Bowl
BOYS
Team scores
Topeka High 2,348, Washington County 2,235, Hayden 2,035, Highland Park 1,638.
Individual results
1. Austin Mitchell, Topeka High, 635; 2. Thomas Patterson, Topeka High, 624; 3. Grayson Votipka, Washington County, 577; 4. Tucker Huband, Washington County, 562; 5. Evan George, Hayden, 558.
Other Topeka High – Johnny Patterson, 544, Adam Krohne, 510, Avery Donaldson, 461, Elijah Odum, 293.
Other Hayden – Trevor Christy, 533, John Strickland, 488, Ryan Spindler, 452, Henri Pryor, 402, Chase Blaser, 377.
Highland Park – Nathan Poe, 486, Aaron Poe, 386, Abran Lewis Mendez, 382, Jayden Wilson, 380, Henry Guerra, 349, My’Yeah Darr, 287.
GIRLS
Team scores
Highland Park 1,792, Topeka High 1,718, Hayden 1,640, Washington County 1,453.
Individual results
1. Renee Spinner, Highland Park, 511; 2. Renesme Lonnen, Topeka High, 494; 3. Emily Ireland, Hayden, 487; 4. Corina Roberts, Highland Park, 470; 5. Aleshia White, Topeka High, 428.
Other Highland Park – Jackie Perez, 389, Judea Shannon, 375, Kaylie Barnes, 345.
Other Topeka High – Choize Hysten, 414, Kayda Villanueva, 382, Gavienna Frank, 291, Rylee Salts, 278.
Other Hayden – Avery O’Bray, 361, Emily Peterson, 360, Alyssa Droge, 358, Nora Allphin, 350, Kinsley Reynoso, 345.
