Newton boys fall short of state bowling berth

Consistency has always been a key component in bowling. Players and teams at the high school level who are consistent seem to find the most success.

The Newton boys bowling team found that out the hard way on Tuesday during a Class 2A state qualifying meet at Cardinal Lanes.

The Cardinals followed up some of their best Baker games of the day with a few of their worst performances and that inconsistency cost them a state berth as Newton placed fourth in the nine-team field.

“It was a tough field. Anything can happen,” Newton head bowling coach Christie Lester said. “We got some bad breaks and our team spirit was down a bit. We didn’t hit some single pins that we should been able to hit.

“They want it bad, but when it comes down to it, the mental part of it can override the skill part of it. They all have the skill.”

The top two teams and the top eight individuals advanced to next week’s state bowling meet in Waterloo.

Unfortunately, no one from the Cardinals will be moving as Austin Kennedy led the individuals in 10th.

Like in the team portion of the state qualifier, Kennedy had trouble with consistency. He was in fifth place following a 245 in the first game, but a 149 sent him down to 20th after two games.

The Cardinal senior bounced back in Game 3 with a 236, but it wasn’t quite enough to sneak back into the top eight.

Kennedy finished 10th with a three-game series of 630. Oskaloosa’s Keagan Pierson was the eighth and final state qualifier with a 641.

Pierson’s three-game average was 213.67. Kennedy averaged 210 over his three games.

“It’s not easy, especially when most teams have 213 average bowlers,” Lester said. “(Austin’s) a numbers kid. He knows where he has to be. He made a few ball changes in that second game, but it just didn’t work.”

Oskaloosa’s Trey VanWyk won the individual championship with a 753 series. ADM’s Cole Darling was the runner-up with a 749 and Norwalk’s Tanner Housely also went over 700 with a 715 in third. Darling is the Tigers’ first-ever male state qualifier.

Ethan Valtman placed 14th for the Cardinals. He started with a 184 and got better from there with a 189 and a 251.

The rest of Newton’s lineup included Gentry Swarts (541), Jeremiah Killmer (528), Nathan Hauber (522) and Parker Kennedy (520). They placed 36th, 37th, 39th and 40th, respectively.

Swarts posted individual games of 180, 193 and 168, Killmer turned in games of 183, 158 and 187 and Hauber’s three-game series included games of 154, 144 and 224. Parker Kennedy tallied single games of 184, 148 and 188.

“The difference in that last game was they realized the pressure was off and had a little more fun, which is what I wanted them to do in the second game,” Lester said. “We had a lot of down trodden faces in that second game and it was hard to bounce back from that.

“It’s extremely hard to keep them up when they are down. Bowling is such a mental game. I get down and I don’t bounce back as quickly as I want to and these are kids. Adults can’t weather it very well either.”

Council Bluffs Lincoln came into the state qualifier with a Baker game average of 200. The Lynx played to that average and more as they won the district championship with a 3,128. That averages out to a 208.

Lincoln posted seven games of at least 200 and six of those were at least 225.

Norwalk clinched its first-ever state berth in second. The Warriors posted a 3,062 and had 10 200-plus games.

Oskaloosa (2,984) edged Newton (2,982) for third. Urbandale (2,974), Pella (2,952), ADM (2,820), Bondurant-Farrar (2,815) and Des Moines Hoover (1,820) completed the field.

“The expectation was that we were going to go to state,” Lester said. “Collectively, I still feel this is one of the best teams I’ve ever had. It’s not that they are not great bowlers. We just didn’t adjust.”

Newton’s 15 Baker games included eight of 200 or better. The Cardinals started with a 216 and finished the first set of five with a 221. The second set of Baker games featured a 217 and a 223. But in between, they rolled a 138, 168 and 179.

The final five Baker games included a 225, 212 and 242. But a 168 followed the 225.

“That 136 killed us. I have always said the consistency is what will get us there,” Lester said. “A 136 won’t keep anyone in it. I’m at a loss for words. I expected it to be a little closer.”