Following a trio of dual competitions, the Wayne High girls and boys varsity bowling teams competed in their first tournament on Monday following a postponement from the weekend.
From Kings Lanes in Norfolk, the Blue Devils took part in the Boone Central Invite to open the week which showcased a loaded field of past state qualifiers and quality bowlers on both sides.
The Wayne High girls bowling team earned the #2 seed following pinfall victories of 817-443 over Boone Central, 811-749 against Fremont and 845-726 over Howells-Dodge while suffering an 831-822 loss to Norfolk.
Among the top eight, the Blue Devil girls swept Hartington-Newcastle and Grand Island Northwest to earn a rematch with Norfolk in the finals. It took all five games to decide the champion as Norfolk edged Wayne 3-2 with Wayne taking the runner-up title of the Boone Central Invite.
Wayne would go 5-2 on the day with the only losses coming to Norfolk. Wayne improved to 8-2 on the season. In the individual portion of the tournament, the Blue Devils were led by tournament bronze medalist Graycen Trautman followed by Lindsay Niemann (seventh) and Sammi Gubbels (eighth).
Head Blue Devil bowling coach Josh Johnson said, “the girls really grew up today (Monday). We have a lot of new faces in new places learning new roles. They really did a great job of battling throughout the day. They were super disappointed in the runner up finish but they learned a lot today. We will get back to work the rest of the week.”
The Wayne High boys bowling team earned the #1 seed following pinfall victories over Boone Central (960-630), Norfolk (942-783), WHS bowled their second highest score in team history over Fremont (1,082-945) and Howells-Dodge (924-705).
Wayne won all three games over Howells-Dodge, picked up a 3-1 victory against Grand Island Northwest and swept York in the finals to be crowned Booe Central champs for the second straight year. In the bracket series against Howells-Dodge, Wayne’s second game of 259 was the second-best score in school history.
The Wayne boys are now 10-0 on the season. In the individual portion of the tournament, Wayne was led by Konnor Kai’s third place finish followed by Aiden Petersen (fifth) and Dylan Jensen (10th).
Coach Johnson added, “the boys played extremely well today (Monday). The lanes broke down and the shot changed a bunch but they fought through it. There were some really good teams there and to be able to come out on top was really awesome. Each of the seven guys on varsity gave us some critical frames throughout the day. It was truly a team effort. I am so proud of their selfless attitude.”
In the girls division, Wayne first defeated Boone Central (817-443) sweeping all individual matches. Winners included Madi Janke (199), Sammi Gubbels (150), Regan Fernau / Rylin Hall (148), Graycen Trautman (169) and Lindsay Niemann (151). Wayne would win the match 8-0.
Game two was a great matchup between the top two teams for the day, Wayne and Norfolk. The two teams would battle back and forth all game. No team could find a way to pull away. It came down to the tenth frame and Norfolk would eke out an 822-831 victory over the Blue Devils. Winning points for Wayne were Madi Janke (150) and Lindsay Niemann (193). Other scorers for Wayne were Sammi Gubbels (172), Rylin Hall (137) and Graycen Trautman (170). Wayne would lose the overall match 2-6.
Game three put the Lady Blue Devils against another Class A school in Fremont. The two teams would go back and forth through the first few frames but Wayne would find a way to pull away in the middle frames. The Lady Blue Devils would play steady down the stretch for an 811-749 pinfall win. Winning individual matches for Wayne were Madi Janke (141), Sammi Gubbels (205) and Lindsay Niemann (151). Other scorers were Regan Fernau (130) and Graycen Trautman (181). Wayne would win match three against Fremont 6-2.
Game four found Wayne against Howells-Dodge. The Jaguars would come out and play well early and build as much as a 50 pin lead on the Blue Devils. However, Wayne would play extremely steady down the stretch and pull away for an 845-726 pinfall victory. Winning matches for Wayne individually were Madi Janke (141), Sammi Gubbels (152), Regan Fernau (172) and Lindsay Niemann (185). Another scorer for Wayne was Graycen Trautman (195). Wayne would win match four 7-1. After the first four games, the top 8 teams would find themselves in a baker style tournament bracket. The Lady Blue Devils earned the second seed.
