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Monroe’s Baker captains All-TL Bowling Team

Another season of bowling is in the books in the Ohio Valley.

While the area didn’t feature a state qualifier this season, there were a number of district qualifiers and a few who came close to advancing to the state tournament.

None came closer than Monroe Central’s Shyann Baker. The junior was six pins shy off the pace. Her consistent performances and ability to come up big when the spotlight shined brightest has the Seminoles’ top bowler being named the 2023 captain of the all-TL bowling team.

Here’s a capsule look at the rest of the honorees.

MATT HALL, Barnesville – Hall has a penchant for saving his best for last. At the OVAC tournament, he rolled a 234 in the final game to finish with a 559 series, earning him all-OVAC status.

Later at the sectional tournament, he rolled a 236 in the final game to finish at 584 and earn an individual qualifying spot to Coshocton’s district tournament.

Hall also captured the MOVL individul championship and helped lead the Shamrocks to the MOVL team title, along with the EOBL boys’ Baker title. He owned a 194 average.

“The seniors were the heart of our team and Matt was a district qualifier,” Barnesville coach Chad Hall said.

KEEGAN MARTIN, Barnesville – Martins had a standout season for a freshman for the ‘Rocks, averaging 177.

He earned all-MVL status, but most impressive for the freshman was qualifying for the district tournament his first time out.

He not only qualified, he excelled, rolling a 215 and 221, respectively, during the final two regulation games to finish with a 624 series–good enough for fifth place overall as well as the top individual qualifying spot.

“Our boys were able to win the EOBL Bakers and MOVL and Keegan also qualified for the districts,” Hall said.

SEBASTIAN LEWIS, St. Clairsville – Lewis continued progression from his freshman season saw the junior qualify for the Division II district tournament after rolling a 582 series in the sectionals to secure an individual qualifying spot.

Lewis did so by firing a 236 in the final of three regulation games to rocket into a qualifying spot.

That certainly didn’t hurt his average, which finished at 186 for the season. Lewis also came in fifth at the Buckeye 8 championships to earn an all-league spot.

“Sebastian is a fairly quiet kid who works hard and he’s put in a lot of time and effort over the last two seasons to grow as a bowler,” said St. Clairsville head coach Courtney Reinbold. “I’m excited to see what he can do with another year of experience, especially with a district appearance behind him.

KOBIE HENNIS, Harrison Central – Hennis was a solid performer for Harrison Central. Just a sophomore, he started the season strong and only continue build.

The Huskies came in second at the Buckeye 8, with Hennis finishig fourth overall with a 565.

At OVACs, Hennis tied for 7th after posting a 602 series.

But it was the Ohio postseason where he really shined, finishing sixth at the sectional with a 623 series, bolstered by a Game3 3 score of 246. He helped the Huskies finish sixth overall and advancing to the district as a team.

At the district, Hennis had another strong close with a 222 to finish with a 520 series. He came in 13th and was 74 pins off the second and final individual qualifying spot.

“Kobie is one of my strongest bowlers and is usually in the fourth position,” Harrison Central head coach Bobbie Parkinson said. “He had some really nice scores this season.”

CHAD VIERS, Harrison Central – The lone junior on a young and talented team, Viers helped his team to a sectional championship with a 523 series at the St. Clairsville postseason opener.

Earlier in the season in the Buckeye 8, Viers came in third with a 585 series to earn all-conference status.

“Chad also had some really nice scores. He got himself a new ball and bowled well and consistent,” Parkinson said. ”

WALKER ROMSHAK, Martins Ferry – This junior is really a “student of the game” according to his head coach Greg Steele.

Romshak averaged a 167 with one of his best performances coming during the Buckeye 8, when he fired a 548 series to finish with the sixth and last all-Buckeye 8 spot. He also owned the Purple Riders best series (460) at the sectional tournament.

Romshak’s older brother, Jackson, was an all-TL performer in 2022.

“He bowls all year round and not only is he a student of the game, he’s been helping is teammates to become better bowlers,” Steele said. “He picks them up and takes them bowling on Sunday morning and to other alleys to practice.”

NOAH JOCK, Buckeye Local – This Panther junior had a solid season for head coach Jared Call’s Buckeye Local team.

Jock saved his best for the OVAC championships, rolling a 600 series, converting spares en route to a 206 score in the second game before putting a stamp on his performance with a 230 in the finale.

His 156 average will certainly be on the incline for his senior season.

“Noah is a great teammate and is able and willing to help younger teammates improve,” Call said.

“He switched to two-handed bowling this yer and did really well with it.”

MASON PORTER, Union Local – Sandwiched between two Conotton Valley bowlers above and below, this UL sophomore managed to crack the Top 5 in the OVAC tournament to finish in third with a 603 series.

He just missed all-Buckeye 8 status, coming in seventh, just seven pins out of the Top 6.

With two years remaining, Porter has a lot of frames left to bowl and plenty of potential to work with.

