The Highland Varsity Bowling Team opened their season Saturday at the Suburban League Preseason Tournament held at Kent Lanes. The Hornets placed 11th with a 2513 series (863-738-912) and 831 in their Baker games (187-171-166-150-157), for a total of 3344. Juniors Gracie Dunne (209-182-196) and Lucas Less (190-206-191) led Highland, both chalking up a 587 series. Dunne placed 2nd among the Girls and tied with Less for 10th among the Boys, with Less knocking down 3 Turkeys. Senior Andrew Talpas had 2 Turkeys in his 502 series (175-113-214). He bowled the team's high game, a new official personal best, as well as a new 3-game series high. Junior Davis Slatkovsky followed with a 430 (148-136-146). Junior Ryan Potak pitched in with a 306 (141-165). Junior Ryan Paulus also contributed, making his Varsity debut. In the Baker games, Less led with 8 strikes; Talpas, Dunne & Slats each had 4 and Paulus & Potak each had 1 strike. Freshman Logan DeVoe also made his Varsity debut in the Baker games. The Hornets face Stow at Kent Lanes on Tuesday for their first regular match of the season.

The Highland Varsity Bowling Team fell to Stow 2317-2436 Tuesday night at Kent Lanes, in their first regular match of the season. The Hornets bowled a two-game series of 1783 (887-896) to the Bulldog’s 1919 (929-990) and 534 in their Baker games (159-213-162) to Stow's 517 (165-187-165). Highland was led by Junior Davis Slatkovsky with a personal best two-game series of 438 (224-214) and the team's high game of the night. He had a 4-bagger and a Turkey in the 10th frame of Game 1 and led off Game 2 with another 4-bagger. Junior Lucas Less bowled a 381 (167-214) with a Turkey, followed by Juniors Gracie Dunne 344 (157-187) & Ryan Potak 318 (171-147) and Senior Andrew Talpas 302 (168-134). In the Bakers, Less led with a perfect 4 strikes as the anchor in Game 2. Potak and Slats both cleared 2 strikes each in their two Baker frames in Game 3. The Hornets are 0-1 in conference play as they head to Spins Bowl Kent on Sunday for the Ravenna Boys Varsity Invitational.

The Highland Boys Varsity Bowling Team placed 14th among 31 teams on Sunday at the Ravenna Boys Invitational at Spins Bowl Kent. The Hornets bowled a 2725 series (925-905-895) and 980 in their Baker games (159-168-182-147-144-180), for a total pinfall of 3705. Junior Lucas Less led the team with a 610 series, placing 19th overall among 177 bowlers on the boys' side. He had a personal best 244 game (244-171-195), Highland's high for the day, and knocked down 4 Turkeys. Less was also the top Medina County bowler at the tournament. Junior Davis Slats rolled a 597 (180-211-206), good for 25th overall, with a 4-bagger and 2 Turkeys. Junior Gracie Dunne (43rd) bowled a 576 (184-201-191) with a 5-bagger and Turkey. Senior Andrew Talpas (49th) tallied 551 (208-179-164) with a 4-bagger, his new 3-game series high. Junior Ryan Paulus added a 282 (143-139), a new personal best 2-game series and high game. Junior Ryan Potak also contributed. In the Baker games, each team member contributed a least one strike or spare, including Freshman Logan DeVoe. The Hornets head to Charger Lanes on November 30th for the Norton Panther Varsity Challenge.

The Highland Varsity Bowling Team placed 7th among 22 teams on Sunday at the Norton Panther Challenge held at Charger Lanes. The Hornets bowled a 2814 series (928-899-987) and 1047 in their Baker games (166-160-195-176-181-169), for a total pinfall of 3861. Junior Lucas Less led the team with a 641 series (189-231-221), knocking down a Hambone and 3 Turkeys. He had Highland's high game and made the All-Tournament 2nd Team, placing 7th overall. Less was also the top Medina County bowler at the tournament. Junior Gracie Dunne bowled a 623 series (204-192-227) and had a Yahtzee. Senior Andrew Talpas had a 545 (190-179-176) with a Turkey. Junior Davis Slatkovsky tallied a 530 series (188-150-192). Junior Ryan Potak had a 328 (157-171). Junior Ryan Paulus bowled 147, a new personal best official high game. In the Bakers, Dunne had 11 strikes and 5 spares and anchored 5 games. Slats had 7 strikes/3 spares, Less 5 strikes/5 spares (anchored 1 game), Talpas 3 strikes/3 spares, Potak 1 strike/3 spares and Paulus 1 spare. The Hornets head to AMF Riviera Lanes Monday, December 1st, to face Copley in Suburban League play.

