Hillsboro Indians boys bowling back at Div. I State Tournament
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
The 2018-19 Hillsboro Indians boys bowling team is undefeated this season, and returning to state after missing the tournament last year, the goal is simple for the Indians: get to the bracket round and go from there.
Getting back to the OHSAA Division I State Bowling Tournament, the Indians have not only gone undefeated in matches played this season, but they also won the Frontier Athletic Conference championship and a district championship.
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The varsity team — coached by Jeff Miller — going to state on Saturday includes senior Christian McConehea, senior Andrew Louderback, senior Brendon Ormes, senior Deon Burns, junior Tyler Snapp, junior Bryce Bledsoe, sophomore Jawaun Jones and freshman Hunter Springer.
“This team has really come together pretty well. I knew after last year that we weren’t graduating anybody and were going to be contenders for a state appearance. Last year was a rebuilding year for us. We’ve got several seniors on the squad this year, and they’ve earned it,” Miller said. “They’ve bowled well all year, and they got it done. It was not as cut and dry as I’d like it to be at districts, though.”
At districts, the Indians won with a score of 2,789, winning by 44 pins over second-place Maysville (3,745).
“It was up and down all day. We started out strong, shooting 950s, and that second game for some reason they decided that their second game was going to be the worst game of the year – and at districts. We shot 766, and that’s just something this team does not do,” Miller said. “After a bit of a screaming fit on Coach Miller’s part here, they made a couple of adjustments. We were able to pull the scores back up into the 900s again, and we went from first place after the first game, down to fourth after the second game and back up into second after the third game.
“We passed the other two teams up after the third game, and then when we went into the Baker rounds, Maysville was our target. They were leading, and we were down 25 pins to Maysville going into Bakers. We were losing a very little bit of ground every round. I was like, this has got to stop right here, right now. We shot 215 and in the 190s, and Maysville got on a bad pair. They shot a 155 and we passed them up, and we just didn’t look back and kept the hammer down the rest of the day.”
The bowlers for the Indians include captain McConehea, who bowled on the Hillsboro state runner-up team from two seasons ago.
“This is my second time at state. Districts, we started out slow, and when we got into Bakers, we picked it up. The pattern was pretty tough, and scores were pretty low,” McConehea said. “I ended up being second overall individually, and we were first as a team, so that’s pretty cool. It was actually a bad day for me. I didn’t shoot what I wanted to, but it was still a pretty good accomplishment.
“I was a sophomore the first time I made state. I’d say this will mean more to me because my first year, sophomore year, I’d just gotten into bowling. I was fifth on the team, a substitute sometimes, but this year I get to lead the team as a captain taking our team to state. It means more. I’d say we did pretty good this year. We had some players go out, but we worked around it and still got into the state tournament, so I’d say it’s a pretty good year.”
Individually, the best moment on the lanes for McConehea was the match where he scored a 300 game this season.
“My best match this year was definitely when I shot 300 against Jackson on Dec. 10,” he said. “I just went in there thinking it was any other match, and I was just throwing the ball really well that day. I shot 300, so I was pretty happy about that. I came back with a 224 for a 524 series for two. Our Bakers were pretty good that night too, so overall it was a good match. We actually shot our second-highest score that match as a team, too.
“As the match went on, I did the same routine as I usually do. I listen to music before I bowl and just go up there and make good shots, and I threw the ball well. I used a ball I got for free from winning a tournament, so I got that a couple weeks before and have been throwing it a little bit this high school season. It’s been rolling well for me. It got me second individually at the FAC tournament, and I shot a 300 with it. It worked pretty well all through the season.”
Ormes spoke about his time with the Indians and how he has performed this season.
“This is my third time at state. We made it every year except for last year. This year it’s a little different. Instead of following the previous seniors, I am the senior and I realize it’s more on me,” Ormes said. “For districts, it started out a little rough, but as the day went on we got a little better. As a team, I think we bowled pretty well. We could have bowled better, but we got the job done.
“I just want to have a good time at state one last time with my teammates.”
Fellow senior Burns — who was also a top running back on the Indians playoff football team — is in his second year bowling, with this being his first trip to state. He also spoke about how he got involved in bowling and how he’s learned about the sport as well as his performance at districts.
“This season’s had its ups and downs. I think throughout the whole year, though, I feel like just as a team, it starts out tough, but in the end, we come together as team and can pull out of anything, pretty much,” Burns said. “Last year was my first year ever bowling, and I think from last year to now, I think I’ve improved big-time with the help of coaches and teammates telling me what’s right, what’s wrong. When I first started, I didn’t even know what an oil pattern was.
“I think I was pretty happy with (districts) because they asked me to go in and pick up spares, and that’s what I tried to do. Honestly, I usually play basketball, but I had ankle injuries from football and I had to stay active. I came out here and tried out, and it turns out I liked it more than basketball. I would like to see us at least place Top 5 in the state tournament. I think as a team, we can do it.”
