Comet boys take perfect game into 10th at Baker Tournament

By John Burbridge
sports@charlescitypress.com
WATERLOO — Though the Charles City bowling team continues to roll off impressive scores, the program is still looking for its first sanctioned 300 game.

The Comets have come close numerous times, most recently Cael Bohlen’s 299 game earlier this season.

But if the Comets aren’t careful, the team itself might beat them all to it.

During a district Baker Team Tournament held Saturday at Cadillac Lanes, the Comet boys — bowling frame by frame in rotation of five — strung 10 strikes together. Anchorman Cade Schmidt, who threw the first strike in the 10th, left a 10-pin going for 11 in a row.

“And he threw it right in the pocket,” Comet coach Doug Bohlen said. “The messenger pin [a head pin that bounds off the wall across the deck] just missed taking it out.”

The format of the tournament had teams roll 10 games before seeding them in a single-elimination bracket where teams go head-to-head in best-of-three series.

Both the Comet boys and girls were seeded No. 1 after recording respective pinfalls of 1,983 and 1,704. Using simple division by 10, that’s better than a 198 average for the boys and a 170 average for the girls.

“I was really impressed with the girls,” Bohlen said. “We have been working on our spares, and it has been playing off.”

In the elimination round, the Comet girls advanced to the second round but lost to eventual champion Decorah, which beat them by 2 pins (204-202) in the rubber game.

The boys advanced past Denver in the first round where they rolled that aforementioned 289 game, advanced past Decorah in the second round, but then lost in three games to tournament champion Waverly-Shell Rock.

“I was pretty pleased by the way we bowled,” Bohlen said. “We had the best averages down there. It’s just when you go head-to-head, anything can happen.”

The night before, both Comet teams picked up victories at an away meet against Forest City at the “Super Bowl” .

Cael Bohlen led the way with a two-game series of 422 followed by Schmidt (408), Dillon Ross (397), Kale Ross (386) and Noah Reams (376) as the two-round total pinfall of 2,904 was more than 300 pins better than the Indians.

The girls match was a little closer — little more than 80 pins — with Comets using scores from Heather Viers (389), Sarah Mitchell (351), Lilly Usher (325), Brianna Ross (321) and Imigin McHenry (313).

With a 469 series, Charles City senior Nicholas Roney — for the second time in as many weeks — led all bowlers while rolling junior varsity.