On Monday, December 1st, the Highland Varsity Bowling team defeated Copley 2161-1449 at AMF Riviera Lanes. The Hornets bowled a two-game series of 1653 (849-804) to the Indians' 1165 (607-558). In Baker games, Highland overpowered Copley 508 (208-139-161) to 284 (83-102-99). The team was led by Junior Gracie Dunne 423 (192-231), converting 82% of her spare opportunities. She had the Hornets' high game of the evening with a 7-bagger! Junior Davis Slatkovsky bowled 339 (224-115), rolling a 4-bagger (aka Hambone). Junior Lucas Less followed with a 338 (170-168), also converting a Hambone. Senior Andrew Talpas had a two-game series of 307 (151-156). Juniors Ryan Paulus 134 and Ryan Potak 112 rounded out the scoring for the victorious Hornets. In Bakers, Paulus contributed a clean first game. Wrapping up the successful evening, Dunne had a clean third game with a Turkey as the anchor. The team is 1-1 in conference play as they head to Yorktown Lanes on Tuesday to face North Royalton.

On Tuesday, December 2nd, the Highland Varsity Bowling team lost a close, see-saw battle to North Royalton 2300 - 2291. The Hornets led after the two game individual series 1787 (868-919) to the Bears' 1736 (915-821). Royalton pulled ahead in the first Baker game and hung on to win, shooting 564 (204-178-182) to Highland's 504 (149-165-190). The Hornets were paced by a scorching hot Lucas Less and his 472 (232-240), a personal best two-game series. The Junior had a Turkey and a 6-bagger. Junior Davis Slats scored a 388 (170-218), knocking down a Turkey and a Hambone (4-bagger). Senior Andrew Talpas converted a respectable 79% of his spare opportunities on his way to a 353 (171-182). Junior Gracie Dunne followed with a 309 (174-135). Junior Ryan Potak bowled 265 (121-144). Slats led the way in Bakers with a clean back-to-back first two games. The team notched a Hambone in Baker game 3 with Talpas, Less, Slats, and Potak all striking in a row to their Baker high game of 190. The Hornets are 1-2 in the Suburban League and host the Solon Comets on December 8th at AMF Riviera Lanes.

The Varsity Bowling team's comeback fell short Monday evening at AMF Riviera, losing to Solon 2412-2377. The Comets jumped out to a 128 pin lead after individual games of 1906 (978-928) to the Hornets' 1778 (919-859). Highland came storming back in Bakers, outscoring Solon 599 (192-204-203) to 506 (152-184-170), but the effort was to no avail. Junior Lucas Less continued his torrid pace from last week by scoring another personal two-game series high of 479 (267-212). His 267 was a personal official single game high as well. He converted 83% of his spares and had a turkey, hambone and 8-bagger. Junior Gracie Dunne added a 370 (175-195), notching a turkey on the way. Senior Andrew Talpas followed with a 324 (153-171). Junior Davis Slatkovsky bowled 317 (173-144), logging a turkey. Juniors Ryan Potak (151) and Ryan Paulus (137) also contributed. Less struck his way through Highland's Baker game comeback with a near perfect 3 games, only coming up a single ten-pin short on his 12th and final shot, rolling 11 consecutive strikes. Slats bowled two perfect Baker games and added a spare. Talpas had a perfect Baker and 2 additional strikes. Dunne knocked down 2 strikes and 2 spares. Potak contributed a strike and Paulus added 2 spares. A true team effort! The Varsity Hornets face the Twinsburg Tigers on Wednesday at Roseland Lanes.

On Wednesday night, the Varsity Bowling team fell to Twinsburg 2326 to 2411 at Roseland Lanes. The Hornets grabbed the lead after the two individual games, 1881 (840-1041) to the Tigers' 1835 (934-901). Twinsburg came storming back in the Baker games 576 (167-248-161) against Highland's 445 (148-141-156), to overcome the deficit and claim the win. The Hornets were led by Junior Gracie Dunne's 439 (161-278), notching personal scholastic records in both her two-game series and high game, rolling a 9-bagger! Junior Lucas Less was close behind with a 429 (175-254) knocking down a 6-bagger. Junior Davis Slats bowled 382 (210-172) with two Turkeys. Senior Andrew Talpas followed with a 338 series (169-169). Junior Ryan Paulus logged a 168 and Junior Ryan Potak contributed a 125. Paulus scored a hambone (4-bagger) in his new official high game! Dunne led the way in the Baker games, scoring strikes on both of her throws in games 1 and 3. Potak, Paulus, Talpas, and Less also contributed a strike in the Baker games. The Hornets host the defending Suburban League Champion Wadsworth Grizzlies on December 16th at AMF Riviera Lanes.

