The Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn boys bowling team, including two individual qualifiers, traveled to Waterloo last week to participate in Class 1A State bowling tournaments. Cadillac XBC hosted the competitions. The individual tournament was held on February 24 and the team tournament at on February 26.
“Well, it was quite a thrilling time again this year!” exclaimed HMS bowling coach Julia Meyer. “We started off the week with the two boys, Jack Mastbergen and Luke Dagel that qualified for the individual portion of the tournament. They each bowled three games to try to qualify for the top eight. Jack qualified with two tremendous games of 268 and 268 along with a 215 for a 751 series and landed him in second for the bracket play of the top eight. Luke started out with good games of 193 and 223 and ended with a 129 in his third game. This left him out of the top eight, however, for a first time in this competition he did very well and we believe we will see him there again.

“Jack headed into the battle for 1A champion as the #2 seed and going against the number #7 seed (Preston Crees of Estherville-Lincoln Central). His game of 244 vs. 234 ousted the #7 seed and he moved on to the next bracket where he bowled against the 6th seed (Quinn Thomas of Monticello) and lost 172 to 194. He went into the 3rd and 4th place match and just couldn’t get the pinfall to win. The games were 216 (for Bryon Christianson of Vinton-Shellsburg) to Jack’s 182. We are so proud of Jack and his accomplishments at state ending 4th in the State of Iowa amongst over 300 other bowlers in the 1A class. Great Job, Jack!
“The HMS Boys team was pumped for their match on Wednesday. They jumped right into the 15 baker games against the last two years’ 1A champions, Maquoketa, which also included this year’s 1A individual champion. Our team was ready for the challenge and battle ahead. Our first five games we started out with all 200 games, 202, 224, 257, 213 and 200. At the end of the those first games, we were in 4th with 10 more games to go.  
“The boys kept up their momentum and teamwork, achieving scores of 194, 245, 203, 221 and 190 in the next set of games. With many strikes and spares, along with a few open frames, we moved into the final five games knowing we were still in the top four teams. We needed to maintain high scores as the competition was close, and we aimed to stay in the top four for a chance at winning first place. We kicked off the next five games with a tremendous game of 275, followed by scores of 230, 183, 206 and 222, placing us in third.
“We were very excited to get this chance to go on for the title. Now we had to play the best of five more games to determine who would compete for the top contest. Our goal was to win three of the next five games to secure a spot in the top bracket. We started fairly strong with a score of 226, but the #2 seed Vinton-Shellsburg team, who would eventually become champions, scored 244, giving us a loss. In the next two games, we encountered splits and missed a few spares that we had been making earlier in the day and two losses (216-170 and 207-199). As a result, our hopes for first or second place were dashed.
“Our new goal became securing third place, leading us to face the Shenandoah team in the best of five more games. Despite our valiant efforts, our games weren’t enough to topple Shenandoah. Our scores were 205, 200, 218 and 169, while Shenandoah scored 215, 235, 196 and 171. We won the third game, and there was still a glimmer of hope, but the next game threw us a few more open frames than we’d seen all day, and our day was over. 
“Despite our ultimate goal, we celebrated placing 4th in the state. The boys put in immense effort and dedication, earning a well-deserved trophy to take back home. Each member of the team received a medal, a testament to their hard work and perseverance. 
“We are incredibly proud of all the boys and their phenomenal bowling. They delivered their best performance as a team today, right when it mattered most. Our players were Jack Mastbergen,  Dawson Niichel, Eli Mastbergen, Luke Dagel, Graham Lux, Braden Niichel, with Noah Niichel as our alternate. I felt like we entered the tournament as the dark horse, brimming with talent that just needed a push, and they responded brilliantly! Unlike the other seasoned teams there, this was only HMS’s third season and the second time competing in the team event.
“I had the invaluable assistance of Josh Van Dam from Locomotion Lanes. His expertise in bowling and dedicated support for our bowlers were instrumental in our success this year! We are also immensely grateful for the unwavering support of our family, friends, and fans who cheered us on every step of the way!”
Class 1A Top Eight Individuals: 1st Place – Sam Kress, Maquoketa; 2nd Place – Quinn Thomas, Monticello; 3rd Place – Bryon Christianson, Vinton-Shellsberg; 4th Place – Jack Mastbergen, HMS; 5th Place – Lucas Clark, Columbus Catholic; 6th Place – Tate Richart, Vinton-Shellsburg; 7th Place – Garrett Reynolds, Camanche; 8th Place – Preston Crees, ELC.
Class 1A Team Standings: 1st Place – Vinton-Shellsburg, 2nd Place – Camanche, 3rd Place – Shenandoah, 4th Place – HMS, 5th Place – Durant, 6th Place – Maquoketa, 7th Place – Charles City, 8th Place – St. Albert.