What mattered more than the results was that Emporia High history was made.
EHS Spartan bowling is now a living, breathing reality following the Spartan bowling team’s first-ever event on Saturday at Wichita’s West Acres Bowl. The EHS boys finished 12th out of 24 teams and went 8-4 in a series of 12 two-game sets; the Spartan girls finished ninth and went 7-5.
“They just were so excited, and by the end of the day, we were all pretty drained,” EHS coach Rick Carl said. “Because it was such an emotional roller coaster. Every ball counted for something. It was just fun. And with the people there screaming and yelling, it wasn’t like anything I was ready for.”
The Baker-style format used on Saturday is different from what the Spartans will see in most of their tournaments this year. Each team fields five bowlers, who bowl two frames apiece per game. The teams were ranked by who had the most pins, with teams earning an extra 30 points per individual victory.
The EHS boys ended up with 2,514 points, one behind Kapaun. The Spartan boys bowled their best right off the bat, beating Garden City in its first two matchups 225-215 and 235-200. They marked on every frame in those first two games, meaning they earned a spare or strike in each.
“In the Baker style, if you mark every frame, you’ve got a real good shot at winning,” Carl said.
Nic Hensley and Jacob Loucks were the boys team’s biggest standouts. Hensley marked on 21 of his 24 frames, or 88 percent. Loucks marked 85 percent of the time, had 21 strikes to lead the Spartans and had the first turkey — three strikes in a row — in EHS history.
“In fact, at one point in time, he had eight in a row (over two games),” Carl said.
Hensley had the first spare in Spartan boys history, and Zach Young had the first strike. Young finished with an 83 percent marking clip, and Justin Wilson and Bradie Cline were at 79 percent. After going 6-4 in pool play, the Spartan boys closed their evening by beating Hayden in back-to-back games.
The atmosphere at West Acres was raucous, with parents clapping, yelling and whistling.
“It was sure crowded, that’s for sure,” Hensley said. “As an atmosphere, it was really one that you’d like to be in if you were in a competition. It was really... encouraging. It helped you be a better bowler, because when you were there, you had so much competition, and you had so many bowlers that were exactly like you or better. So it gave you a reason to do better.”
On the girls side, Stephanie O’Dell marked on 75 percent of her frames, and Morgan Michels did so on 72 percent. Michels led the Spartan girls with 13 strikes, also earning their first turkey. O’Dell had the first strike in EHS girls history, and Whitney Brooks had the first mark, picking up a spare.
The girls ended up with 2,152 points. Wichita Heights finished first with 2,685. The Spartan girls’ best single game was a 204. Carl said some of the girls struggled with the noise provided by spectators. Still, the girls performed with more consistency at the event, he said, then they had shown in practice thus far. After a 5-5 record in pool play, they swept Derby in two games to close out their day.
“I actually thought they performed a little bit better than what I (expected),” he said of both teams. “The girls really impressed me, and the guys held their composure even when things went bad and really pulled together as a team, and I thought they played very well as well, overcame a lot of adversity.
“They didn’t get to warm up on the lanes. Once we get started, you just go from lane to lane to lane — don’t get a chance to even see how your ball’s hooking or anything. You just have to play.”
All things considered, a successful first outing for Spartan bowling.
“It’s a real honor to be part of the first bowling team here at Emporia High,” Hensley said. “That, and we end up doing pretty good on the day. I think we’re gonna end up doing pretty good on the year as well. It was a pretty decent day.”
The Spartans’ season will continue at 3 p.m. Wednesday at Topeka’s Gage Center Bowl, where Hayden will be the host school. Also competing will be Seaman, Washburn Rural and Junction City.