1 of 6
Photo by Erin Nelson.
Vestavia Hills’ Heath Eshleman competes in the boys AHSAA Class 6-7A state bowling tournament at The Alley in Gadsden on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023. Photo by Erin Nelson.
2 of 6
Photo by Erin Nelson.
Vestavia Hill’s Douglas Dellaccio competes in the boys AHSAA Class 6-7A state bowling tournament at The Alley in Gadsden on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023. Photo by Erin Nelson.
3 of 6
Photo by Erin Nelson.
Vestavia Hills’ Heath Eshleman competes in the boys AHSAA Class 6-7A state bowling tournament at The Alley in Gadsden on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023. Photo by Erin Nelson.
4 of 6
Photo by Erin Nelson.
Vestavia Hills’ Michael Brewer competes in the boys AHSAA Class 6-7A state bowling tournament at The Alley in Gadsden on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023. Photo by Erin Nelson.
5 of 6
Photo by Erin Nelson.
Vestavia Hills’ Douglas Dellaccio competes in the boys AHSAA Class 6-7A state bowling tournament at The Alley in Gadsden on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023. Photo by Erin Nelson.
6 of 6
Photo by Erin Nelson.
Vestavia Hills’ Joey Sousa competes in the boys AHSAA Class 6-7A state bowling tournament at The Alley in Gadsden on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023. Photo by Erin Nelson.
GADSDEN -- The Vestavia Hills High School boys bowling team has been a fixture at the state tournament, and this year was no different.
The Rebels finished third in the Class 6A-7A state tournament Jan. 27 at The Alley in Gadsden, reaching the semifinals.
Vestavia grabbed the No. 3 seed after the first day of the state tournament, which is used for seeding the bracket on the second day of the tournament. The Rebels totaled 2,647 pins over three sets of traditional games, slotting them behind Sparkman and ahead of Hewitt-Trussville.
Douglas Dellaccio was the top bowler for the Rebels individually, as he put together games of 202, 203 and 176 to total 581, good for sixth overall. Heath Eshleman had a strong individual performance as well, totaling 411 pins, with the rest of the team contributing in a strong manner.
Chandler Long, Joey Sousa, Michael Brewer, Carson Gentry, Noah Evans and Cyrus Sabri all represented the Rebels at state as well.
Bracket play is a best-of-seven Baker game format, in which five bowlers each take on two frames. Vestavia took on No. 6 seed Spanish Fort in the opening round, winning 4-1. Vestavia took a 176-169 win in the first game, then put together a pair of 200-pin games (203-177, 209-134) to take a commanding 3-0 lead. Spanish Fort grabbed a win in the fourth game, 190-159, before the Rebels won 154-117 in the fifth to take the match.
Vestavia Hills fell in heartbreaking fashion in the semifinals to Sparkman, 4-3. The Rebels took the first game 180-157, before Sparkman dominated the second game 231-172. The Rebels got back on the board with a 195-187 win in the third, and Sparkman responded with a 177-166 win in the fourth. Vestavia’s lone 200-pin game of the match gave the team a 3-2 lead, but Sparkman won 201-162 and 161-156 over the final two games to take the match.
Sparkman defeated Spain Park 4-3 in a thrilling final to claim the state championship. Sparkman won the state title for the second time in three years.
American Christian beat Sparkman to win the 6A-7A girls state title. Etowah’s boys and Beauregard’s girls won the Class 1A-5A crowns.
Vestavia Hills reached the state tournament by finishing second in the South Regional the week prior in Spanish Fort. The Rebels claimed the No. 2 seed after a day of play, before going on a run in bracket play. They dominated Baker and Auburn to the tune of 4-0 victories, before running into Spain Park in the final. Spain Park claimed a 4-2 win and top prize at the regional tournament, bowling over 200 in five of the six games.
