By Chris Chaney
Sun staff
A great start to the 2013-14 bowling season has Goshen head coach Shirley Reynolds excited about the prospect of advancing individuals upstate at the end of the season.
“Up to this point (both teams) have been awesome,” she said. “(The boys) are 9-4. I’ve had several 400 series. We had a first-year bowler get his first 200 game and he was ecstatic.
“The girls are doing just as well. The scores are not as high as the boys, but they’re up there with them in terms of record. They are 9-3.”
The boys’ team is led by Lucky Singleton, Stevie Short, Joe Koepke and Travis Scheadler. Singleton has shot three 400 series with a high game of 247. He has also topped the 200 barrier on six different occasions.
Short topped out this season with a 416 series, which included a 224 game. According to Reynolds’ records, Short has bowled three 200-plus games, a big improvement from last year.
Scheadler, the Warriors’ first-year bowler that Reynolds’ referenced earlier, rolled a season-high 408 series with his 216 game.
“Travis has really bloomed,” Reynolds said. “I’ve started using him on individual games and he’s just been awesome.”
Senior Rian Adams leads the girls’ team. Adams has rolled a high series of 396 with a 215 game. Reynolds said that Adams has been the best member of the girls’ squad and the most consistent as well.
Senior Alisha Bennett has been the most improved for the Lady Warriors, Reynolds said. She worked on her game over the summer and her hard work is paying off this season for Goshen.
First-year bowler Sarah Daniels has contributed as well, rolling a high of 235. Hannah Schafer also returns this season for the Lady Warriors. Schafer, who finished in 24th at the sectional tournament last season, has had an up and down season, but Reynolds is hoping that her junior can even things out and go on to have a successful season.
Reynolds believes that both teams can go on to match or surpass the success that her teams had last season, both of which won around 18 matches.
“We’ve done and did the hardest part of our season already,” Reynolds explained. “We’ve had more matches already than we will have (in 2014). If they keep going the way they’re going and keep listening and bowling as well as they have been, I think they could be as good as the teams we had last year.”
While the Warriors are finished bowling this calendar year, they will start up again on Jan. 8 with a handful of matches that should get the team in shape for the sectional tournament on Feb. 19 for the boys and Feb. 13 for the girls.
As far as expectations for the postseason, Reynolds said she thinks a handful of her bowlers have the potential to qualify to the district tournament.
“I would say Joe Koepke, Lucky Singleton, Stevie Shorts and Rian Adams and Hannah Schafer could advance as individuals to districts,” Reynolds said.
With such a deep and talented pool of bowlers, advancing as a team could be a tall task, but Reynolds said she thinks her top individuals have what it takes.
The boys will compete in the Division I sectional being drawn to compete at Crossgate Lanes or Colerain Bowl on Feb. 19, while the girls will compete in the Division II sectional at Colerain Bowl on Feb. 13.
For more information on the bowling sectionals and lane assignments, log on to swdab.org.