Lefty Groove: Ross rolls 492 two-game series to pace Comet bowlers past Denver

By John Burbridge

sports@charlescitypress.com

TRIPOLI — It’s not always easy being a lefty.

Just ask Charles City southpaw bowler Kaleb Ross.

“There are some disadvantages of being a left-handed bowler,” Ross said. “Like if I’m having trouble getting my ball to hook into the pocket, I usually don’t have another bowler moving the oil on my side of the lane to make the conditions easier for me.”

But Ross will take the good with the bad, especially when the former supersedes the latter.

“There are probably more advantages than disadvantages of being a lefty,” Ross said. “And I’m out to take advantage of those advantages.”

During the Comets’ first away match at Panther Lanes in Tripoli for a coed double-dual against Denver, Ross rolled a two-game 492 series that included a 269 in the second game.

That likely is the highest two-game series bowled by a Comet as the Charles City coaching staff couldn’t recall a higher series recorded during the program’s going-on-third-season history.

“I didn’t have to change a thing,” Ross said. “I played the same line (second arrow) and threw the same speed all night.

“I got locked in a groove.”

With a 397 series by anchorman Drew Mitchell, a 380 by leadoff man Hunter Brockney, marked-on scores by Nathan Schultz (362) and Noah Reams (335); and a five-game Baker set of 985 with senior Jacob Greenzweig also in the lineup, the Comets totaled 2,951 — well ahead of the Denver’s 2,293.

“We’re down a little from our opener,” Comet coach Doug Bohlen said, “but we still averaged over 190 in Baker games, and some of our guys have never bowled here before.”

On the girls side, Charles City senior Mija Cotton rolled a two-game 414 series that included a 219 first game to lead the Comets to a wide-margin victory total of 2,637 to Denver’s 2,075.

Junior Macy Ross had a 376 series with a 206 game, Falyn Knecht had a 375 series with a 205 game, and Baili Girkin (343) and Mady Ross (280) rounded out the mark-on series scoring for the Comets.

With Cora Crooks in the lineup, the Comet girls compiled a five-game Baker total of 849.

Both teams will be back in action at Friday the Friendly “Wooden” Confines — Comet Bowl — when they host North Fayette Valley.