Trojans dominate again
Highland never falls out of first place on its way to regional crown
LOWELL — Whether it was in qualifying or in the championship match, the Highland boys bowling team was steady as can be during Sunday’s regional at Country Lanes.
The Trojans roared out of the gate with individual games of 966 and 1,009 and maintained their advantage in the Baker round with an 1,112 effort. They topped the day off with a strong 441-380 win over Lake Central.
Both teams advanced to next week’s Fort Wayne Semistate, along with third-place Portage and fourth-place Michigan City.
“These kids don’t miss a beat,” Highland head coach Janee Babbitt said. “I keep telling the kids they have to want it more than the other teams. My coaches, John Riffle and Tony Miller, they’re the brains behind the team’s success — I’m just the motivator
“And we have a lot of talent on this team. When it comes to crunch time, we have seven guys who can come at any time — like if somebody is down, somebody else will pick him up.”
In the championship match, Highland grabbed a big advantage with a 243-181 effort in the first game, racking up nine strikes and opening in just one frame.
“We’re bowling so great right now,” Highalnd’s Tyler Trombetta said. “I love this team with a passion. I’m so blessed to be on this team and I’m so excited of how well we all bowled and that we’re advancing to semistate.”
Defending state champ Lake Central maintained a steady sec- ond place all day long while posting a 216 average with all 200 games in the Baker round to stay alive and compete another week.
“We want to peak at the right time,” LC coach Rick Young said. “We’re coming off a big stretch of third-place finishes. We’re moving to next week; as we proved last year, you really only have to win in one week.”
In the singles event, Lake Central’s Andy Schmeid defeated Matt Petrovich of Chesterton 186-139 in the championship.
“It started off bad, but it ended great,” Schmeid said. “I had a solid 170 game to start, so I just kept my head in it and made some good shots and moves. I also kept myself in the game mentally. This is my first time advancing to semistate, so I’m excited.”