On Saturday, January 21, the boys attended the Zeeland East Invitational at Fairlanes. Heading into this tournament, the boys were confident that they would make it somewhat far in the tournament but that confidence was soon crushed.

The boys lost in the first round of playoffs against Calvin Christian due to poor performance. The whole day was rough for them and it was like a roller coaster. The team would have a tremendous one-game score of 180-200, then crash and bowl a 130 the next. Having these ginormous score fluctuations led to the downfall of the team.

They played well enough to be seeded in the middle but that shocked the boys. They were expecting to be seeded near last because of how they bowled below average. Tiredness grew across the whole team.

This tournament was a baker game tournament, which emphasizes the team aspect way more than individual games. Even if one player performs excellently, that only affects two out of ten frames. In the athletic world, you tend to hear the statement, “He/she carried the team.” In bowling, that phrase has some effect but not enough to have a successful ending. The team aspect was affected due to the loss of Luke Stiles. Luke woke up sick Saturday morning and his absence impacted the team since Luke is an integral part of the team. He is an exceptional bowler and a great teammate. The positivity he brings into matches is noticeable and lacking that at this tournament was not helpful. Learning from this, the team knows they must fill the void if they are missing a teammate.

Overall, this tournament will be forgotten and put behind the team. This Monday, the boys will be playing rival Forest Hills Northern at Eastbrook Lanes.