Bruisers, Mustangs in state bowling semis

Friday, January 1, 1904

TSSAA Team QuarterfinalsDivision II GirlsGPS 22, BAYLOR 5Game 1: Girls Preparatory, 8-0Highlights: GPS -- Madi Stanley 210, Corey Swafford 181, Sara Griffith 168, Sydney Leech 163, Taylor Reid 147, Katy Richardson 147. B -- Morgan Wiley 156, Alex McNeel 145.Game 2: Girls Preparatory, 7-1Highlights: GPS -- Griffith 200, Leech 171, Richardson 165, Stanley 162, Swafford 161. B -- McNeel 151.Game 3: 4-4Highlights: GPS -- Leech 165, Richardson 152, Taylor Battle 137, Angela Bonds 136, Reid 130. B -- Wiley 218, Ryan Satterfield 151, Tracy Liu 148.Total pins (3 pts.): GPS, 2,812-2,202.Division II BoysMEMPHIS UNIV. SCHOOL 18, McCALLIE 9Game 1: 4-4Highlights: Mc -- Luke Orthner 194, Graham Leech 184, C.J. Moffat 171, Ben Ingvalson 150, Aaron Speicher 147. MUS -- Harrison Stewart 206, Noah Thomas 201, Josh Hawkins 170, Zach Walker 156, Wills Abston 147.Game 2: McCallie, 5-3Highlights: Mc -- Moffat 205, Orthner 179, Speicher 167, Leech 165, Case White 150. MUS -- Freddie Thompson 211, Hawkins 179, Thomas 171, Stewart 149, Walker 148.Game 3: Memphis University, 8-0Highlights: MUS -- Stewart 224, Hawkins 179, Abston 172, Thompson 170, Thomas 152, Walker 147. Mc -- Speicher 167, Leech 158, Orthner 149, Zach Lyons 140.Total pins (3 pts.): MUS, 3,031-2,871.Division I BoysWALKER VALLEY 16, SEYMOUR 11Game 1: Walker Valley, 6-2Highlights: WV -- Caleb Zanoska 201, Briton Helton 200, Jacob Baker 199, Nathan Kirby 184, Brendon Baker 169. S -- Dylan McClure 186, Kyle Bennett 156, Brandon Cravens 156.Game 2: Seymour, 6-2Highlights: S -- Keagen Welborne 205, McClure 194, Brian Woodward 193, Cravens 185. WV -- J. Baker 181, B. Baker 177, Jesse Bishop 172, Helton 168, Zanoska 144, Kirby 143.Game 3: Walker Valley, 5-3Highlights: WV -- Kirby 181, B. Baker 176, Helton 175, Zanoska 169, Tanner Kincaid 169, J. Baker 144. S -- Woodward 196, Welborne 185, McClure 184, Bennett 152.Total pins (3 pts.): Walker Valley, 3,071-2,865.

Sara Griffith almost duplicated her former teammate's surge to the TSSAA Division II girls' bowling individual state championship Friday morning in Smyrna, Tenn.

Then her Girls Preparatory School team improved to 19-0 for the season with a 22-5 quarterfinal victory over Chattanooga rival Baylor. The defending champion Bruisers and Walker Valley's Mustangs will be in team semifinals at 10 EST this morning.

Walker Valley, in its first state tournament, beat Seymour 16-11 in the Division I boys' quarterfinals, but McCallie lost 18-9 to Memphis University School in Division II despite leading 9-7 after two games.

Griffith, third after Thursday's individual semifinal round, finished second to Donelson Christian Academy junior Valerie Henry, the Division II Miss Bowler of the Year. Rolling a 225 in their final head-to-head matchup, Henry wound up with a 1,786 total for 10 games, counting bonus pins, and Griffith had 1,743.

Bailey James of St. Agnes, a Miss Bowler finalist along with GPS's Sydney Leech, was a distant third at 1,658, followed by teammate Meghan Hutton and St. Benedict bowlers Monica Fillion and Susanah Tovar.

"Sara did a great job," GPS coach Jenise Gordon said.

GPS faces St. Benedict this morning at 10 EST in a rematch of last year's final. St. Agnes faces Henry and DCA in the other semifinal. The finals are set for 12:30 p.m. EST.

The Bruisers followed Kara Mainord's state individual title with the team triumph last year. Friday, led by Madi Stanley's 210, they beat Baylor 8-0 in game one and led 15-1 before Gordon inserted reserves. Baylor's Morgan Wiley had the best score of the match with a 218 in the third game.

C.J. Moffat had a 205 in McCallie's second game, a 5-3 win, but Luke Orthner's 194 and 179 and Graham Leech's 184 were the Blue Tornado's only other scores above 171. Tied with MUS in total pins two-thirds of the way through, they were outscored by 160 in game three.

Walker Valley had the lowest total of every Division I boys' team in the quarterfinals except the one it beat, and the Mustangs this morning face a Bartlett team that won 14-13 over the Upperman squad that had the highest total of the day, 3,634. Wes Conatser finished third individually in Division I and then had a 300 and a 242 in his first two games for Upperman.

"I'm not worried about the score. Everybody starts out at zero tomorrow," Mustangs coach Dean Anderson said. "Walker Valley showed up and rolled up and did what it had to do. It wasn't our best rolling, but we'll be better for it tomorrow."

Freshmen Caleb Zanoska and Briton Helton helped the Mustangs get off to a good start with a 201 and a 200 in a 6-2 first-game win, junior Jacob Baker adding a 199. They lost the second game 6-2 but regrouped for the match win.

Gordon acknowledged that her Bruisers' team to beat is St. Agnes, against whom they had a monumental semifinal comeback win last year.

"We have to get by St. Benedict first, but I think we can. Our girls are completely ready," Gordon said. "And after last year we know we can win it. We just have to show up and get out of our own way."