GALION — Maybe the Pleasant boys bowling run isn’t over.
The Spartans trailed River Valley by 101 pins after three regulation games, but they rallied in the six Baker games to win a third straight Mid Ohio Athletic Conference Boys Bowling Tournament Feb. 7 at Victory Lanes. Pleasant finished with 3,876 pins to beat RV’s 3,798, Galion’s 3,745, Highland’s 3,342, Marion Harding’s 3,215 and Shelby’s 2,565.
“It’s a rebuilding year,” Pleasant coach Bill Ludwig said. “We had five new bowlers this year. We’ve had some bowlers kind of opt out at the end of the season. It’s been an interesting year. We go from the chants and everybody knows Pleasant is in the building to now we’re like the quiet little mouse. We’re not the loud and crazy bunch that was there.
“We’re still figuring it out. I think we’re peaking at the right time.”
This isn’t the crew that won a state championship in 2024 and a state runner-up trophy in 2025. But like those two squads, this group of Spartans also won the MOAC tourney title and have a chance to earn a share of the regular season crown if they can beat Galion Feb. 9 also in Victory Lanes. The winner of that match will share the regular season with RV.
“It’s definitely the team chemistry with this team. We have just as much team chemistry as last year even though the newer bowlers have come in. We’re still able to build them up and help them get better,” Pleasant junior Bryan Brandt said, one of two holdovers from the state teams.
Once in the Baker games on Saturday, Pleasant locked in and stayed consistent, shooting 186, 169 and 185 before finishing with games of 208, 234 and 209 to win it.
Individually Brandt won the boys tournament crown with a series of 201-247-225 for a 673. He beat runner-up Landon Fairchild of Galion by a dozen pins.
“I just tried to stick to my game. I knew what this building has, so just bowl the best that I could,” Brandt said. “I just worked into it. I had kind of a slower start, and then I figured it out in the second and third games.”
Tucker Ludwig, the other Spartan with state experience, also cracked the top six to earn all-tourney honors, shooting 220-179-220 to end in fifth at 619. Ryen Wanski had a 227 game and a 561 series, and Tanner Weir had a 435 series.
River Valley’s Daegan Endicott was third with a 230-200-218 648 and teammate Nolan Howard was fourth with a 188-22-214 624. Also for the Vikings were Keenan Jester with a 549 and Tristan Dunn with a 494.
Justin Taylor led Harding with a 457 and Zander Stoll had a 463. Highland got a 566 from James Stevens, a 518 from Miles Burson, a 513 from Noah Messina and a 474 from Ayden Bolton.
MOAC Girls Bowling Tournament results
Like the boys, Pleasant’s girls won the MOAC tourney at Victory Lanes on Feb. 6. The Spartans posted a 2,926 to top RV’s 2,777, Shelby’s 2,724, Highland’s 2,682, Harding’s 2,425 and Galion’s 1,315. Pleasant already clinched the MOAC regular season standings with its 9-0 mark.
“The girls have bowled well all year,” Ludwig said. “They were the favorites coming in. They had 149 pins (lead) to start the Bakers, and they finished with 149 (lead). They’ve been Steady Eddie all year and haven’t lost.”
Pleasant’s Breahna Howard won the individual championship for a second year in a row, shooting 181-171-172 for a 524 and a victory by 26 pins.
“It’s my senior year, and I won last year. It feels great to be back,” Howard said. “It’s adjusting to these wooden lanes. I don’t know how to explain it. I had to move a lot in order to strike, which messed me up mentally because I couldn’t strike. I left a whole bunch of 10 pins. I had to move to hit my 10 pins because I was hitting left.”
Still, she and the Spartans made the adjustments to claim the crown.
“We literally strung a team together at the last second (before the start of the season). We have five girls. We do not have any subs,” Howard said.
Teammate Peyton Walter was fourth with a 210-130-137 477 series. Mackenzie Childers added a 419, Katelynn Thompson a 401 and Makynlee Allerton a 295.
River Valley’s Kenzie Schwartz was third with a 165-187-131 483, and teammates Jacey Dunn and Lexie Robertson were sixth and seventh with series of 117-172-160 449 and 162-129-151 442 respectively.
Highland’s Grace Adkins was the tourney runner-up with a 220-111-167 498, while Shelby Michels had a 423 and Nevaeh DeWeese a 411.
Harding was paced by Lenae Daigneau’s 437 followed by a 328 from Kiley Workman, a 326 from Madalynn Vaught, a 292 from Rozlyn Jones and a 291 from Nyemah Melton-Dixon.
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This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Pleasant bowling dynasty continues in the Mid Ohio Athletic Conference
Reporting by Rob McCurdy, Marion Star / Marion Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
