Northwest Falls in D-2 Bowling Semifinals; Grass Lake Repeats

Parker Horvath of Grass Lake High School rolls a shot during the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 3 state team bowling tournament Friday at JAX 60 in Jackson.  Photo by Jeff Steers, JTV Sports.

By Jeff Steers
JTV Sports

Two teams hoping to repeat as state champions in bowling were on the alleys on Friday in the Michigan High School Athletic Association team bowling finals.

Grass Lake High School boys’ bowling repeated as state champions with a win over Boyne City by nearly 200 pins in the championship match at JAX 60 in Jackson. The Warriors won the title in Division 3 championship after winning the D-4 title a year ago.

Northwest was the No. 1 qualifier in the boys’ final tournament at Century Lanes in Waterford, but lost to Chelsea by 28 pins in the state semifinals.

Hanover-Horton lost in the girls’ final to Traverse City Christian by 35 pins in the Division 4 team finals at Super Bowl in Canton.

Grass Lake was the No. 2 seed following eight Baker games and two individual games in the finals at Jackson. The Warriors got past Portland by 21 pins – its closest match of the tournament.

The Warriors defeated Cascades Conference foes from Napoleon by nearly 300 pins in the semifinals.

Grass Lake beat Boyne City 1,357 to 1,179 in the finals – two Baker games and one individual game.

The title is the third for Grass Lake in the last decade. The Warriors won Division 4 titles in 2011 and 2020.

Northwest won the Division 2 title last year, but knew it would be tough to return as the defending champions.

“It is hard to go back-to-back (as champions),” NWHS Coach Gerry Lobdell said. “They (Chelsea) filled frames (scoring strikes or spares) and we didn’t.”

Lobdell said the Mounties had 10 or 11 open frames during the individual game and Chelsea had maybe four.

But not all is lost for the Mounties. Northwest has only one senior on the team and Lobdell expects for the team to be back near the top next season.

“I told them to stay hungry for next year,” Lobdell said.