On Tuesday evening, the Varsity Bowling team fought hard against the reigning Suburban League champion Wadsworth Grizzlies at AMF Riviera Lanes, but fell short 2464-2564. The Hornets found themselves down 1914 (947-967) to 1985 (1010-975) after the individual games. Highland briefly cut into the lead after the first Baker game, but was ultimately outscored 550 (179-162-209) to 579 (161-204-214) in that round. Junior Lucas Less led the team with a 440 series (201-239) and had the Hornets' high game for the night, which included a 5-bagger, aka Yahtzee. Junior Davis Slats followed close behind with a 437 (220-217), knocking down a Turkey and Hambone. Junior Gracie Dunne was next for Highland with a 377 series (187-190). Senior Andrew Talpas 371 (231-140) tallied career highs with both his two-game series and 231 game, notching a Turkey and Yahtzee along the way. Junior Ryan Paulus logged another new official high game of 181, besting his previous record in the prior match at Twinsburg last week. Junior Ryan Potak contributed with a 108. Slats led the Baker attack with a near perfect 3 games of Bakers, logging 9 strikes in a row and coming up only one pin shy for 10. In the third Baker game, the Hornets bowled a collective Yahtzee, with Talpas, Dunne, Less, Slats and Paulus all striking in a row. Highland will return to play after the holiday break on January 6th at Station 300 for their matchup with the Tallmadge Blue Devils.

On Tuesday, the Varsity Bowling Team moved back into the win column with a wire-to-wire victory over Tallmadge 2392-2258 at Station 300. Highland jumped out to a 113 pin lead after the first set of individual games and never looked back. The Hornets closed out the round with 1832 (896-936) to the Blue Devils' 1683 (783-900). Highland sealed the win with a solid Baker round of 560 (223-151-186) to Tallmadge's 575 (204-195-176). Junior Gracie Dunne led the way with her new scholastic two-game series high of 464 (225-239). She had a Yahtzee (5-bagger) in her first game and followed that up with a hambone (4-bagger) and turkey (3-bagger) in her second game. Junior Lucas Less topped 400 for the 5th straight match with a 420 series (197-223). He ended his second game with a 6-bagger and chalked up a turkey in his first game. Junior Davis Slats had a solid 364 (164-200), logging a hambone. Senior Andrew Talpas bowled a two-game series of 315 (165-150). Juniors Ryan Potak (145) and Ryan Paulus (124) also contributed to the Hornets' victory. A team hambone in the first game highlighted the Baker round. Individually, Dunne logged 5 strikes in the Bakers, including a collective Yahtzee through the three games. Less also racked up 5 strikes, while Talpas was right behind with 4. Slats contributed 3 Baker strikes while both Potak and Paulus logged a spare in their Baker games. Highland heads to Yorktown Lanes on Sunday to compete in the Padua Bruin Classic.

On Sunday, the Varsity Bowling team placed 11th, out of a tough field of 18 teams, in the Padua Bruin Classic at Yorktown Lanes. The Hornets bowled 2729 (833-951-945) in the individual games and 524 (182-193-149) in the Baker games, for a total pinfall of 3253. Leading the charge for Highland was Junior Lucas Less, who made the All-Tournament 2nd Team. His 682 (190-258-234) was good for 7th overall among 109 bowlers on the boys' side. He chalked up 2 Turkeys, 2 Hambones, and a Yahtzee in his games and had a span of 9 consecutive strikes covering the end of game two into game three. Junior Gracie Dunne was next with 578 (199-187-192) and a Turkey, which was 4th best among the 80 bowlers on the girls side. Junior Davis Slats' rolled a 549 (162-200-187) with a Turkey. Senior Andrew Talpas knocked down 530 pins (158-178-194) on the day. Juniors Ryan Paulus 266 (128-138) and Ryan Potak (124) rounded out the Hornets' efforts. Collectively, the team had a Turkey in the first Baker game and a Hambone in the second. Individually, Less logged 4 strikes as the team's anchor and Dunne racked up 3, including 2 strikes in the second game. Potak, Slats and Talpas each had 2 strikes and Paulus also scored one. Highland takes on the Kent-Roosevelt Rough Riders in a Suburban League matchup on Monday, January 12th at AMF Riviera Lanes. The team will also be celebrating Seniors, Andrew Talpas and Aubrey Seiberling.