Louderback was unavailable for the interview, but Coach Miller spoke highly of the senior.
“He’s been with the program all four years of his high school career,” Miller said. “He’s a great kid and has got a great future. Andrew has been a part of three state teams. This is his first year ever actually being a starter on it. He was on the JV team his other years. This is his chance.”
Bledsoe, a junior, has worked his way to the varsity team this season and now is a part of the state team.
“This is my first year on varsity,” Bledsoe said. “I’ve never been able to make it onto the state or district teams, so this is a big year for me. It’s wild for me. It’s been so much fun. Ever since I joined the team, my first year, that’s been the goal. I never had the natural talent to just immediately come in and get to varsity my first year, so I’ve just been working my way up. I kind of thought it might not ever happen, but here I am.
“My season this year started off as a bad slump. I started shooting lower than I did at the end of the season last year, and I was frustrated. I never thought I’d make it up here to varsity, but by the end of the season I was more accurate and I was hitting better, and I’m just bowling better and having a better time bowling.”
Bledsoe talked about the opportunity to go to the state tournament with his teammates.
“It’s awesome to be a part of the team going to state. I didn’t get to play going to districts, but just being a part of the team is really something,” he said. “Going to bowling matches that I’ve been to in other tournaments, it’s obvious we have a great team. They’re all really good bowlers, and so it’s not shocking that we can make it to state, but just getting there is a huge experience.”
HHS junior Snapp described the season as “amazing” and he talked about how he began in bowling and worked his way to the varsity team.
“I was like a sub last year, but I didn’t bowl how I wanted to, but this year in making state, it’s amazing,” Snapp said. “It’s been fun. It’s been amazing.
“The highlight of the season has probably been qualifying for state because then I get to see the seniors have one last go at it for high school.
“I started bowling by averaging like below 100, and I wanted to do it for a P.E. credit. Then I just fell in love from there. It’s been a lot of work (doubling his average). I play three sports a year, so in the summer it’s a little bit easier for me. During fall and spring, it’s a little hard working on bowling, but I try to get in to practice maybe once a week.”
Jones is a sophomore on the Indians, and he, too, said the season and making state has been “wild,” as he was a member of the varsity team last year as a freshman.
“It’s been wild. We’ve had some off points and some good points at times, but it’s really relaxing because now you know you’re at the end, and this is all you’ve been doing all year. This is the point in time where you can show what you have,” Jones said. “I was on varsity last year. Last year it was really tough on us, but we learned from it, and we experienced together as a team how to move on from our bad points and practice more and basically be a team. Always keep everyone happy, keep your head up all the time and just try harder the next time, and that got us to state this time.”
Jones also talked about the team being undefeated this season.
“It’s really breathtaking because you have to think we did all of that, and you just go through everything that happened and you’re like, ‘That was us. We did that,’” Jones said. “It makes you stop for a minute and think ‘We accomplished all of this.’ It just wows you a lot. It’s like, what’s next for us, then? What could we do to make it even better?
“I believe I have improved with my game. I don’t get as frustrated, and it’s helped. As long as I keep a good, positive attitude and always try harder and harder every time, it gets easier.”
Springer — a freshman — will be making his state debut this Saturday as he’s bowled in various leagues since he was younger. He said he’s excited for this weekend and that the season has been “a lot of fun,” as he also spoke about how he got his start in the sport.
“It is exciting. I’m really excited to go Saturday,” Springer said. “It’s been a lot of fun. I’ve been bowling for a while now. My dad was bowling in a league, so I wanted to bowl, so I started bowling when I was little. Now I just keep bowling in leagues, and now in high school.”
Coach Miller finished by saying that the Indians aren’t finished yet.
“We’ve got work to do, and we’re not done yet. This will be our final day. I’m going to do my very best not to make them nervous during it. That’s the thing. We need to keep it light,” Miller said. “If we keep it light and keep them having fun, I think they’re going to do well. That, and getting them to sleep [the night before].
“The past success of our program kind of drives the future. When we go to the state tournaments, we make an event out of it. We go and stay in a hotel the night before and do a practice session at Wayne Webb’s the night before, then we go out to a big dinner at a Japanese hibachi steakhouse. That’s our tradition every year. The kids have such a great time, and our JV bowlers, they see that and think ‘Wow, I want to do that.’ That’s what drives them to be able to be successful with this.”
Miller thanked the parents, family members and fans of the Indians team for their support all season.
“I could sit here and try to take credit for this, but I’ll tell you what, it’s our kids’ work ethics, our kids’ parents and our support groups are very strong,” he said. “Even the staff here at the bowling alley are all supportive and help us out with the success of this bowling team. It’s not just me.
