Macy Ross re-sets Comet record with 477 two-game series

By John Burbridge sports@charlescitypress.com

The Charles City varsity girls bowling team is undefeated this season.

But during last Friday’s away meet against Forest City at The Super Bowl, the Comet girls achieved a first-time “win”.

“After I saw the scores going into the Baker round, I had to challenge them,” Charles City head bowling coach Doug Bohlen said. “I told them if they ended up beating our boys, I’d buy them all ice cream.”

Whether that was the motivation they needed or not, the Comet girls went on to do just that as their total score (2,975) was 33 better than the CC boys let alone more than 700 greater than their real opponents — the Lady Indians.

“It’s never happened before, though they’ve come close,” Bohlen said of the girls team compiling a better score than the boys during the same meet.

Charles City senior Macy Ross, who was the 2016 Class 1A individual state champion, re-set her own school record with a two-game series of 477 — 7 pins better than her previous prep personal-best.

Senior Falyn Knecht, who is coming off a thumb injury that kept her out of the varsity lineup for a stretch, rolled a career-high 437 series against the Indians helping the Comets improve to 8-0 for the season.

Though the Charles City boys have bowled better, last Friday wasn’t really an off night. You can even consider it as one of the Comets’ best clutch performances of the season.

With senior Hunter Brockney the only Comet in the 400s (405) during the individual round, and Conner Thompson leading the Indians with a 457, Charles City went into the Baker Rotation down 50 pins.

But as Bohlen has noted this season, the Comet boys tend to be greater as a Baker Rotation “whole” than the sum of their individual parts.

“You average all our individual scores and compare them to our Baker scores, our Baker average scores are higher,” Bohlen said. “They bowl better as a team.”

It was their team effort in the Baker Rotation, which included a 237 and a 235 in the final game, that enabled the Comets to catch and overtake the Indians (2,942-2,925) while improving to 7-1 for the season.

A major reason for the Comets’ Baker Rotation success is the prowess of senior left-hander Kaleb Ross in the 10th frame.

During the District Team Tournament held on the following Saturday at Cadillac Lanes in Waterloo — where teams compete entirely in the Baker Rotation format — Ross struck 17 out of 22 of his first balls thrown during the single-elimination championship round.

After the opening 10-game round, the Comet boys were seeded No. 2 among the eight bracket qualifiers and went on to advance past Forest City and Decorah before facing Waverly-Shell Rock in the final match.

The Comets won the first game in the best-of-three series, but ran into split and spare trouble in the subsequent games as the Go-Hawks won the title.

At the same tournament, the Comet girls were seeded No. 1 after the opening 10-game round, but were eliminated by Tripoli in the first round of the championship bracket.

“That was my fault,” Bohlen said. “I took my grandson down to bowl at Cadillac Lanes to see what the conditions were and then prepared our team for the tournament.

“But when we got down there on Saturday, the lane conditions were different.”

During the District Tournament, scores were low across the board. The Comet girls averaged less than 147 in the opening round, yet still earned the No. 1 seed.

The boys scores were better but modest nonetheless. Waterloo Columbus averaged just under 189 in the opening round to edge the Comets for the No. 1 seed.

Due to a fire in December destroying Plaza Lanes in Des Moines, the perennial host of the State Bowling Tournament, Cadillac Lanes will host this year’s tournament on Feb. 19-21.

The State Tournament is due to return to Des Moines upon the rebuilding of Plaza Lanes.

“Hopefully the new building will be designed to seat spectators,” Bohlen said. “The old place got a little too crowded for state.”

In junior varsity action Friday at The Super Bowl, both the Comet junior varsity boys and girls teams were victorious.

The JV boys, who compiled a team score greater than 2,600, were led by Dawson Solomon’s 382 two-game series.

Josyln Cotton (223, 181-404) and Faith Fannon (222, 156-378) led the JV girls.

Jan. 26

AT SUPER BOWL

Forest City

Boys Meet

CHARLES CITY 2,942,
FOREST CITY 2,925

CHARLES CITY — Hunter Brockney 230, 175-405; Noah Reams 181, 211-392; Nathan Shultz 177, 201-378; Kaleb Ross 204, 173-377; Cade Schmidt 187, 167-354; Kale Ross 202, 147-349; BAKER ROTATION — 194, 237, 159, 211, 235.

FOREST CITY — Conner Thompson 215, 242-457; Levi Wood 191, 189-380; Tanner Frascht 183, 195-378; Jarred Thomson 193, 184-377; Eli Johnson 168, 196-364; Michael Nielsen 160, 190-350; BAKER ROTATION — 190, 197, 167, 198, 217.

Girls Meet

CHARLES CITY 2,975,
FOREST CITY 2,242

CHARLES CITY — Macy Ross 233, 244-477; Falyn Knecht 437, Madison Ross 366, Arayh Nelson 356, Katie Sickman 345; BAKER ROTATION — 217, 197, 201, 167, 212.

FOREST CITY — Shayne Hoeft 379, Mandy Anzivino 329, Jazmin Trunkhill 277, Fran Wasicek 249, Phoebe Kozitza 246; BAKER ROTATION — 126, 149, 152, 126, 209.