By Susan Jenior

Staff Writer

Many bowling teams had practices and continued to hone their games over the holiday break, while several competed in tournaments offered to keep teams sharp for the hard push in January toward OHSAA postseason events as well as conference finals.

CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT

Spins Bowl in Springfield hosted over 25 boys and girls teams for a tournament, with each team bowling three regular games and six Baker games leading toward the championship.

The Rootstown boys team had an outstanding fourth-place finish, bowling games of 921-874 and 841 and a high Baker game of 208 on their way to a 3,707 team total.

The only teams to top the Rovers were Perry, Nordonia and Woodridge — as Perry tossed a 3,926 to win the boys event as the girls team also won with a total pinfall of 3,613.

The Rovers’ Justin Miller rolled a 683, including games of 218, 212 and 253 to take home the high series among all boys bowling at Spins.

High games for the Rovers also included Nick Moorehead’s 197 and Caleb Stevens’ 213.

PORTAGE COUNTY SUCCESS

MASON BARTHOLOMY

Just as quality football, basketball and baseball players, as well as the best golfers often continue to compete in college, many of the high-school bowlers have also found a place for their skills in the NCAA.

Colleges and universities across the nation host 101 bowling teams, including 37 teams in Division I, 39 teams in Division II and 25 teams in Division III. The teams compete in tournaments across the nation.

Two former Rough Riders are currently bowling in college: Matt Richards, a member of the University of Northwestern Ohio Racers in Lima and Chris LeSueur, bowling for the University of Pikeville in Pikeville, Ky.

The Rootstown Rovers’ Mason Bartholomy is on the roster for Tiffin University’s men’s bowling team.

This season, the UPike men’s bowling teams concluded action for 2023, with two Tier-One events. The Tier-One tournaments offer more points for finishes in the collegiate power ranking system.

The Bears finished fourth in the Lehigh Valley Classic and fifth in the Keystone Quaker Classic

Lesueur, a junior on the team, has achieved success during the season and over the summer. He finished fourth overall at the Junior Gold Championships held in Grand Rapids, Mich., earning Junior Team USA status and, during his competitions at UPike, earned both a First Team and Second Team status in the All Mid-South Conference as well as fourth place individual at the Roto-Grip Raider Classic, averaging 232 pins per game.

Richards, a sophomore for the Racers, helped the Racers win the Orange and Black Classic in Beavercreek, earned a second-place individual finish averaging 222 and bowling 265 in the fifth game.

Competing in the Ohio Bowling Conference, the Racers won the first event, with Richards earning 11th place as an individual, bowling five games that included a 211 and a 214 and finishing with a 914 series.

Richards has been a solid performer on the team in matches and tournaments.

For Bartholomy, in the same Ohio Bowling Conference first tournament, he finished 23rd in a five-game set of 901 that included a 226 high game.

That conference tournament included 202 individuals and 19 teams.

At the conclusion of the bowling seasons, Portage Sports will update the individual performances of the collegiate bowlers.

THIS WEEK IN HIGH SCHOOL BOWLING

• WEDNESDAY: Southeast @ Lake Center.
• THURSDAY: Warren JFK @ Rootstown.

SHARE YOUR SUCCESS

Coaches and players, please share your successes in matches, tournaments and events with Portage Sports. Call or text 330-206-9083 or email golffam2@gmail.com. We look forward to highlighting individual and team victories and notable games as the season continues.