Stewartville/Grand Meadow knocks down another state championship in bowling
Nov. 27—STEWARTVILLE — Stewartville/Grand Meadow bowling coach Steve Sherman is used to winning, and he enjoys it very much.
Sherman has been the head coach of the Tigers for the past three years and they have now won the high school club state championship two times.
"I've been there before, but it never gets old," Sherman said. He has also guided the team to a junior varsity state title.
Stewartville/Grand Meadow claimed its second state title in three years when it survived 15 other teams to win the championship recently at Echo Lanes in Austin. This marks Stewartville's third overall state title. The Tigers also claimed the championship in 2013.
Bowing is not affiliated with the Minnesota State High School League and it is a club sport. But it is highly competitive.
"We're kind of a powerhouse," Sherman said. "But you have to have good kids. ... You have to have some skill, but you have to have some luck and have things go your way."
The six players on the squad include seniors Isaac Prokasky, Miles Rice, Carter Denny, Madden Ackman and Alex Colligan and freshman Jack Hagen. Colligan was unable to compete at the state tournament.
Last year the Tigers placed fifth at the state tournament.
"It's tough to win," Sherman said. "It was really unexpected this year because we lost three kids who were some of the top bowlers in the state."
The tournament featured 16 teams and that was paired down to eight before match play was held. Stewartville/Grand Meadow went in as the No. 2 seed. Rushford-Peterson, the No. 1 seed, finished fifth.
Stewartville/Grand Meadow defeated Lake City in the quarterfinals and Plainview-Elgin-Millville in the semifinals before facing Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton in the championship match.
"I think it's more nerve-wracking for the parents," Sherman said. "We've been there before. The JV has also won two state championships (in recent years) so they have a little pedigree. I don't think anything really bothered them."
The title match against J-W-P was a four-game set. The team with the highest cumulative score over the four games was the winner. J-W-P was ahead by three pins heading into the final game.
"It came down to about the eighth or the ninth frame of the last game," Sherman said. "We made our spares and they didn't."
Rice led the team with 38 strikes during the 24 games the Tigers bowled at the state tournament.
"He's the anchor," Sherman said. "He came through with a lot of strikes and that really counts when you go by total pins and you need all the pins you can get."
The Tigers won the Southeast Conference title with a 12-2 mark during the season. The league includes Mayo, John Marshall, Century, Austin, Kasson-Mantorville/Byron/Triton and Hayfield.
"It's been a really good program and we get along well," Sherman said. "It's been a lot of fun."
Guy N. Limbeck is a sports writer for the Post Bulletin. His Local Notebook appears each Tuesday. He can be reached at
.
