Rebels finish bowling season at state

GADSDEN -- Several teams in the Starnes Media coverage area took part in the Alabama high school state bowling tournament Thursday and Friday, held at The Alley in Gadsden. 

In an all-Hoover City Schools final, the Spain Park boys knocked off Hoover to win the Class 6A/7A state title.

Spain Park knocked off Hoover 4-2 in the best-of-seven final series of Baker games, giving the Jaguars their third state championship in program history.

The final was a close battle throughout. The Jags won 205-201 in the first game, before Hoover edged the Jags 170-169 in the second game. Hoover took a 2-1 lead after winning 288-203 in the third game, a game in which Hoover began the game with 10 straight strikes. Spain Park rallied to win the final three games, winning 279-188, 246-191 and 201-143.

It was the third state title for Spain Park, as the Jags won the first two in 2016 and 2017. Hoover finished as the runner-up for the second straight season.

Eight teams in each classification qualified for the state tournament. Competition on Thursday consisted of each team bowling three traditional games and using total pins to set up the single elimination bracket used Friday.

On the boys side, Hoover earned the No. 1 seed, Spain Park was third, Vestavia Hills was fifth and Hewitt-Trussville earned the No. 7 seed.

Spain Park’s Cole Henson was the top individual, posting a three-game score of 683 and a high of 246. Hoover’s Alex Lee was second with 663, Hoover’s Carter Hughes placed fourth (621), and Hoover’s Connor Davis was ninth (543).

Spain Park’s girls had an outstanding day on Thursday, posting a score of 2,296 to earn the No. 2 seed. Vestavia Hills grabbed the No. 6 spot. 

Emma Hawkins from Spain Park rolled a three-game total of 561 to finish as the third individual medalist, breaking a program record with her 244 in the second game of the day. Vestavia’s Ella Shedd was the ninth-best player, going for 487.

In bracket play, a best-of-seven series of Baker games was used as the format. A Baker game consists of five players on the same team alternating, each bowling twice over a 10-frame game. 

In boys action, Hoover took down Spanish Fort 4-2 in the opening round. Hoover won the first two games before dropping the third and fifth, but eventually took care of business in the sixth game to advance. Vestavia Hills was knocked out in the opening round by Thompson by a 4-2 score. After the series was tied 2-2, Thompson posted back-to-back wins to knock the Rebels out.

Spain Park had no trouble with Baldwin County, dominating en route to a 4-0 victory. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Hewitt-Trussville notched an upset of No. 2 Sparkman, outlasting the Senators in seven games. The Huskies won three of the last four games to earn the victory.

In the semifinals, Hoover took down Thompson and Spain Park beat Hewitt-Trussville to earn their way into the final round. Hoover won the opening game in a tiebreaker and was able to carry that momentum to a 4-3 win, despite Thompson accumulating more pins. Spain Park jumped out to a 3-1 lead over Hewitt and held on for a 4-2 win.

On the girls side, No. 2 Spain Park made a run to the semifinals. The Jaguars took down Baker 4-2 in the opening round of play, winning in six games after jumping out to a 3-0 lead. Vestavia Hills was not so lucky, surrendering its 3-0 lead to Stanhope Elmore and losing 4-3. 

In the semifinals, Stanhope Elmore beat the Jags 4-1 and went on to the final.