Composed of a tough field, the Oxford Wildcats boys’ and girls’ bowling teams got their seasons rolling in the North Farmington Early Bird Tournament at Novi Bowl on Dec. 7.
Finishing third among 21 competing schools, the Wildcats boys’ team posted a tournament high third game of 1,044. While this total jumps off the page, the boys had a chance to compete for the title but were undone by a poor second game.
Looking to gain valuable experience moving forward, head coach JR Lafnear made the decision to enter his junior varsity team in this event, as well. Proving their coach right and showing the program is in good hands moving forward, the junior varsity boys finished seventh – four spots behind Oxford’s normal varsity lineup. Competing for the junior varsity team, sophomore Blake Denning was the Wildcats’ top-scorer on the day with a total of 658.
“The boys know they let a great chance to win the event slip away from them,” Lafnear said. “It was a great learning experience and shows you can never let up. This was a fantastic field and to finish third here is no easy feat, but we really had a chance to win it all.”
The girls finished seventh out of 16 schools on their side. A young team, their varsity roster currently features three sophomores – Ashley Bales, Lily Boothe and Grace Meyer – and a junior, Mya Bruno.
“Our girls battled like champs today and got better as the day went on,” Lafnear stated. “There are a lot of new faces on that team and we will be fine. We will be better later (in the season) than earlier with this group.”
Hosting the event, the bowlers also took part in the Oakland Activities Association Singles Championships on Dec. 9 at Collier Lanes. Featuring 78 participants from schools across the conference, junior Luke Acton led the way for Oxford with a fourth-place finish. Classmate Justin Sisson also advanced to the quarterfinals, finishing in the top-eight.