Alter boys bowling headed to state for first time

Their district tournament performance wasn’t striking, but the steady Alter Knights still made history.

For the first time, in a program history that spans more than two decades, the Alter boys bowling team is state-bound. The Knights placed third at the boys Division II district tournament, with the top four teams advancing to state.

The Ohio High School State Bowling Championships get underway Friday with the girls D-II competition at Wayne Webb’s Columbus Bowl. The D-II boys take the lanes on Saturday. The Division I girls and boys compete on March 5-6 after wrapping up their district tournaments this week.

“We’ve been close before, but not close enough,” Alter head coach Bob Galpin said. “The best way to describe it was that we were ‘Steady Eddies’ - nothing outstanding, but we made a boatload of spares.”

Senior Danny Miller posted the top individual score for the Knights with a 631 series, finishing sixth overall and landing a spot on the all-tournament team. Fellow senior Tim Janess tallied 606.

Mechanicsburg and Versailles were first and second, respectively, after the first three games with Alter on the bubble heading into the Baker portion of the tournament. But the Knights – who won the GCL tournament this season – don’t get rattled easily. The “Steady Eddies” averaged 192 in Baker play, with a high of 197 and low of 186.

“We have two seniors and three juniors, so their experience helps a lot,” Galpin said.

That experience paid off in the regular season as well as the post-season as the Knights earned a perfect 17-0 record, 14-0 in the GCL.

Junior Connor Glynn tallied the Knights high season average with 200.7 and a 256 high game. But the Knights squad is balanced with all six players posting high games between 225 and 256.

Division II Girls: The tournament-tested Greenon girls claimed the girls D-II district title to earn a repeat trip to the state tournament. The Knights placed third at state a year ago. Fort Loramie, Benjamin Logan and Graham secured the other three state berths. The Benjamin Logan girls bowled to a fifth-place finish in Columbus last year.

State-bound Knights at a glance

Tim Janess, sr. – 188.9 average, 245 high game, team co-captain

Danny Miller, sr. – 189.8 average, 248 high game, team co-captain

Connor Glynn, jr. – 200.7 average, 256 high game

Eric Neer, jr. – 178.4 average, 240 high game

Matthew Zengel, jr. –189.3 average, 252 high game

Jackson Wright, fr. – 168.2 average, 225 high game

Coaches – Bob Galpin, Bob Kemp and Rob Glynn

2021 OHSAA State Bowling Tournament

When: Feb. 26-27, March 5-6

Where: Wayne Webb’s Columbus Bowl

Daily Schedule (times are appropriate)