Photo: The Etowah High boys bowling team gathers for a photo after winning the Class 1A-5A state championship on Tuesday, Feb. 4 at the Bowlero Bowling Center in Mobile. Pictured, kneeling, from left: Chris Beitel, McKaden Jones, Grayson Hunt. Standing, from left:coach Johnathan “Bink” Wise, Ben Beitel, E.J. Teal, Jaxson Bush, Damon “Dae Dae” Devine, coach Shawanna Roper. (Submitted photo)
By Chris McCarthy, Publisher
For the second time in the past three years, the Etowah High boys bowling team displayed their true blue colors in the postseason.
A week after sweeping the competition at the North Regionals, the Blue Devils (19-1) went 4-1 at the AHSAA state tournament to win the Class 1A-5A first place blue plaque on Tuesday, Feb. 4 at the Bowlero Bowling Center in Mobile.
Etowah won its first three matches at state before falling to Corner, which handed the Blue Devils the first loss of the season at 1,467, to 1,411 in the first championship match despite a 268 game from Jaxon Bush.
“Our kids are humble but very competitive, so they had a good mindset going into the finals,” said coach Shawanna Roper. “We knew that Corner is a great team and that we had to be at our best. The great thing about this team is that they all love each other and support one another. Everyone has the other one’s back, and it showed [in the tournament].”
The Blue Devils (18-0) swept their way through the traditional round format on Feb. 3, beating Mobile Christian, 1,409 to 1,194; Beauregard, 1,333 to 1,323; and Corner, 1,412 to 1,294. Etowah then beat Corner 1,404 to 1,341 in the winners’ bracket final.
Corner came out of the championship traditional round with a 911-874 lead, and the Yellow Jackets won the first Baker game 194-170 to hold a 61-pin lead with two Baker games remaining. Corner proceeded to push Etowah to the brink in taking a 38-pin lead in the final Baker game of the second finals match.
But the Blue Devils won game 2 with a 193-170 edge, and the Etowah lineup of Ben Beitel, Jaxson Bush, E.J. Teal, Grayson Hunt and Damon Devine won the final Baker game, 187-148, to pull out a 1,424 – 1,423 victory to clinch the state title by one pin.
That pin came courtesy of Bush, who needed seven pins to secure the win. The senor sent down exactly seven pins to clinch the championship.
“E.J. came up to me earlier in the match and asked if I was nervous,” said Roper. “I said of course I was, and he looked at me and said we got this thing. That’s the moment that I knew we’d win. I could tell that the rest of the kids felt the same way, and they went out and got the job done.”
Roper appreciated the support from assistant coaches Blink Wise and Darione Adkison.
“As far as I’m concerned, there is no head coach,” she said. “We all contribute in some way or another, and I’m fortunate and blessed to have these two guys to be a part of this program. We definitely would not have gotten as far as we did without them.”
The Blue Devils won the AHSAA North Regional Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 30 at Spare Times Bowling Center in Trussville.
Etowah edged John Carroll Catholic, 1,509 to 1,497, in winners bracket finals Hunt rolled a 222 in the traditional round of the finals, followed by Bush at 214 and E.J. Teal at 189.
In the combined scoring, Teal placed first at 453. He was runner-up in single game scoring at 259, while Hunt rolled a 222 score.
Etowah bested Clements, 1,507 to 1,379 in the opening round, then beat Scottsboro, 1,403 to 1,314, in the semifinals. Teal had a 453 two-game series with a 259 high game, the second-best score of the day. Ben Beitel rolled a 202 game for Etowah, while Jaxson Bush finished at 214.
