COLUMBUS — In every team sport, there is just one that ends on a happy note. Benjamin Logan has now became one of those fortunate few.
The Raiders battled their way through a tough field to claim the Division II state championship in boys bowling on Saturday at HP Lanes.
They defeated Marion Pleasant 3-2 in a five-game series for the title, the first OHSAA team championship in school history.
“Last year this team finished sixth in the state and that left them hungry for more,” said head coach Barney Sullivan. “They were not satisfied. Several of them worked hard during the offseason to improve their skill set. Saturday’s championship was a culmination of those efforts.”
The field was made up of 16 teams, who had three regulation games and five Baker games to determine the top eight, which then advanced to the championship bracket.
Ben Logan had regular games of 971, 1,012, and 1,071 for a total of 3,054.
Senior Jarrett Buckenroth led the team with a 738 series (268-247-223), followed by senior Landon Stoodt at 691 (169-243-279). Buckenroth’s score was fourth overall, earning him a spot on the all-Ohio first team.
In the third game, Stoodt had nine strikes before leaving one pin standing on his first ball of the 10th frame. He closed out with the spare and one more strike. He earned honorable mention for all-Ohio by finishing 12th overall.
Next were senior Caleb Knight with a 608 (234-192-182) and senior Nate Davis with 502 (157-184-161). Sophomore Dylan Stewart had a 226 in the third game.
The Baker games scores were 180, 170, 166, 212, and 190 for a total of 918. Contributing were Conner Chambers, Wyatt LeVan and Colton Klopfenstein.
The combined total of 3,972 was seventh, putting them in the bracket. That used a best-of-five Baker games setup.
The Raiders first took on Mechanicsburg, which had finished second in the preliminary round.
The Raiders won in three straight, 180-145, 215-140 and 176-156.
Advancing to the semifinals, they faced Northwestern. This went four games. Ben Logan won the first by one pin, 198-197. Northwestern took the second by five, 222-217. The Raiders then got wins of 248-226 and 235-203 to move on.
The championship match put them up against defending champion Marion Pleasant.
Coach Sullivan noted that he had to put in freshman Conner Chambers in the fourth Baker game. “Conner came off the bench cold and under intense pressure, but persevered for the team and was integral in helping win the championship. I was extremely proud of how he performed under pressure,” he said.
The Spartans won the opening game 300 to Ben Logan’s 166.
“I wasn’t sure how our team would react,” said Sullivan. “Once I saw the expressions on their faces and the look in their eyes, I knew they would be OK because the fire was still in their eyes, with ice in their veins. If you watch the final game on (our) Facebook page, you will see some of the most intense high school bowling of your lifetime.”
The Raiders took game two, 194-186, but Pleasant got a 265-192 win to go ahead 2-1.
The Raiders knocked down 257 in game four to the Spartans’ 224, forcing a final tiebreaker. That went to the Raiders by a count of 270 to 257.
Entering the 10th frame, Pleasant had seven strikes and the Raiders had put up six.
Pleasant got a spare to open, while Buckenroth threw a strike.
After another strike by Pleasant, the Raiders got a strike to clinch the championship.
Buckenroth then closed out with one more strike to make it nine straight.
In the regular season, the Raiders went 14-2 in the Central Buckeye Conference and 16-2 overall, repeating as Mad River division champs.
Buckenroth was named first-team all-CBC. He was also selected Bowler of the Year with a 218 average and was the team’s Sportsmanship Award winner.
Knight, Stoodt, Davis and Stewart made the second team.
The only losses were to Jonathan Alder in the season opener on Nov. 20, and to Northwestern on Jan. 23.
They took first at sectionals and third at districts.
Davis recorded a 300 game on Dec. 17 in a match against Graham.
The team won the Kings Classic and repeated as champs at the Muskingum University Invitational in mid-January.
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Pirates’ Crouch makes all-Ohio
Also competing on Saturday was Riverside sophomore Cooper Crouch, doing so as an individual.
Crouch had a three game series of 222, 259 and 246 for a 727 total. That was fifth overall and earned him a spot on the all-state first team, along with Buckenroth.