For the second straight year, the Cleveland Central High School Wolves took home the state runner-up trophy as they finished second in the Class II Boys State Bowling Tournament on Friday (Jan. 31) at Fannin Lanes in Brandon.
The Wolves bowled a score of 3,657 to finish 105 pins behind first place Hancock (3,762).
The Wolves bowled a 937 in the first game, a 953 in the second game, a 915 in the third game and an 852 in the second game. Hancock bowled a 977 in the first game, a 940 in the second game, 915 in the third game and a 930 in the fourth game.
CCHS Head Bowling Coach Wade McLemore said it simply wasn’t meant to be for the Wolves.
“We were right there at it,” said Wolves Head Bowling Coach Wade McLemore. “We had some tough conditions, but everybody bowled in the same place and the same conditions. We had a very different shot from lane 15 to 16. There was nobody that bowled their average today other than Cason Brinkley and Logan Mann who split two games apiece. When I look at it, we were down but a lot of people were under what they were expected to bowl.
“The boys did absolutely everything they could. They were trying to adjust things and make small adjustments. We just couldn’t figure it out. I can’t fault the effort, and bad breaks happen in any sport. The effort and mentality were there, but it didn’t go our way.”
David Wardlow led the Wolves with a 768 series with a high score of 226. Curtis VanDaley bowled a 733 series with a high score of 199, Jayden Moore rolled a 718 series with a high score of 212; Bobby Irby bowled a 702 series with a high score of 206, Brinkley delivered a two-game series of 390 with a high score of 201, and Mann bowled a 346 two-game series with a high score of 185.