The Seward boys’ bowling team brought home a runner-up plaque from the Lincoln Pius X Invitational Dec. 28.
Seward was one of four Class B schools in the field, Coach Steve Conner said. The other 12 were Class A.
“We had a pretty good day,” he said.
Seward opened the qualifying rounds with an 8-0 win over Grand Island Northwest. Jack Schultz and Dietrich Erks bowled 209s, and Josh Ringler finished with a 195.
“It was nice to see the middle guys come through,” Conner said. “They clearly put in the time.”
Seward lost its next match to Fremont 6-2 by just 20 pins, Conner said. Landon Ford led the team with a 211, and Erks had a 179.
Bellevue West was Seward’s third opponent, and SHS won 5-3 by eight pins.
“It came down to the very last shot,” Conner said. “We kept battling and pulling out close game after close game. It was as competitive and stressful a day as I’ve had to deal with.”
Seward was the No. 7 seed in the bracket and faced Northwest again, winning this time 3-2 in a back-and-forth match.
SHS faced top-seeded Grand Island in the next round and won 3-1 after losing the first game.
“I’m really proud of their determination. They wouldn’t give up,” Conner said. “It was fun to watch.”
He said the team’s strong suit is bakers, in which each bowler bowls two frames in the game.
“We have seven guys we could use, and there’s no letdown,” he said.
In the semifinals, Seward defeated Omaha Burke 3-2. Burke won the first two games, and the Jays fought back to win by three pins, 15 pins and six pins. Conner said Burke missed a shot late, and Carl Taylor came through with strikes to close out the match.
Seward was up against Papillion LaVista South in the final and lost 3-1. PLVS averaged over 200 each game, Conner said. The game Seward won was 212-205.
In light of the competition the Jays faced, winning the runner-up trophy was a great achievement for Seward, the coach said.
“It’s more impressive than the win at Hastings,” he said. “Everyone contributed when they needed to . It’s more rewarding to see the team unity.”
The girls’ team didn’t have as good a day at Pius, going 1-2. The Jays defeated Omaha Burke 5-3 to start, with Kendra Sugden bowling a 146 and Sarah Kite a 137.
In round two, Seward played Fremont, the defending Class A state champion and one of the top teams in Class A again this season, Coach Dennis Sugden said.
Seward lost 8-0, with Emily Coffin leading the team with a 123.
“Our girls struggled to break 100 in their scores,” Coach Sugden said. “The girls just struggled to find their marks.”
Waverly was Seward’s next opponent, and again the Jays struggled with consistency, losing 7-1.
“It was close down to the final couple of frames, but Waverly came out on top,” Coach Sugden said.
The head-to-head matchups were 15 pins or less, he said. Coffin led the team with a 161.
Seward bowled at Millard North Jan. 2 and will host Columbus and Omaha Westside for a double dual Saturday, Jan. 6, starting at noon at Seward Bowl.
