The Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s fifth annual State Bowling Championships will get rolling Thursday, with Henry Clay looking to repeat on the boys side and a new champion set to be crowned in girls competition.
Bowling will begin at 10:10 a.m. Thursday with boys and girls singles competition at Collins Eastland in Lexington. Scott County senior Sarah Doyle is back to defend her title from last season. Bourbon County’s Shane Dunsing, last year’s boys champion, graduated.
Girls qualifiers from the Louisville area were Pleasure Ridge Park’s Michaela Payne and Morgan Rush; Male’s Kayla Shannon, Tayler Denney and Sydney Underwood; Sacred Heart’s Ashley Moch; Mercy’s Brenna Robbins; and Bullitt Central’s Dallas Taylor.
Boys who qualified from the Louisville area were PRP’s Denver Wilson and Clayton Cox; St. Xavier’s Brandon Flora and Robbie Gronefeld; Fairdale’s Jeremy Whobrey; Ballard’s Andrew Kaelin; Fern Creek’s Jared Armstrong; and Eastern’s Jacob Rowan.
Team competition is set for Friday. Boys qualifying will start at 7:50 a.m., with the final set for approximately 12:15 p.m. Girls qualifying is set for 1:35 p.m., with the final slated for approximately 5:15 p.m.
PRP, Butler, Trinity and Ballard will compete in the boys event. Mercy, Bullitt East, Male and Manual qualified on the girls side.
The PRP boys team was the state runner-up to Henry Clay last season. The PRP girls team had won two straight state titles and three of the previous four but was knocked off by Bullitt East in the semifinals of the Region Three Tournament.