By Susan Jenior

Staff Writer

It was a busy week for bowling teams in Portage County as individuals and teams achieved success on the lanes.

A 300 GAME

It didn’t take in the young season for a high-school bowler to roll a 300 game.

The feat was accomplished by Brayden Darko, of Kent Roosevelt, in a match against Cuyahoga Falls at Kent Lanes.

Darko started the match against the Tigers with a 170 game, but that was all he needed to figure out the shot prior to his second game.

Twelve straight strikes earned the Rough Rider high-game honors.

Teammate Aidan Broyles also had a solid day on the lanes, rolling games of 212-243 in Roosevelt’s loss to the Suburban League opponent.

A NEW RECORD

Payton Curall of Rootstown, a state qualifier her junior year for the Rovers, started the season helping the Rovers top Alliance at Spins Bowl in Kent with a record-setting series.

The senior rolled a 485 two-game series that included games of 226 and 259.

OHIO HIGH SCHOOL KICK-OFF TOURNAMENT

• ROOTSTOWN BOYS

The Rover boys and girls and the Ravenna boys traveled to the Ohio High School Division II Kick-off Tournament at Wayne Webb’s Bowl in Columbus.

The tournament is by invite only to the best teams in the state, offering a glimpse toward the possible performances at the end of the season at the state tournament.

Best finish by an individual at the tournament was Justin Miller of Rootstown.

Miller landed on the All-Tournament Team, earning a third-place individual finish among the 72 bowlers in the tournament.

Miller rolled a high game of 233 and totaled three games for a 639 series.

Nick Morehead added a 673 series to the Rovers’ effort.

The Rovers’ boys earned their way into the top-16 teams championship round and finished in 11th place overall.

• ROOTSTOWN GIRLS

After qualifying for the championship round, the Rovers’ girls worked their way through the bracket finals, beating Coldwater before Napoleon, the tournament champion, topped Rootstown in three Baker games.

The 2023-24 Rootstown High School girls bowling team.

The Rovers had an outstanding tournament, finishing in fifth place out of 22 teams.

Emma Day led the Rovers, concluding her three-game set in the top-10 individuals of the tournament, rolling a 200 game and following that effort with back-to-back 167s for a 534 series.

Natalie Hammerschmidt added a 210 game on here way to a 466 series to help the Rovers into the championship round for the solid finish and giving notice that Rootstown is a team to watch this season.

• RAVENNA BOYS

The Ravens made it to the qualifying round and finished 16th after the championship round.

Carson Schueller was the best for the Ravens, bowling a 546 series with a high game of 196.

HIGH SCHOOL BOWLING SCOREBOARD

BOYS BOWLING

20^TH OHIO HIGH SCHOOL

STATE INVITATIONAL KICK-OFF TOURNAMENT

(At Wayne Webb’s Columbus Bowl, Columbus)

TEAM CHAMPION: Coldwater

TOP THREE INDIVIDUALS: Caleb Wendel, Coldwater 715; Drew Eyink, Coldwater 712; Justin Miller, Rootstown 639; Andru Keplinger, Kenton Ridge 618; Aaron Adams, Mechanicsburg 608; Jarrett Buckenroth, Benjamin Logan 607; Camron Homan, Fort Loramie 607; Brody Higginbotham, Bucyrus 604.

TOP 16 TEAMS FINAL ROUND: Coldwater, East Knox, Napoleon, Fort Laramie, Kenton Ridge, Coventry, St. Henry, Benjamin Logan, Bucyrus, Urbana, Rootstown, Northwestern Springfield, Lutheran West, East Clinton.

(10 additional teams missed championship round)

ROOTSTOWN (2,564): Justin Miller 639, Nick Morehead 673, Caleb Stevens 479, Sean Boveington 450, Elijah Birch 149, Ben Kline 140, Anthony Cambareri 134,

RAVENNA (2,425): Carson Schueller 546, Matt Fuller 478, Jacob Stefansic 162-176, Mark James 173, Alex Tucker 150, Jonah Miller 149, Joey Smith 140, Sub games _ 186-135-139.

GIRLS BOWLING SCOREBOARD

20^TH OHIO HIGH SCHOOL

STATE INVITATIONAL KICK-OFF TOURNAMENT

(Wayne Webb’s Columbus Bowl, Columbus)

TEAM CHAMPION: Mechanicsburg

TOP THREE INDIVIDUALS: Kayla Homan, St. Mary’s Memorial 634; Arianna Kiessing, Napoleon 609; Carlee Hohenbrink, Napoleon 603.

TOP 16 TEAMS FINAL ROUND: Mechanicsburg, Napoleon, St. Marys Memorial, Struthers, Rootstown, Ft. Loramie, Northwestern, Kenton Ridge, Urbana, Carrollton, Perkins, Coldwater, Versailles, East Canton, Southeastern Local, Bucyrus.

(10 additional teams missed championship round).

ROOTSTOWN (2,555): Emma Day 534, Natalie Hammerschmidt 465, Maggie Frick 208-156, Cassie Egli 158, Payton Curall 128, Sub games 129-152-117-142-135.