From the AHSAA
GADSDEN – No. 7 seed Hewitt-Trussville beat remarkable odds to advance to the semifinals The Huskies defeated defending state champion Sparkman 4-3 despite trailing in by 157 total pins. The Senators totaled a first-round high of 1,380 pints with a 221 in the third game, 203 in the fourth game and 244 in sixth game.
Hewitt-Trussville’s bowling team beat Spain Park 4-3 on Wednesday, November 10, 2021 to open the season. The Huskies fell to the Jags in the semifinals of the state championship bowling tournament on Friday, January 28, 2022. (Photo by Bobby Mathews)
The decisive factor came in the fourth and seven games, however, when the Huskies won by eight and two pins. But when the dust settled following the semifinals Friday, the championship came down to a City of Hoover finale with Hoover and Spain Park.
Hoover High School’s top-seeded boys’ bowling team came close to perfection Friday afternoon in game three of the AHSAA Class 6A/7A State Bowling Championships with its five bowlers knocking down 10 strikes in a row to finish with a 288-203 victory over city rival Spain Park to take a 2-1 lead the finals at The Alley Bowling Center.
Bucs bowlers A.J. Nelson, Connor Davis, Rhett Pearson, Carter Hughes and Alex Lee combined for two strikes each but the bid for the AHSAA’s first perfect 300 game as a team came up short when Hoover, coached by Dustin Edgar, left two pins standing on the 11th roll to finish with a state-record 288-203 victory.
The historic game didn’t faze the Jaguars of Coach Stephen Hobbs, however. Spain Park’s strong lineup of Russell Partin, Lucas Mitchell, Cole Henson, Ethan Lee and Michael Kimble responded with nine strikes to win the next game 279-188 to tie the contest at 2-2 and closed out the comeback taking game five 246-191 and game six 201-143 to claim the 6A/7A boys’ state championship 4-2. It was the Jags’ third state title over and the first since winning back to back 2016 and 2017 in the first two years the AHSAA offered bowling as a championship sport.
Sparkman’s girls, coached by Lisa Ivey, rolled to their second straight Class 6A/7A state championship besting Stanhope Elmore 4-0 in the finals. It was the Lady Senators’ third state crown overall winning the title in 2016 and 2021. The strong lineup anchored by Emily Lindsey, Jenna Webber, Angela Webber, Natalie Alsup and Kaity Alexander outscored the Mustangs 758-642 in the finals with rounds of 209, 201, 183 and 165 in the final match.
Sparkman also had little trouble beating Gulf Shores 4-0 and Southside-Gadsden 4-1 in the first two rounds. Stanhope Elmore edged Vestavia Hills in its quarterfinal battle 4-3 but finish 100 pins behind the Lady Rebels, 1,092 to 992. The Mustangs of Coach Bridget Wilson, anchored by Allysa Ward and Samantha Wilson, sealed the win with a 183-181 thriller in game seven to advance to the semifinals and then beat Spain Park’s girls 4-1.
The Class 6A/7A boys’ state championship battle quickly became a battle of Metro Birmingham schools. Hoover, which earned the top seed after Thursday’s traditional round, beat Spanish Fort 4-2 in the first round and downed Thompson 4-3 in the semifinals despite trailing in by 116 total pins in the match. Spain Park had little trouble in its 4-0 win over Baldwin County and beat Hewitt-Trussville 4-2 in the semifinals.
American Christian won the Class 1A/5A girls’ and boys’ state championships earlier Friday The Alley Bowling Center over East Limestone and Etowah, respectively.
AHSAA 2002 STATE BOWLING CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Alley Bowling Center, Gadsden
Friday’s Championship Bracket
CLASS 6A/7A Girls
(All series are Best 4-of-7 Baker Games)
Quarterfinals
Sparkman 718, Gulf Shores 521 (Sparkman wins 4-0)
Southside-Gadsden 702, Thompson 738 (Southside wins 4-1)
Stanhope Elmore 992, Vestavia Hills 1,092 (Stanhope Elmore wins 4-3)
Spain Park 837, Baker 834 (Spain Park wins 4-2)
Semifinals
Sparkman 747, Southside-Gadsden 713 (Sparkman wins 4-1)
Stanhope Elmore 745, Spain Park 637 (Stanhope Elmore wins series 4-1)
Finals
Sparkman 756, Stanhope Elmore 642 (Sparkman wins championship 4-0)
CLASS 6A/7A Boys
(All series are Best 4-of-7 Baker Games)
Quarterfinals
Hoover 1,017, Spanish Fort 946 (Hoover wins 4-2)
Thompson 1,087, Vestavia Hills 1,033 (Thompson wins 4-2)
Spain Park 754, Baldwin County 543 (Spain Park wins 4-0)
Hewitt-Trussville 1,223, Sparkman 1,380 (Hewitt-Trussville wins 4-3)
Semifinals
Hoover 1,254, Thompson 1,370 (Hoover wins 4-3)
Spain Park 1,160, Hewitt-Trussville 977, (Spain Park wins 4-2)
Finals
Spain Park 1,303, Hoover 1,181 (Spain Park wins championship 4-2)
CLASS 1A/5A GIRLS
(All series are Best 4-of-7 Baker Games)
Quarterfinals
American Christian 508, Ramsay 414 (American Christian wins 4-0)
Etowah 830, Corner 771 (Etowah wins 4-2)
East Limestone 968, Bayshore Christian 825 (East Limestone wins 4-3)
Beauregard 917, Marbury 799 (Beauregard wins 4-3)
Semifinals
American Christian 720, Etowah 640 (American Christian wins 4-1)
East Limestone 765, Beauregard 776 East Limestone wins 4-2)
Finals
American Christian 814, East Limestone 823 (ACA wins championship 4-2)
CLASS 1A/5A BOYS
(All series are Best 4-of-7 Baker Games)
Quarterfinals
Etowah 869, Marbury 663 (Etowah wins 4-1)
Elberta 963, Satsuma 827 (Elberta wins 4-2)
West Point 1,027, East Limestone 858 (West Point wins 4-2)
American Christian 1,080, John Carroll Catholic 1,088 (American Christian wins 4-3)
Semifinals
Etowah 1,137, Elberta 1,116 (Etowah wins 4-3)
American Christian 1,091, West Point 1,024 (American Christian wins 4-3)
Finals
American Christian 1,232, Etowah 1,175 (ACA wins championship 4-3)