On Monday night, the Varsity Bowling team defeated Kent 2485-2079 at AMF Riviera. The Hornets jumped out to an early lead, rolling a season high 1077 game and an 828, for 1905 in the individual games to the Rough Riders' 1664 (763-901). Following that up with a 234 in the first Baker game left little doubt, as Highland went on to score 580 (234-186-160) to Kent's 415 (141-130-144) in the Baker round, securing the win. It was Senior Night and Senior Andrew Talpas did not disappoint the fans who came out to celebrate. He bowled a 401 (261-140), breaking his high game and two-game series records, which included a 9-Bagger in his first game! The high series of the evening went to Junior Davis Slats 472 (267-205), which were two-game series and high game records for him as well. He logged a Turkey, an 8-Bagger and converted 86% (6/7) of his spare opportunities. Junior Gracie Dunne followed with a 395 (223-172), knocking down 2 Turkeys. Junior Lucas Less 374 (191-183) converted 83% (10/12) of his spare opportunities. Juniors Ryan Paulus (135) and Ryan Potak (128) helped seal the victory. The Baker games were highlighted by a season high 234, which featured a collective Yahtzee. Slats continued his torrid stretch by striking 8 times as the anchor, including a clean 4-bagger in the second game. Talpas continued his Senior Night festivities with a perfect Game 2 en route to 4 total strikes. Dunne and Less each had 2 strikes, while Paulus also contributed one. The Hornets look to make it three in a row on Tuesday when they travel to Clutch Lanes to take on the Cuyahoga Falls Black Tigers.

The Varsity Bowling team won handily Tuesday evening at Clutch Lanes, defeating Cuyahoga Falls 2516-1811. In the individual games, the Hornets posted back-to-back 1000+ plus games for the first time this season, chalking up a 2037 (1014-1023) versus the Black Tigers' 1404 (671-733). By the time the Baker games rolled around, there was no doubt that Highland would claim victory. The Hornets capped off the night with a total of 479 (170-182-127) in that round to Cuyahoga Falls' 407 (140-134-133). Junior Davis Slats was on fire, setting a new personal two-game series high of 513 (256-257). Both games were clean (no open frames) and he tallied a Turkey, 2 Hambones and a 6-Bagger. When he wasn't striking (which he did 74% of the time), Slats went 100% (6/6) on spare attempts. Junior Gracie Dunne was also on top of her game, recording a 452 (231-221). She racked up 2 Turkeys and 2 Hambones, while converting 75% of spare attempts. Junior Lucas Less wasn't far behind, bowling 449 (237-212) and knocking down a Turkey and 2 Hambones. Senior Andrew Talpas was next with a 362 (183-179). He closed out his individual games strong, with a Turkey in the 10th frame of his second game. Juniors Ryan Potak (154) and Ryan Paulus (107) also contributed to the win. Every Hornet logged at least one strike in the Bakers, with Talpas leading the way with 3, including a perfect Baker game (2 strikes). Less rolled a perfect game in the first Baker, while Dunne was perfect in the third game. Slats tallied 2 strikes and Potak & Paulus each recorded 1 in the round. The Hornets look to keep their 3-game winning streak alive when they host the Brecksville Bees Wednesday at AMF Riviera.

On Wednesday, the Varsity Bowling team was stung by the Bees 2046-2395 at AMF Riviera, snapping a 3-game winning streak. In the individual games, the Hornets rolled a 1547 (759-788) versus Brecksville's 1849 (879-970). The Bees then further outscored Highland 546 (191-181-174) to 499 (182-170-147) in the Baker games. The team was led by Junior Davis Slats with a 375 (148-227), logging a Hambone in Highland's high game for the evening. Junior Gracie Dunne followed with a 335 (172-163). Senior Andrew Talpas bowled 325 (177-148), with a Turkey in his first game. Junior Lucas Less rounded out the two-game bowlers with a 309 (164-145). Juniors Ryan Potak (105) and Ryan Paulus (98) also contributed for the Hornets. The first two Baker games each started off with Turkeys, highlighting the round. Individually, everyone knocked down at least one strike. Slats led with 5, Dunne and Potak each tallied 3, Paulus racked up 2 and Talpas & Less each contributed one. The Hornets look to bounce back on Sunday when they travel to Rollhouse Parma for the Eagle Challenge baker tournament hosted by North Olmsted.

