1st state winter championships start Friday with 26 Tri-Cities girls

The Mid-Columbia will have 26 girls competing at the WIAA state bowling tournament this weekend.

That includes three teams — Kennewick in the Class 3A tournament, and Chiawana and Pasco in Class 4A — when the tournament runs Friday and Saturday at Narrows Plaza Bowl in University Place.

Southridge senior Nicole Omlor is the top bowler from this region. She has qualified as an individual in the Class 3A tournament, and averaged 194.55 pins a game to lead the Mid-Columbia Conference.

Here’s a look at who is headed to the state tournament:

Class 3A bowling

The Kennewick girls have had a great season so far.

Coach Darain Brown’s Lions rolled through the MCC season with a perfect 16-0 record.

Brown also has the Nos. 2, 3 and 4 bowlers in the MCC: sophomore Paige Harns averaged a 190.22, junior Skye Wheatley had a 176.69, and senior captain Aydri Turnbull averaged 175.22.

Other Lions heading to state are Kassandra Foss, Ana Jara, Adelina Perez and Cadence Richardson.

“I suspected that we could be (MCC) champions before the season started,” said Brown. “All of them from last year’s team were coming back.”

To boot, the Lions easily led the MCC in Baker games average, at 171.16. Walla Walla was second, way back at 153.50 pins.

Baker games are played when each of five teammates take a turn bowling a frame until 10 frames are complete.

“Basically, I’ve learned that it’s all about spares,” said Brown, who has only been the team’s coach these past few years, and said he’s learned so much. “I’ve coached football and I’ve coached golf. But I’ve never felt this much pressure. These kids work so hard, and I want them to do so well. They keep telling me, ‘Coach, you gotta relax.’”

As a group which has gone a combined 30-2 in MCC play these past two years, Brown believes the Lions will be ready to roll on Friday.

Beside Southridge’s Omlor, Suns teammate Tori Petersen, a senior, also qualified for the state tournament.

Class 4A bowling

Chiawana qualified for state by taking the top team spot at last week’s district tournament.

Heading to Narrows Plaza Bowl is Lorena Barrera, Paige Beck, Gracie Bolson, Katona Granger, Ainsley Schmidt, Miranda Verduzco, and Abigail Whiston.

The Riverhawks finished third in the regular season standings, behind Kennewick and Hanford, to earn the Class 4A district title.

“My girls just came together and really wanted it,” said Chiawana coach David Gussenhoven. “They put together some good Bakers.”

Gussenhoven believes some teams at state may overlook his Riverhawks.

“On paper, we don’t look like a very strong team,” he said. “But these girls are really good at bowling under pressure.”

He mentions Bolson, a freshman who has rolled some clutch strikes or spares in the 10th frame to give the Riverhawks the win.

“She’s done that three or four times this season,” he said.

He adds that to do well at state, his team will need to consistently close their frames.

“Spares win games,” said Gussenhoven. “That’s something that I’ve always preached as a coach.”

Meanwhile, Pasco coach Teresa Chavez wasn’t expecting a big season from her Bulldogs.

After all, they graduated four of their five starters from last season’s second-place state team.

And when Pasco finished MCC play with a 6-10 record, there were no lofty expectations – although Chavez expected her lone returning starter, senior Brandy Castaneda, to qualify for state.

After all, she was the fifth-best scorer in MCC play this season, at 170.53 pins a game.

“We were focused on this being a rebuilding year,” said Chavez, who has taken a number of Bulldogs bowling teams to state over the years. “Although we were more focused on the district tournament.”

And the Bulldogs stepped up their games last week at that district tournament, grabbing the second Class 4A state tournament berth.

Besides Castaneda, other Bulldogs heading to state are Ahlee Britton, Ailani Chavez, Itzel Hernandez, Yarelly Ramirez, and Bailey Stark.

Asked if she thought this was her best coaching job yet, Chavez demurs.

“I don’t think so,” she said. “Our girls don’t bowl year round like most of the other girls in this league. Our girls play other sports. But when you look at girls sports in general, if you don’t get along with each other, you struggle.

“These girls’ chemistry with each other is awesome, and they get along,” Chavez continued. “They’re good friends, and I feel that’s why Pasco does so well. They’re at the bowling center Monday through Saturday every week. They spend two-plus hours with each other every day. Sometimes I just want to go home, but I stay with them because they want to keep working.”

Playing at state, Chavez, is a reward for all that hard work.

“It’s gonna be fun no matter what happens,” she said.

Also qualifying as individuals are three girls from Hanford: Roslyn Djang, Suzanne Gelston and Sadie Smith.

Walla Walla’s Morgan Sucharda also qualified for the state 4A tournament.

BOWLING NOTES: The tournament format for both 3A and 4A starts with individual scoring on Friday, as every bowler in competition will roll six games. The individual champion for both 3A and 4A is crowned that night. On Saturday, the team competition takes over, with each team rolling 14 Baker games. The score between everyone’s individual games and the Baker games are added together, and the state champion teams are determined. … Kennewick placed seventh out of eight teams last year in the 3A tournament, but Southridge’s Omlor finished fourth as an individual. … Pasco was a second-place 4A team last season, and Castaneda finished seventh as an individual. … Final MCC standings: 1. Kennewick 16-0; 2. Hanford 13-3; 3. Chiawana 10-6; 4. Southridge 7-9; 5. (tie), Hermiston 6-10, Pasco 6-10, Richland 6-10, Walla Walla 6-10; 9. Kamiakin 2-14.

Other notes

• Congratulations to Chiawana boys basketball head coach Chad Herron, whose Riverhawks beat Southridge 106-57 on Tuesday night.

That was Herron’s 250th victory as a head coach.

Tuesday also marked the first time junior Kobe Young played this season. Young, who has an offer from Idaho State University, has been recovering from a broken foot suffered in football season. He played 6 minutes and 28 seconds on Tuesday, scoring 2 points and grabbing 2 rebounds, as he slowly acclimates to competition.

• Kennewick senior defensive end Jagger Childs signed a letter of intent Wednesday morning to play football this coming fall for Weber State in Ogden, Utah.

• Sunnyside wide receiver Mike Rivera has agreed to a Preferred Walk-On offer from Eastern Washington University.