Oxford’s bowlers, both the boys and the girls,  started their seasons with strong showings at the Early Bird Tournament on Dec. 1 in Novi. The ladies took home first and the boys finished second. The team also competed in the OAA Singles competition on Dec. 3.

The girls, Michigan’s defending state champions, claimed third in the event last year and were looking to improve their placement. The team scored a fair 763 in the baker round, and scored a strong 909 in the second round.

In the final round, senior Megan Armbruster and sophomore Grace Meyer led the Wildcats with scores of 238 and 222, respectively. Under their leadership, the ladies racked up 1,010 in the final round to claim first place. The ladies were the only team at the tournament to score a round above 1,000.

“The girls showed toughness (on Saturday),” said Head Coach JR Lafnear. “They bowled as a team and everyone pitched in. Everyone had a roll in this (victory) from the seniors to the girls coming off the bench.”

The boys, coming off a win in the tournament last year, were predicted to perform well and delivered on that expectation. The baker rounds were weak, but junior Luke Acton rallied the team and led them in points with games of 202, 255 and 267. With his strong series, the Wildcats finished the third round with 1022 points and were able to claim second place.

“The team showed both their talent and their youth (on Saturday),” Lafnear said. “It’s going to be a stronger team by the end of the year and with the talent we have the sky is the limit. It will be a roller coaster ride.”

On Dec. 3, Oxford had several bowlers remain competitive throughout the OAA Singles Championships.

Two of Oxford’s girls made it to the final eight. Armbruster finished the ladies competition in fifth with games of 224, 212 and 185 and her teammate senior Claire Sandstrom landed seventh place with games of 178, 159 and 230.

As for the boys, sophomore Collin Massie went all the way to the final four, only being beaten by the competition’s eventual winner from Farmington Harrison. Massie bowled games of 226, 265 and 237. Acton came in 11th place after bowling a 631 series.

Both teams will be back at it on Dec. 8 competing away in the Cougar Classic.