On Sunday, the Varsity Bowling team placed 11th out of 25 teams in North Olmsted's Eagle Challenge at Rollhouse Lanes in Parma. The Hornets bowled 2854 in their 16 games in the Baker Tournament (183-163-214-146-151-149-175-146-212-181-214-168-168-222-169-193). Junior Gracie Dunne dominated the day with an astounding 31 clean frames out of 32 bowled. A split in game 7 led to her only open frame. She knocked down 26 strikes, including 8 in a row spanning from her 2nd frame in game 7 to her first frame of game 10. As the anchor, she closed out games 9 and 12 with Turkeys in the 10th frame. Junior Davis Slats racked up 20 strikes, closing out game 7 with a Turkey in the anchor slot. Junior Lucas Less followed with 13 strikes and Senior Andrew Talpas tallied 12. Junior Ryan Paulus and Freshman Logan DeVoe each contributed a strike, while Junior Ryan Potak chalked up 3 spares. Collectively, as a team, Highland logged an additional 6-bagger, a Yahtzee, 5 Hambones and 2 Turkeys. The Hornets travel to North Woods Lanes on Thursday to take on the Hudson Explorers in a Suburban League matchup.

The Varsity Bowling team was feeling it Thursday evening at North Woods Lanes defeating Hudson to the tune of 2631-2359, Highland's high match of the season. The Hornets jumped to an early 198 pin lead after the first set of individual games and then cruised to a 2045 two-game series (1037-1008), another season high, to the Explorers' 1754 (839-915). Highland entered the Baker round on autopilot with a modest 158 & 169, but then kicked it into overdrive with a 259, another season high. It was a clean game (no open frames) and included a 7-bagger, another Baker season record. The Hornets were outscored 586 to 605 (212-221-172) in the Bakers, but it made no difference in the final result. The trio of Juniors all had big nights, led by Davis Slats with a 485 (237-248), chalking up an 8-bagger and a Hambone. Lucas Less followed with a 458 (248-210), including 2 Hambones and a Turkey. Gracie Dunne wasn't far behind with a 438 series (213-225), logging 3 Turkeys. Senior Andrew Talpas had a solid performance with a 376 (186-190), rolling 2 Turkeys. Junior Ryan Potak tallied a 153 and Junior Ryan Paulus bowled a 135, to close out the win. In the Baker round, Dunne led the way with 5 strikes, followed by Less with 4. Potak, Slats and Talpas each racked up 3 strikes and Paulus had a spare. On Saturday, the Hornets head to AMF Riviera Lanes to compete in the Copley Tomahawk Bowling Invitational.

On Saturday, the Varsity Bowling team placed 5th among 15 boys' teams at the Copley Tomahawk Invitational at AMF Riviera Lanes. Highland scored 2673 (157-157-195-163-162-200-179-169-151-188-144-166-169-146-161-166) in the qualifying round of the Baker Tournament, claiming the 5th seed and a quarterfinal matchup against 4th seed St. Vincent-St. Mary. In the Best 2-out-of-3 Bracket Matchplay, the Hornets fell to the Fighting Irish 188-223 in Game 1 and 162-197 in Game 2. Scoring came at a premium on the OHSAA 2026 Sectionals' and Districts' oil pattern. As a team, the Hornets racked up 6 Turkeys on the day. Junior Lucas Less led the way with 23 strikes, including 9 as the anchor. Junior Gracie Dunne was next, knocking down 16 strikes, with 6 as the anchor. Senior Andrew Talpas and Junior Davis Slats each notched 14 strikes, Junior Ryan Paulus and Freshman Logan DeVoe logged 2 each and Junior Ryan Potak had 1. The Hornets travel to North Woods Lanes on Wednesday to take on the Nordonia Knights.

