By Rubin E. Grant
Just four pins. That’s all that kept Spain Park from repeating as Class 6A-7A state bowling champions.
The Jaguars fell 181-177 to Sparkman in the decisive seventh Baker game to lose the finals series 4-3 on Jan. 27 at The Alley in Gadsden.
“We are disappointed, but we fought hard,” Spain Park coach Stephen Hobbs said. “We played good solid matches in the quarters and the semis. Sparkman was a really good team. I’ve got to give it to them. It was a tough, back-and-forth seven-game match, but they deserved to win. They did what they needed to do.”
The Jags were down 3-2 but then bowled 245 to force the seventh game.
“In game 6, we rolled eight strikes, but in game 7, those strikes turned into nines,” Hobbs said. “Nines in bowling are a backbreaker.”
The Jags finished the traditional round as top seed and reached the finals with two 4-1 wins against American Christian and Hartselle in the quarterfinals and semifinals.
In the finals, Spain Park finished with 1,339 pins to Sparkman’s 1,267, but the Senators came up clutch in the seventh game.
The Jags had four bowlers make the all-tournament team. Senior Ethan Lee was the top bowler, bowling a three-game total of 615. Junior Michael Kimble was second with 606 pins over three games. Liam Hilson was fifth with a 586 and Luke Eaton was eighth with 578.
“I couldn’t be more proud,” Hobbs said. “We had the No. 1 and No. 2 players and the No. 5 and 8.
“I’m very pleased. We can hold our heads high. We have established ourselves as one of the top bowling programs in the state.”
Vestavia Hills Boys Finish Third
The Vestavia Hills boys finished third in Class 6A-7A, beating Spanish Fort 4-1 in the quarterfinals before falling to Sparkman 4-3 in the semifinals.
The Rebels led the Senators 3-2 after five games, but Sparkman won 201-162 and 161-156 in the final two games to win the match.
In the traditional series, Douglas Dellaccio rolled a 581 over three games to finish sixth overall and make the all-tournament team.
Oak Mountain Girls Reach Semis
The Oak Mountain girls reached the Class 6A-7A semifinals for the first time in program history before falling to Sparkman 4-2. The match was tied 2-2 before the Senators won the final two games.
American Christian beat Sparkman in six games in the final to win the state title.
In the quarterfinals, the Eagles rallied from a 3-2 deficit to defeat Baker 4-3, winning the final two games 130-115 and 151-111.
Oak Mountain’s Emma Hawkins and Grace Smith earned all-state honors. Hawkins was fourth, as she bowled games of 159, 160 and 175 to total 494. Smith was eighth, bowling 128, 198 and 145 for a total of 471.
Meanwhile, the John Carroll Catholic girls were eliminated in the Class 1A-5A quarterfinals, losing 4-2 to Southside-Gadsden.
The Cavaliers’ Maggie Mackin bowled 453 over three games in the traditional series to make all-tournament.
