After starting the day with 931, the Beavers wrapped up the qualifying round with a tournament-high 1,145, boosting them into second place. Then it was on to the Baker qualifying round for the tournament-tested Beavers.
“I felt OK going into Baker,” Bobbitt said. “We bowl a lot of Baker games on purpose during the season, trying to get them the experience they need for the postseason.”
When the cut was made to the top eight teams, Beavercreek remained solidly in second place after three Baker games.
In the team bracket, Beavercreek edged St. Marys Memorial 3-2 and beat Big Walnut 3-1 to set up the championship match against Avon Lake. It was knotted at two games apiece before the Beavers came up with a 222 to easily eclipse Avon Lake’s 169 at H.P. Lanes in Columbus.
Freshman Isaiah Durflinger (711) and sophomore Kyle King (689) paced the Beavers in qualifying with fourth- and seventh-place individual finishes, but it was a total team effort for the back-to-back state champions, Bobbitt said.
“This was all about the boys making the adjustments the coaches gave them and executing good shots,” he said. “They made the championship a reality and never gave up.”
Solo effort: While Fairmont bowed out early in the championship round with a loss to Avon Lake, Firebirds senior Isaiah Shannon claimed the individual D-I state title with a 743 series. Consistency was the key for Shannon with games of 251, 237 and 255.
“Isaiah has a hall of fame resume and a hall of fame heart, he works harder than any kid I know,” Fairmont coach Jeremy Fleck said. “He’s a class act and for it to culminate in a state title is just amazing.”
One week earlier the GWOC Bowler of the Year was sidelined with the stomach flu, missing the district tournament.
“It was gut wrenching — not being able to bowl — but I was happy the guys could do it without me,” Shannon said.
Despite not being 100 percent, Shannon averaged almost 248 on a challenging state shot, edging out second-place finisher Big Walnut senior Aidan Furukawa by 15 pins for the win.
Troy runner-up in D-I girls
Youngstown Boardman took the girls D-I team title with a 3-1 win over Troy in the championship match. It marked the third time the perennial state-qualifying Trojans earned the state runner-up title. Macedonia Nordonia, Wilmington and Beavercreek rounded out the top five.
Wilmington junior Kylie Fisher was the top individual local placer, finishing second to Boardman’s Kaitlyn Greenaway by a single pin, 653-652. Troy senior Kiandra Smith and Beavercreek senior Ericka Reeve placed fifth and sixth with 617 and 615, respectively.
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