MANSFIELD — The Mansfield Senior bowling team is off and rolling, simply from a competitive standpoint.
The school had a bowling squad many years ago, but this is believed to be the first varsity team this century. Starting a new program, or in this case restarting a program, makes the squad the Richland Bank Athlete of the Week.
The Tygers recently finished their inaugural campaign with JV and varsity squads on the boys’ side, and a girls team. The Mansfield Senior boys ripped off an astounding 14-4 mark in their baptismal season, including a third-place finish at the Highland Bowling Tournament.
“The varsity boys had good success,” said coach John Grant. “We had a bowler advance to the district tournament, where Zack Blank placed fourth among individual qualifiers.”
The boys finished ninth in their first appearance at the sectional tournament.
Grant said although the girls team struggled, their improvement during the season was remarkable.
“The girls almost doubled their average scores from the first practice to the last match,” Grant said. “They worked hard at practice and improved their scores all year long.
“I am very proud of how they stuck together over the course of the season. We had fun and improved.”
The team includes 27 bowlers this year and Grant is hoping to double that number next year. He notes that there is no cost to the students to participate.
“I am very proud of both teams and how they improved over the course of the season,” he said.