“It’s a joint effort, a group effort, and we set these kids up to be able to give them the opportunity. It’s up to them whether they take it or not, and so far, every single squad we’ve given this opportunity to has taken advantage of it.”
Getting back to the OHSAA Division I State Bowling Tournament, the Indians have not only gone undefeated in matches played this season, but they also won the Frontier Athletic Conference championship and a district championship.
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The varsity team — coached by Jeff Miller — going to state on Saturday includes senior Christian McConehea, senior Andrew Louderback, senior Brendon Ormes, senior Deon Burns, junior Tyler Snapp, junior Bryce Bledsoe, sophomore Jawaun Jones and freshman Hunter Springer.
“This team has really come together pretty well. I knew after last year that we weren’t graduating anybody and were going to be contenders for a state appearance. Last year was a rebuilding year for us. We’ve got several seniors on the squad this year, and they’ve earned it,” Miller said. “They’ve bowled well all year, and they got it done. It was not as cut and dry as I’d like it to be at districts, though.”
At districts, the Indians won with a score of 2,789, winning by 44 pins over second-place Maysville (3,745).
“It was up and down all day. We started out strong, shooting 950s, and that second game for some reason they decided that their second game was going to be the worst game of the year – and at districts. We shot 766, and that’s just something this team does not do,” Miller said. “After a bit of a screaming fit on Coach Miller’s part here, they made a couple of adjustments. We were able to pull the scores back up into the 900s again, and we went from first place after the first game, down to fourth after the second game and back up into second after the third game.
“We passed the other two teams up after the third game, and then when we went into the Baker rounds, Maysville was our target. They were leading, and we were down 25 pins to Maysville going into Bakers. We were losing a very little bit of ground every round. I was like, this has got to stop right here, right now. We shot 215 and in the 190s, and Maysville got on a bad pair. They shot a 155 and we passed them up, and we just didn’t look back and kept the hammer down the rest of the day.”
The bowlers for the Indians include captain McConehea, who bowled on the Hillsboro state runner-up team from two seasons ago.
“This is my second time at state. Districts, we started out slow, and when we got into Bakers, we picked it up. The pattern was pretty tough, and scores were pretty low,” McConehea said. “I ended up being second overall individually, and we were first as a team, so that’s pretty cool. It was actually a bad day for me. I didn’t shoot what I wanted to, but it was still a pretty good accomplishment.
“I was a sophomore the first time I made state. I’d say this will mean more to me because my first year, sophomore year, I’d just gotten into bowling. I was fifth on the team, a substitute sometimes, but this year I get to lead the team as a captain taking our team to state. It means more. I’d say we did pretty good this year. We had some players go out, but we worked around it and still got into the state tournament, so I’d say it’s a pretty good year.”
Individually, the best moment on the lanes for McConehea was the match where he scored a 300 game this season.
“My best match this year was definitely when I shot 300 against Jackson on Dec. 10,” he said. “I just went in there thinking it was any other match, and I was just throwing the ball really well that day. I shot 300, so I was pretty happy about that. I came back with a 224 for a 524 series for two. Our Bakers were pretty good that night too, so overall it was a good match. We actually shot our second-highest score that match as a team, too.
“As the match went on, I did the same routine as I usually do. I listen to music before I bowl and just go up there and make good shots, and I threw the ball well. I used a ball I got for free from winning a tournament, so I got that a couple weeks before and have been throwing it a little bit this high school season. It’s been rolling well for me. It got me second individually at the FAC tournament, and I shot a 300 with it. It worked pretty well all through the season.”
Ormes spoke about his time with the Indians and how he has performed this season.
“This is my third time at state. We made it every year except for last year. This year it’s a little different. Instead of following the previous seniors, I am the senior and I realize it’s more on me,” Ormes said. “For districts, it started out a little rough, but as the day went on we got a little better. As a team, I think we bowled pretty well. We could have bowled better, but we got the job done.
“I just want to have a good time at state one last time with my teammates.”
Fellow senior Burns — who was also a top running back on the Indians playoff football team — is in his second year bowling, with this being his first trip to state. He also spoke about how he got involved in bowling and how he’s learned about the sport as well as his performance at districts.
“This season’s had its ups and downs. I think throughout the whole year, though, I feel like just as a team, it starts out tough, but in the end, we come together as team and can pull out of anything, pretty much,” Burns said. “Last year was my first year ever bowling, and I think from last year to now, I think I’ve improved big-time with the help of coaches and teammates telling me what’s right, what’s wrong. When I first started, I didn’t even know what an oil pattern was.
“I think I was pretty happy with (districts) because they asked me to go in and pick up spares, and that’s what I tried to do. Honestly, I usually play basketball, but I had ankle injuries from football and I had to stay active. I came out here and tried out, and it turns out I liked it more than basketball. I would like to see us at least place Top 5 in the state tournament. I think as a team, we can do it.”
