Photo: Etowah High’s Anna Jones competes during the AHSAA Class 1A-5A girls state bowling tournament last Friday (January 28) at The Alley at the Gadsden Mall. (Chris McCarthy/Messenger)
By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor
The Etowah High School girls bowling team put forth a fine showing last Friday (Jan. 28) at the AHSAA Class 1A-5A state tournament at The Alley at the Gadsden Mall.
The Lady Blue Devils settled an old score in the quarterfinals in posting a 4-2 victory over Corner, who bounced Etowah from last year’s state tournament. Etowah fell to American Christian, 4-1, in the semifinals, but each game’s final score was by single digits.
“We lost by eight pins or five pins or nine pins, so that’s not bad,” said head coach Shawanna Roper. “I’m really proud of my girls for giving all they had against a really good team. I have a really good group of kids. We lost some good seniors from last year’s team, so a lot of people thought that nothing was going to happen this season. The next thing you know, we’re winning all of our area games. They had to persevere at regionals after losing one of their classmates (Lydia Millican), and they did it for her.”
The Lady Blue Devils finished fifth with 1,798 points in the traditional round for seeding on January 27. Medaling for Etowah was Anna Jones, who bowled a combined 449 score in three games.
Roper appreciated the turnout from the students, parents and supporters who made the short trip from Attalla.
“We were super-excited to have a such big section rooting us on. It brought so much happiness to my kids to have so much support from their hometown, and it really changed the dynamics for them. I also want to thank Miss Emily [Gibbs] and all the staff [at The Alley] for all they’ve done for us.”