“He’s a sophomore and actually lettered last year,” said Doug Stephens, head coach for the Jets. “He’s one of our co-team MVPs for the boys.

“He bowls really well, plays football, does track, and is another well-rounded athlete.”

He’s a sophomore, he was a letterwinner last year, one of our co-team MVPs for the boys, finished third at OVAC, OVAC tournament, bowls really well, plays football, does bowling, track, another well rounded athelte and student

SHYANN BAKER, Monroe Central -Seminoles junior made some big leaps in 2023. She came in eighth at the OVAC with a 462 series, showing perseverance after not allowing a 115 in the middle game to ruin her afternoon. She battled back to fire a 195 in the final to finish eighth at OVACs.

But that’s far from Baker’s best showing. Later in the season she won the individual title at the MOVL championship.

In the sectional tournament, she rolled a 479 series to earn an individual qualifying spot to the district tournament at Coshocton. She then rolled a 565 series at Coshocton, missing one of the two state tournament qualifying positions by a mere six pins.

Her final average came in at 160 and for her efforts, Baker is named the captain of the all-TL bowling team.

“Shyann improved over the course of the season and progressed well as her scores and accomplishments show her determination and her strengths,” said Monroe Central head coach Walter Russell.”

CHLOE PORTER, Union Local – Porter comes from a bowling family has her two younger brothers also are on the Jets’ boys’ varsity roster, including fellow all-TL honoree Mason.

This senior started off the sectional tournament strong with a 193 and made it stick to earn a spot at the Coshocton district tournament. She also finished seventh at the OVAC and 11th at the Buckeye 8.

“Chloe is a four-year letterman for me,” said UL head coach Doug Stephens.

“She’s a great leader and has been on varsity all four years and made it to districts this year.

“She’s also competing in the OVAC all-star match. She’s a great kid, involved in bowling, drama and track and field. She’s a well-rounded student and athlete.”

TYLYNN SMITH, Harrison Central – Smith may not feature the highest average, coming in at 130. But given this was her first year of competitive bowling, it’s easy to forgive a slower start to her sophomore season.

She spent previous winters playing basketball for the Huskies. So while she started slow, she finished strong, overtaking a field of strong bowlers, including some of her own teammates, to grab a coveted district qualifying position.

Smith rolled a 472 series at the St. Clairsville sectional, grabbing that final spot to advance to Coshocton.

“I’m satisfied and happy that she came out,” Harrison Central head coach Bobbie Parkinson said.

“Her first couple scores weren’t real high, but she became a consistent bowler once she learned what she was doing. She excelled well and had a wonderful sectional tournament.”

LIZZIE FRANK, Buckeye Local – This senior helped lead the Panthers to an MOVL team championship by finishing in second place overall to Monroe’s Baker.

Frank also posted the team’s best individual finish at the sectionals at 449, bolstered by a mid-game score of 189. She was only 23 pins off the pace for the final qualifying spot. Her average was 132, but Frank saved her best for the bigger events.

“Lizzie has an offer to bowl at Ohio Northern University next season,” Call said. “She has a positive attitude and provided great senior leadership.”

JULIE JOHNSON, Barnesville – Johnson was the only non-Conotton Valley bowler to crack the Top 5 at the OVAC Class 1A-3A championships, rolling a 540 to finish in fifth. Her 222 in the middle game allowed her to hold off the Rockets’ Chloe Blick for fifth place.

Her 416 series helped the Shamrocks to an early lead after the regulation games at the MOVL championships, earning Johnson an all-MOVL spot as well.

She was BHS’ highest finisher at the district tournament with a 448 and averaged 143 as a senior.

“Our seniors were the heart of our team,” said Barnesville coach Chad Hall.”

REGAN CAMPBELL, Barnesville – Another Shamrocks’ senior was a big reason the team captured the EOBL Bakers team title while also finishing runner-up to eventual state champion Conotton Valley at the OVAC Tournament.

Campbell, a repeat all-TL honoree, was right behind Johnson with a 142 average and finished just off the pace to earn a Top 10 spot individually at the OVAC, coming in 11th.

“Our girls won the EOBL Bakers tournament and came in second at the OVAC and third at the MOVL,” Hall said.

LAUREN BEST, Harrison Central – Huskies’ senior sported a team-best 148 average, which Parkinson pointed out was 20 pins higher than her average Best’s junior season.

She finished fifth at the Buckeye 8 with a 445 series, earning all-conference honors and helped the Huskies finish as runner-ups to champion East Liverpool.

“Lauren bold very well late in the season and started getting higher scores,” Parkinson said.

“She was converting her spares and worked very hard being it was her last year as a high school bowler. She improved nicely.”

HAYLEE BROWN, Harrison Central – Brown made steady improvement between her sophomore and junior seasons for Buckeye, finishing second on the team in average at 135.

She aided her team at the MOVL championships by finishing fifth overall to snag an all-MOVL spot along with Frank.

“Haylee works hard and is our most improved bowler from last year,” Call said.

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