On March 3, 2013, the Jaguars Varsity Bowling Team traveled to Amarillo, Texas for the state-qualifying regional competition.
The team, including senior Andrew Pryde, junior Jordan Kee, sophomores Sean Vong, Talisen Baron, William McKinley, Randall Ruffner, and Freshman Michael Cole found themselves set in first place, thus marking the fifth year in a row for the Varsity team to claim first in this competition.
“Winning at this level requires a team effort,” FMHS bowling mom, Robin Davenport, said. “The guys pulled together to become the type of team any coach would have confidence in.”
At the regional competition the bowling team played against ten other high schools in the area. Schools in this area included Lewisville, The Colony and Flower Mound. Other schools from the Amarillo area included Mansfield Lake Ridge, Borger, Amarillo Caprock, Amarillo Central, Amarillo Palo Duro, Mansfield and Mansfield Summit.
The bowlers were separated into two groups for different events, the first being for team events, which was scored by the entire team’s bowling average, and singles events, where one bowler was scored by their average. The team event was broken down into ten smaller groups to create a bracket. The FMHS team played in the first group, and the top four teams advanced to state. While single bowlers all compete together, only the top seven bowlers advance to state.
“Flower Mound bowled 10 games,” Davenport said. “and finished first with an impressive total score of 2402.”
Returning victorious from this competition infused the team with a sense of accomplishment. The teammates really demonstrated their skill and set the bar high for anyone wishing to join the FMHS bowling team.
“The team showed impressive effort at this competition,” bowling coach Carl Stoner said. “The bowlers did their best at this competition, and became a group I am truly proud of.”
This competition has sent two bowlers to compete at state level, boosted moral, and added a sense of Jaguar pride to the teammates. Jordan Kee and Jill Helbig will play singles for a chance to win at the state finals. Helbig was also selected to play for the all-district team on March 23, at the City View Lane in Ft. Worth.
“Just getting to state is a real achievement,” Davenport said. “If we continue bowling as we have, I expect this year will be an accomplishment we’ll all marvel.”
Under the coaching of Carl Stoner and the support of many others, the Jaguars Bowling Team will surely have years of success ahead of them.