Louderback was unavailable for the interview, but Coach Miller spoke highly of the senior.
“He’s been with the program all four years of his high school career,” Miller said. “He’s a great kid and has got a great future. Andrew has been a part of three state teams. This is his first year ever actually being a starter on it. He was on the JV team his other years. This is his chance.”
Bledsoe, a junior, has worked his way to the varsity team this season and now is a part of the state team.
“This is my first year on varsity,” Bledsoe said. “I’ve never been able to make it onto the state or district teams, so this is a big year for me. It’s wild for me. It’s been so much fun. Ever since I joined the team, my first year, that’s been the goal. I never had the natural talent to just immediately come in and get to varsity my first year, so I’ve just been working my way up. I kind of thought it might not ever happen, but here I am.
“My season this year started off as a bad slump. I started shooting lower than I did at the end of the season last year, and I was frustrated. I never thought I’d make it up here to varsity, but by the end of the season I was more accurate and I was hitting better, and I’m just bowling better and having a better time bowling.”
Bledsoe talked about the opportunity to go to the state tournament with his teammates.
“It’s awesome to be a part of the team going to state. I didn’t get to play going to districts, but just being a part of the team is really something,” he said. “Going to bowling matches that I’ve been to in other tournaments, it’s obvious we have a great team. They’re all really good bowlers, and so it’s not shocking that we can make it to state, but just getting there is a huge experience.”
HHS junior Snapp described the season as “amazing” and he talked about how he began in bowling and worked his way to the varsity team.
“I was like a sub last year, but I didn’t bowl how I wanted to, but this year in making state, it’s amazing,” Snapp said. “It’s been fun. It’s been amazing.
“The highlight of the season has probably been qualifying for state because then I get to see the seniors have one last go at it for high school.
“I started bowling by averaging like below 100, and I wanted to do it for a P.E. credit. Then I just fell in love from there. It’s been a lot of work (doubling his average). I play three sports a year, so in the summer it’s a little bit easier for me. During fall and spring, it’s a little hard working on bowling, but I try to get in to practice maybe once a week.”
Jones is a sophomore on the Indians, and he, too, said the season and making state has been “wild,” as he was a member of the varsity team last year as a freshman.
“It’s been wild. We’ve had some off points and some good points at times, but it’s really relaxing because now you know you’re at the end, and this is all you’ve been doing all year. This is the point in time where you can show what you have,” Jones said. “I was on varsity last year. Last year it was really tough on us, but we learned from it, and we experienced together as a team how to move on from our bad points and practice more and basically be a team. Always keep everyone happy, keep your head up all the time and just try harder the next time, and that got us to state this time.”
Jones also talked about the team being undefeated this season.
“It’s really breathtaking because you have to think we did all of that, and you just go through everything that happened and you’re like, ‘That was us. We did that,’” Jones said. “It makes you stop for a minute and think ‘We accomplished all of this.’ It just wows you a lot. It’s like, what’s next for us, then? What could we do to make it even better?
“I believe I have improved with my game. I don’t get as frustrated, and it’s helped. As long as I keep a good, positive attitude and always try harder and harder every time, it gets easier.”
Springer — a freshman — will be making his state debut this Saturday as he’s bowled in various leagues since he was younger. He said he’s excited for this weekend and that the season has been “a lot of fun,” as he also spoke about how he got his start in the sport.
“It is exciting. I’m really excited to go Saturday,” Springer said. “It’s been a lot of fun. I’ve been bowling for a while now. My dad was bowling in a league, so I wanted to bowl, so I started bowling when I was little. Now I just keep bowling in leagues, and now in high school.”
Coach Miller finished by saying that the Indians aren’t finished yet.
“We’ve got work to do, and we’re not done yet. This will be our final day. I’m going to do my very best not to make them nervous during it. That’s the thing. We need to keep it light,” Miller said. “If we keep it light and keep them having fun, I think they’re going to do well. That, and getting them to sleep [the night before].
“The past success of our program kind of drives the future. When we go to the state tournaments, we make an event out of it. We go and stay in a hotel the night before and do a practice session at Wayne Webb’s the night before, then we go out to a big dinner at a Japanese hibachi steakhouse. That’s our tradition every year. The kids have such a great time, and our JV bowlers, they see that and think ‘Wow, I want to do that.’ That’s what drives them to be able to be successful with this.”
Miller thanked the parents, family members and fans of the Indians team for their support all season.
“I could sit here and try to take credit for this, but I’ll tell you what, it’s our kids’ work ethics, our kids’ parents and our support groups are very strong,” he said. “Even the staff here at the bowling alley are all supportive and help us out with the success of this bowling team. It’s not just me.
“It’s a joint effort, a group effort, and we set these kids up to be able to give them the opportunity. It’s up to them whether they take it or not, and so far, every single squad we’ve given this opportunity to has taken advantage of it.”