Following a Class B state runner-up finish last year, the Wayne High boys bowling team will look to take the next step up on the podium and joined the Blue Devil girls advancing their team and individuals to state.
Back at Hilltop Lanes in Dodge, the Class B-4 District showcased six teams on Wednesday.
In the team race, Wayne High picked up a 3-0 victory over Norfolk Catholic and won 3-1 against Hartington-Newcastle in the finals.
In the individual competition, Aiden Petersen posted a 596 series to be crowned district champion followed by Dylan Jensen as district runner-up with a 567 series as Benjamin Haschke took fifth (536) to round out the top five state qualifiers. Non-qualifying medalists were Blake Smith (sixth) and Konnor Kai (10th).
Head coach Josh Johnson said, “I was really pleased with how the guys battled all day. They were really frustrated but they kept adjusting and trying new things. This will bode well for them next week at state as the lanes there are usually quite challenging. The Baker games were not always pretty but we found a way to get through them and get the win. We have three more practices and will need to work hard on finding the pocket and picking up spares. I am excited for next week to see what happens with this team. ”
The Wayne boys started the day on lanes three and four and found the oil to be much like the girls the day before, slick. Wayne fought to find a line up the second arrow with little to no back end for the ball to finish. The first game was tough for all six teams as not one bowler found the 200 pin mark. The Blue Devils battled well and shot 821 and had themselves in the early team lead.
The second game, Wayne put together a few strikes and picked up more of their spares to shoot a 931 and extend their lead in the overall standings. Game two did see its first two 200s with Aiden Petersen’s 224 being the highest of the day to that point.
The oil began to break down a little by game three and the Blue Devils were able to put together some strikes. Dylan Jensen was able to put a bunch of those strikes together and shoot the high game of the day with a 240. Wayne would shoot a 954 as a team and again extend its lead.
After three games, the Blue Devils found themselves seeded first for the Baker game portion of the tournament.
The Blue Devils found themselves in their first match against Norfolk Catholic. The Knights played extremely well and pushed the Blue Devils in each game. Wayne was able to get enough down the stretch in each game (171-160, 189-150 and 169-153) to win the first round match.
The victory put the Blue Devils in the Championship match against Hartington-Newcastle. These two teams have battled each other for the District Championship the past two years.
The match was intense with neither team really gaining any traction. Game one went to Wayne as they were able to build an early lead and hold on for a 168-144 victory. Game two, however, saw Hartington use solid middle frames to build a lead and hold on 166-152.nThe Blue Devils would come out quick in game three and cruise to a 180-160 victory. In game four, Wayne found themselves in an early hole by as many as 20 pins. A key double in the middle frames and a washout pick up by Blake Smith caught the Blue Devils back up by the eighth frame. A crucial strike by Senior Jaden Dramse in the eighth and a spare by Konnor Kai in the ninth put the pressure back on Hartington. The Wildcats were unable to mark in the 10th and Wayne was able to hold on for a 156-145 win.
Wayne would go on to win the match 3-1 and thus win the Class B District 4 Championship and qualify for the State tournament next week in Lincoln.
