Bobcat bowlers complete sweep
Marshalltown boys remain unbeaten, girls dominate Ankeny on Senior Night
The Totem Bowl was indeed “dynamite” Thursday night.
The omnipresent cheer from both the Marshalltown girls’ and boys’ bowling teams egged on a clean sweep of Ankeny Thursday, with the boys taking a 3,020-2,729 win and the girls posting a 2,252-2,024 victory on Senior Night. Richie Thomas led the way for the boys with a 464 series, while ShayeLyn Pickett bowled a season-best game and series-high of 172-192 for a 370 series.
Boys’ head coach Roger Taylor Sr. said while the Bobcats (11-0) have honed their skills on the lanes and are working to perfect the science of the game, the emotional and mental ride this season has been most rewarding.
“I really try to get into the kids’ heads and give them confidence about bowling and in life, relationships and work.” Taylor Sr. said. “Working as a team, that’s what it’s all about. It’s how you treat other people. As you can see, they’re having a lot of fun.”
That might be the biggest component that’s led to so much success, not only on the undefeated boys’ side, but as well as the girls’ team, too.
Despite it being Senior Night, just four Marshalltown bowlers will be leaving in May. On the boys’ side, the Bobcats lose varsity starter Zachariah Liskowiak. He bowled 162-177 for a 339 series. The other two seniors, Orlando Kapayou and Blake Helton, bowled junior varsity Thursday night.
Kapayou went for a series of 352 (210-142) and Helton had a 281 series (132-149) in their final regular season home meet.
The girls’ varsity team starts no seniors, but had Lorena Rivera-Reyes on the junior varsity team bowl a 110-117 for a 217.
With a win Thursday night, the girls’ team (4-7) quadrupled its wins from last year, while remaining focused on still making the state tournament at the end of February. Bowlers like Karlie Potter, Haley Bell and Pickett have all increased their pin counts from last year and even the beginning of the season.
It’s been that kind of success, the unmeasurable-by-numbers achievements, that had Taylor Sr. and girls’ head coach Andy Schwandt smiling from ear to ear after their teams’ wins.
The jubilee was accompanied by the two junior varsity boys’ teams and the girls’ junior varsity victory.
“They’re learning the game,” Schwandt said. “They’re watching their ball on the lane, they’re talking to each other as a team and helping each other make adjustments.”
Through the first individual round, Pickett had the high-score with her 178. Potter had an off night, feeling a bit under the weather Schwandt said, and was just off her season-average. Bell picked up a series score of 315 while Potter finished with a 314.
Carson Potter took a perfect game into the seventh frame before missing just one pin in seventh. He finished the first individual round with four strikes in the final three frames.
Ray Wiegand finished behind Thomas with a 450 series, after taking a perfect game into the eighth frame.
Eliseya Wunschel joined the varsity squad on Thursday night, bowling a season-best series 221 for the Bobcats as well.
But once the Baker games started, the energy took off.
Both boys’ and girls’ teams won four of their five rounds in Bakers, while paired next to each other. The boys joined in on the girls’ cheers they had drummed about on the tables and the lanes.
Taylor Sr. said the energy and atmosphere of the two teams, whether separate or together on the lanes, can make just as much of a difference as reading into the science of the game. But even more importantly, once graduated, what is learned at the bowling alleys will have the biggest impact on their lives.
“It’s an honor to be with these kids,” Taylor said. “So to teach them what I know about bowling, and to understand what they put into it is what they’re going to get out of it, is something they need to learn more than anything. The teamwork they have, they help each other. They’re starting to ask each other how to line up and move.”
The Bobcats will keep state tournament appearances in sight as they work on their final opponent, Dowling Catholic, on Thursday at Air Lanes in Des Moines. Then, on Feb. 9, the Bobcats will host the CIML Conference meet, followed by a Class 3A district meet the following week.