With the sectional tournament just over a week away, Milford’s boys’ and girls’ bowling teams have their eyes firmly set on a postseason run.
The Eagles had their last match of the season against Anderson on Tuesday, Feb. 7 and turned their focus following that match to their postseason aspirations.
Head coach Frank Ritzmann is pleased with what both of his teams have been able to accomplish this year.
“When we started off, I thought if we could be middle of the road with how young we are, having only two bowlers with varsity experience, that would be alright and that’s what we are,” Ritzmann said.
The boys’ varsity team is 10-9 on the season and 9-6 in the Fort Ancient Valley Conference.
Milford’s boys only have one senior on the team, Jordan Marshall. Marshall is the team captain and has an average of 176.2 with a high game of 254. Last year Marshall’s average was 134, so for him to improve by that margin is something Ritzmann is pleased about.
“Our leading bowler is sophomore Kyle Chance,” Ritzmann said. “He’s averaging a 183.”
Chance’s high game is a 233 and he ranks 27th in the FAVC in average.
Chance is aided by junior Zach Wilson who currently has an average of 178.7 and a high game of 246.
“We bowled in an invitational only tournament in Columbus,” Ritzmann said. “We did well there and I think it kick-started the kids.
“We hit a midseason snag and didn’t bowl that well in the middle of the year, but I expect us to come back pretty strong in the tournament.”
Ritzmann believes that Chance has the best shot for the Eagles to send someone upstate.
“Kyle has been the most consistent and has a good chance to make it up state,” Ritzmann said. “Three years ago I had Jason Ashcraft go to state and Kyle is just as far along as a sophomore as he was, so I think he might have a shot.”
The Milford Lady Eagles are enjoying a successful season, sitting at 13-6 overall and 10-5 in the FAVC, good enough for third place in the East Division.
“We have four seniors and two sophomores,” Ritzmann said. “Right now, our top bowler is senior Jessica Olson with a 160 average. She’s improved her average by 15 pins over last year.”
Olson has a high game of 204 and her average has her 13th in the FAVC. Olson has an average of just two pins more than teammate Delaney Ward.
The girls are a much more experienced group and with that, Ritzmann expected good things from his girls’ team.
“We had high expectations for this team coming into the year,” he said. “With four bowlers coming back – and three of them starters – we’ve pretty much achieved our goals.
“Earlier in the season we beat Wilmington for the first time since I’ve been coaching. Hopefully we have a good showing and qualify for regionals (as a team.)”
Ritzmann believes his girls’ team has what it takes to get out of sectionals as a team and face the challenge of the teams from all over southwest Ohio.
“I think as a team we have a good chance of going from sectionals to regionals, but that’s where you meet the teams from north of Dayton and it gets really tough to advance past there.”
The girls will have their chance to get to that regional meet when they bowl in their sectional tournament on Feb. 17 at Crossgate Lanes. The boys begin their march upstate on Feb 15 at Colerain Lanes.
