High-rolling Comets sweep Panthers on the road

By John Burbridge

sports@charlescitypress.com

TRIPOLI — In bowling speak, it’s called “sand bagging”.

It’s when a bowler intentionally rolls lackluster scores early in the season to establish a hefty handicap.

Let’s just say Charles City sophomore Noah White is definitely not that guy.

Through the first six individual games bowled thus far this season, White — the Class 1A boys runner-up from the state tournament last season — is averaging better than 244 a game.

Last Friday against the Tripoli Panthers at their own house — Panther Lanes — White, with his right-side two-handed release, rolled a career-high two-game series of 533 that included a 278 game … another career-high for White in sanctioned high school play, though White has rolled several “perfect” 300 games in practice.

White wasn’t the only high-rolling Comet at Panther Lanes — a preferred “road house” for Charles City bowlers, who have a history of achieving great pinfalls there during seasons’ past. Freshman Cooper Holm had a 423 two-game series, senior Keaton Ross had a 420, sophomore Zach Putney had a 405 and junior Jayden Lopez shot a 394 while rounding out the marked Charles City scores in the individual round.

Charles City continued to roll well in the Baker Rotation round that included game scores of 216 and 214, and finished with a total team pinfall of 3,143 — the highest team score a Charles City bowling team has achieved in a dual meet since the 2020-21 season — besting the Panthers by 934 pins and improving to 2-1 for the season.

The Comet girls improved to 3-0 with their 2,359 to 2,136 win over the Panthers.

Senior Isabel Crawford, who was a state-medalist her sophomore year, led the Comets with a 338 individual series, followed by sophomore Miyah Stevenson (309), sophomore Kinleigh Bahe (294), senior Payton Hadley (291) and senior Darian Hesse (261).

Tripoli junior Kayla Milius led all girl rollers with a 406 two-game series.

The Comet boys and girls teams will host their first home meet of the season — and last of the year — when they take on Decorah at Comet Bowl next Friday (Dec. 20) starting at 4 p.m.