The holidays brought an end to the junior varsity season for Seymour High School bowling, and the JV No. 2 team ended its season with a bang.
At the Bloomington meet Saturday, the team competed in the South Central Indiana Conference JV tournament.
After two regular games of competition, the team sat in third place, down 70 pins, with only the top two teams advancing.
The third game did not start well, but starting in the fourth frame, things quickly turned around.
The team made up its 70-pin deficit and added 40 more to jump into second place and a chance at the championship.
In the roll-off baker games, Seymour opened strong with back-to-back strikes from Micah Maschino and Jessica Shunney.
They would go on to defeat Columbus North JV No. 1 150-140 in the opening game.
The second game was much closer with Columbus defeating Seymour 134-132, but that wasn’t enough to override their defeat in the first game, giving Seymour the champion- ship 282-274.
The bowlers’ scores in the team event also carried over to a singles roll-off. Seymour’s Luke Lanam finished third in the boys event, and Maschino finished second for the girls.
This team was comprised of four eighth-graders and a sophomore. Bowlers included Shunney, Maschino, Lilly Kelly, Lanam and Kenny Kelly.
For the varsity bowlers, the season continues into the new year with the conference position rounds Jan. 6 in Columbus. The conference sectional will be Jan. 13 in Bloomington.
Currently, the Seymour boys sit in fourth place at 10-3, while the girls, who have bowled shorthanded most of the season, are 0-13.
Organized high school events are not the only bowling going on in the area.
On Oct. 28, the SCIC conducted its annual alumni and scholarship tournament at Scottsburg Lanes.
Winning the alumni event was former Seymour bowler Logan Hayes. Seymour bowler Trace Cooper won the boys division.
On Nov. 12, Bloomington’s Classic Lanes hosted a scholarship/fundraiser tournament. Seymour’s Trevor Lawson took home the win.
On Dec. 3, Columbus Bowling Center hosted a fundraiser youth/adult tournament for Columbus North bowling.
Cooper and coach Bill Barr took the win, and coach Robert Field and Colton Hayes followed close behind. Hayes rolled a perfect 300 game in the contest.
The push for the middle school season will be on in early February and will be hosted this year by Scottsburg Lanes. Fliers will come out in late January.
Middle school bowling is open for grades 6, 7 and 8.
“Not having a bowling alley in town is making it difficult for us to recruit high school bowlers, even with all of the support that we get from the administration and folks at the school,” Seymour coach Shannon Kelly said.
“We need kids and families that are interested in learning a new sport and willing to make a commitment to working hard and traveling with us to practice all while making good grades, of course. Grades will always come before bowling.”