Whitehall’s girls bowling team is headed back to the state finals.
The Vikings finished runner-up in a Division 2 team regional Friday at Westgate Lanes in Comstock Park. They knocked down 3077 pins and finished behind regional champion Sparta (3295). Coopersville placed third (2993).
Meanwhile, Whitehall senior Karli VanDuinen and sophomore Ava Garcia will be competing individually at the state finals, a two-day event March 4-5 at Super Bowl in Canton.
VanDuinen was second Saturday at Westgate in the individual portion of the regional with a total pinfall of 1174. She finished behind Fruitport junior Brynna Hanson (1246). Garcia was sixth (1028).
“The girls team kept their usual momentum and landed in second place, qualifying us for the state competition,” said Whitehall coach Tyson Jasperse, whose boys team finished ninth in the regional Friday with a pinfall of 3410.
“We are super excited to be going to state as a team. This is our second year in a row qualifying for state and we can’t wait to show the other teams what we’ve got.”
The top three teams at regionals, plus the top 10 individuals, advance to the state finals.
Ravenna’s girls team also is state finals-bound after capturing the Division 4 regional title Friday at Park Center Lanes in Wyoming. The Bulldogs rolled 2672 to win going away.
Individually, three Ravenna girls bowlers qualified for the state finals, which will be held March 4-5 at M-66 Bowl in Battle Creek. On Saturday, senior Liberty Willick placed second (990), junior Mae Mabrito third (909) and senior Emily Linck fourth (855). Mason County Central junior Haley Story also is headed for the state finals after tying for seventh (823) in the regional.
The Ravenna boys also have an individual regional champion, as junior Dylan Gordon rolled an 1188 on Saturday. He’ll be joined at the state finals by junior teammate Vaughn Luce, who placed ninth (975) at the regional.
Montague’s boys team just missed qualifying for the Division 3 state finals with a fourth-place finish at the regional hosted by Northway Lanes. The Wildcats totaled 3387 pins. Oakridge placed 11th with 3223 pins.
