By Mark Blentlinger
Schoolcraft Bowlers are rolling on in the 2023 season. Seven girls and 11 boys make up the Golden Eagles bowling teams. The boys team has enough to field a JV team for the second straight season. Two seniors are using their experience to help lead the younger bowlers.
Shaun Sampsell and Logan Rinderspacher are the only two seniors this season with nine underclassmen. The future for the boys’ team looks bright. This season has shown a lot of potential. While the boys’ record is 1-7, they faced some very good, loaded competition. Second-year Coach Bradley Romstadt has been doing a great job with the younger bowlers. The team is missing a bowler that had to have knee surgery right before season, not allowing him to bowl, but Coach Romstadt is hoping for his return for the upcoming season in 2024.
The girls’ team suffered a major loss before the season started when four-year bowler and senior Catie Wright was involved in a head-on car accident that came close to taking her young life. Catie spent weeks in the hospital and vowed she would return to the lanes before the season ends in March. With Catie cheering her team on from the sidelines, it has been up to the rest of the senior-loaded girls’ team to work their way through the season. The seniors are four-year bowler Alayna Meade, four-year bowler Molly Pearce, two-year bowler Brenna Crofoot and first-year bowlers Heidi Sheen and Hope Wright. One sophomore is two-year bowler Addison Haley. The girls have not let their teammate Catie down, holding steady in 2nd place in the SAC conference with a 5-3 record right behind returning Conference, Regional and State Champion Bronson which is presently undefeated at 8-0.
Both Golden Eagle teams will be working on the second half of their season and then heading off to Jackson the last weekend in February, hoping to bring home the Regional Championship or at least finish in the top 3 of 16 teams to transfer to the MHSAA state Championships.