Match one had the Lady Blue Devils against Hartington-Newcastle. Wayne would get off to a hot start and never look back, winning all three games with scores of 199-127, 241-126 and 162-148.
Wayne would go on to face Northwest in match two. The Lady Blue Devils would continue their solid play and again win all three games with scores of 169-151, 175-167 and 215-175.
The two wins would put Wayne in the finals against the top seeded Norfolk Panthers. The two teams battled back and forth in an epic final five baker style game match.
Game one would go to Norfolk 149-150 but Wayne would bounce back in game two 178-145. Norfolk would again win a close one in game three 161-165. It was Wayne’s turn in game four however to win a close one 161-160. It then all came down to game five. Norfolk came out hot in game five but Wayne would claw back in the middle to late frames. The two teams battled into the 9th and 10th frames. Norfolk would hold off Wayne with a 176-190 win.
During the boys division, Wayne also started their day against the host team of Boone Central. Each Blue Devil would win their match including Dylan Jensen (180), Jamison Meyer / Alex Rodriguez (180), Ben Haschke / Jaden Dramse (208), Konnor Kai (199) and Aiden Petersen (193). Wayne would win the head to head match 8-0.
Wayne’s next match would be against Norfolk High. Wayne would again get out to a fast start and would win the pinfall match 942-783. The Blue Devils would once again win all the individual matches. Winning matches in game 2 were Dylan Jensen (166), Jamison Meyer (171), Ben Haschke / Jaden Dramse (193), Konnor Kai / Alex Rodriguez (210) and Aiden Petersen (202). Wayne would win the head to head match 8-0.
Game 3 would pit the top 2 teams up to that point for the day, Fremont vs Wayne. Wayne would get off to a fast start and the two teams would battle through the first half of the game. The Blue Devils would finish strong and would go on to win the pinfall match 1082-945. The 1082 score is the second highest in school history. Winning matches for the Blue Devils were Dylan Jensen (226), Konnor Kai (242) and Aiden Petersen (234). Other scorers for Wayne were Alex Rodriguez (221) and Ben Haschke / Jaden Dramse (159). Wayne would win the head to head match 6-2.
Wayne’s 4th match was against Howells-Dodge. The Blue Devils got off quick and would go on to win the pinfall match 924-705. All 5 Wayne bowlers would go on to individual matches. Winners included Dylan Jensen / Jaden Dramse (183), Alex Rodriguez (187), Ben Haschke / Jamison Meyer (167), Konnor Kai (202) and Aiden Petersen (185). Wayne would win the overall match 8-0.
After the 4 individual games all ten teams would be seeded by their pinfall. Wayne’s pinfall total earned the Blue Devils the #1 seed. The top 8 teams would go on to play in bracket play to determine the tournament champion.
Match one pitted the Blue Devils against Howells-Dodge. Wayne put the pressure on the Jaguars early and often and won the match 3-0. The series was highlighted by 2nd game 259 which is 2nd best in school history.
Wayne’s second match was against Northwest. The two teams would bounce back and forth throughout the match. Wayne would win game one 189-161 but lose game two 153-163. Game three the Blue Devils would get hot and win 201-169. Game four would go back and forth but it would be Wayne that would get the 188-177 win. Wayne would find themselves in the Championship match against York. Wayne would put early pressure on York in each game and win all three games by a total of 162-140, 193-162 and 199-165. The win would give the Blue Devils the overall tournament championship for the second year in a row.
Coach Johnson mentioned, “I am so proud of both teams. They came to play today (Monday) and have really started the season well. I look forward to getting back to practice and working on getting even better.”
The Wayne High girls and boys bowling teams will next host Thurston-Cuming County on Friday, Dec. 20 at 4:30 p.m. from Wildcat Lanes in Wayne. The Blue Devils will also host Plainview on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 10 a.m.