The Varsity Bowling team knocked off Nordonia 2543 to 2165 with two solid games of 997 and 978, to the Knights' 865 and 782. The lead was extended with a respectable 568 (184-200-184) Baker Round to Nordonia's 518 (167-194-157). The Hornets were led by outstanding performances from Juniors Lucas Less 493 (256-237) and Gracie Dunne 486 (259-227), with two-game series personal bests for the duo. Less racked up a 6-bagger, Yahtzee, and Hambone on the day. Dunne logged a 7-bagger and Turkey, while going 7/7 on spare opportunities, leaving no open frames. Senior Andrew Talpas notched a 355 (152-203) with a Turkey and Junior Davis Slats rolled a 345 (167-178). Closing out the win for Highland were Juniors Ryan Potak (163) and Ryan Paulus (133). Less led the Baker games with 8 strikes, including a 10th frame Turkey in the first game. Dunne and Slats each capped 3 strikes, Potak tallied 2 and Talpas had 1. The Hornets travel to Yorktown Lanes this Sunday to compete in the Suburban League Postseason Tournament at 1:00 PM.

On Sunday, the Varsity Bowling Team placed 11th in the Suburban League Postseason Tournament held at Yorktown Lanes. The Hornets rolled a 2680 (906-908-866) in the individual games and a 911 (231-183-170-171-156) in the Baker games, for a total pinfall of 3591. Junior Gracie Dunne led Highland with a 621 (191-238-192) and the team's high game of the day. Her series was the 4th highest on the girls' side and 21st among the boys. Dunne logged a 5-bagger and a turkey and converted a whopping 12/13 (92.3%) non-split spare opportunities, closing 27 out of 30 frames. Junior Davis Slats wasn't far behind with a 605 series (194-201-210), placing 22nd. He notched 2 hambones and a turkey, finishing up game 2 with the former to salvage his 201. Senior Andrew Talpas scored a two-game total of 398 (183-215), knocking down a 5-bagger along the way. Junior Lucas Less followed with a 392 (214-178) and a clean first game (no open frames). Freshman Logan DeVoe led the single game bowlers with a 156 in his first full game at the varsity level. Juniors Ryan Paulus (133) and Ryan Potak (124) rounded out the individual games. The highlight of the Baker round was the opening game of 231, which featured a team turkey and ended with a 6-bagger. Dunne and Slats led the charge, with each contributing 8 strikes and 9/10 clean frames in the 5 games. Talpas tallied 5 strikes and Less had 4. On Monday, the Hornets wrap up their Suburban League contests with a make-up match against the Barberton Magics at AMF Riviera Lanes.

On Monday, the Varsity Bowling Team closed out their Suburban League season with a resounding 2363-1432 win over Barberton at AMF Riviera Lanes. The Hornets jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, with a two-game pinfall of 1715 (789-926) versus the Magics' 1144 (603-541). Highland put an exclamation on the evening with a season high 648 (237-201-210) 3-game Baker series against Barberton's 288 (83-97-108). The team was led by junior Gracie Dunne, who was scorching hot, notching a personal best 499 (254-245) two-game series. She kicked off the match with an 8-bagger in the front 8 frames, leading to the Hornets' high game of the night. She followed that game up with a 6-bagger and only had 1 open frame out of 20 in the first round. Junior Davis Slats was next with a 343 series (157-186), racking up a turkey in the final frame of his second game. Junior Lucas Less bowled 202 with a turkey and senior Andrew Talpas had a 177 game. Juniors Ryan Paulus and Ryan Potak rolled 116 and 107, respectively. The final 3 Baker games of the Suburban League season were filled with excitement. All 7 of the Highland bowlers got into the strike action, led by Dunne who continued her torrid pace chalking up 6 strikes, including 4 perfect frames as the anchor in game 2. Freshman Logan DeVoe stepped up his game knocking down 4 strikes, while Less, Potak and Talpas each tallied 3. Slats logged 2 strikes and Paulus contributed 1. Although league play has come to an end, there is plenty of bowling left for the team, starting with back-to-back Baker bashes this weekend. First off is the Saint Ignatius Wildcat Baker Bash on Saturday at Rollhouse Lanes in Parma, followed by the Super Bowling Bash on Sunday at Spins Bowl in Akron.

On Saturday morning, the Varsity Bowling Team headed out to Rollhouse Lanes in Parma for the Wildcat Baker Bash. In the qualifying round, the Hornets rolled a 2801 (157-181-211-144-165-157-134-156-209-201-160-176-199-191-137-223), securing the 12th and final seed to advance. The latter game was the team's high for the day, with a hambone and a turkey. In the best of 3 bakers match play, Highland upset the 5th seeded Olmsted Falls Bulldogs in two games (195-169, 191-190), only to face the same demise in the quarterfinals against host Saint Ignatius (175-216, 204-258). Juniors Gracie Dunne and Davis Slatkovsky led the way, notching 27 and 25 strikes, respectively. While anchoring the majority of the games, Dunne only left 4 open frames out of 40 and only 1 excluding splits. Slats only left 2 out of 40 frames open and converted 16 of 18 spare opportunities. Senior Andrew Talpas knocked down 13 strikes and Freshman Logan DeVoe tallied 10, leaving only 8 out of 30 frames open. Junior Ryan Paulus logged 6 strikes and Junior Ryan Potak contributed 4. The Hornets are right back at it Sunday for another Baker tournament, this time the Super Bowling Bash at Spins Bowl Akron.

On Sunday, the Varsity Bowling Team took the crown in the Super Bowling Bash at Spins Bowl in Akron. Highland racked up a total pinfall of 2560 (134-158-157-198-152-173-166-181-166-172-237-176-169-187-134) in the qualifying round. The oil pattern, which will be used at the OHSAA Sectional and District Tournaments, wreaked havoc on all of the teams throughout the day. However, the Hornets ratcheted it up when it counted, making it to the best 2 of out 3 match play, as the 3 seed. In their first round of the stepladder format, the team faced 4th-seeded Kent-Roosevelt (who beat 5th-seeded Nordonia in the previous round), winning a tight 1st game 208-206 and then clinching the win with a 175-148 game. In the semifinals, Highland scored 203 and 234, sweeping Massillon Jackson. In the championship match, the Hornets found themselves up against Suburban League foe Tallmadge. Highland claimed Game 1 with a score of 190-171. Game 2 ended in a tie (175-175) and the Hornets lost in a 9th/10th frame roll-off, forcing a deciding Game 3. Highland captured the championship, winning 191-161. As a team, the Hornets logged 6 turkeys, 3 hambones, and a 7-bagger. The junior duo of Gracie Dunne and Davis Slatkovsky led the way, with Slats closing 37 of 44 frames for 84% while racking up 24 strikes and Dunne closing 35 of 44 frames for 80%, knocking down 27 strikes. She was in the anchor position for most of the day. Junior Lucas Less notched 18 strikes and Senior Andrew Talpas had 16. Freshman Logan DeVoe struck 6 times, while juniors Ryan Potak and Ryan Paulus eached tallied 3 strikes. Highland returns to Spins Bowl Akron on Friday to compete in the OHSAA Boys Division I Summit Sectionals and Dunne will compete individually in the Girls Sectionals on Monday, all in hopes of advancing to Districts the following week. Go Hornets!

On Friday, the Varsity Bowling Team placed 6th among 17 teams at the OHSAA Division I Summit Sectionals at Spins Bowl Akron. The Hornets rolled 2605 (848-889-868) in the individual games and 1004 (188-142-148-169-181-176) in the Bakers, for a total pinfall of 3609. With only four teams advancing, Highland fell 149 pins short of qualifying for Districts, ending their season. Individually, the team was led by junior Davis Slatkovsky, who notched a 595 series (204-219-172). He placed 9th overall and 5th among individual qualifiers, only 4 pins shy of securing the 4th and final spot to Districts. Junior Lucas Less was next with a 537 (182-176-179). Junior Ryan Paulus bowled a personal best 518 (164-179-175), followed close behind by senior Andrew Talpas' 516 (159-186-171). Junior Ryan Potak had a two-game series of 310 (139-171) and freshman Logan DeVoe closed out the scoring with a 129. Less led Highland in the Baker games, striking 12 times. Talpas logged 3 strikes and sophomore Geo Kerechanin tallied 2 in his Varsity debut. DeVoe, Paulus, Potak, and Slats each had 1 strike. On Monday February 16th, junior Gracie Dunne will compete individually in the Girls Sectional at Spins Bowl Akron.

On Monday, after competing on the boy's team all season, Gracie Dunne placed 8th overall at the OHSAA Girls Division I Summit Sectionals at Spins Bowl Akron. She placed 2nd among individual qualifiers, securing a bid to the District Tournament. Dunne rolled a 482 (156-158-168) on the tough sectional pattern. On Monday February 23rd, the junior will continue her quest at the Northeast Districts, at Rebman Lanes in Lorain, with the hopes of advancing to States for a third consecutive year. Go Gracie!