UPDATED February 16

By Cort Reynolds

NAPOLEON __ The Bluffton High School boys bowling team finished a strong third at the River City Bowl-a-Way alley in Div. II sectional tournament action on February 14 in Napoleon.

Ottawa-Glandorf won the boys sectional team crown with 4,121 pins. Napoleon was second with 4,021 pins, exactly 100 pins behind O-G. 

The Pirates rolled a 3,999 total as their top four bowlers all finished in the top 20 individually. Bryan finished fourth with 3,929.

Defiance Tinora came in fifth, 53 pins behind Bryan, to just miss out on districts. The top four teams qualified to districts next week.

“The Bluffton bowlers just put up their best performance of the season,” said coach Ben Nye. “We were in the top three all day and even when conditions changed and pins were not falling, they grinded out good scores and kept putting out their best every frame.”

Bluffton rolled a 1,003-888-938=2,829 three-game series to finish third, 20 pins behind second-place Napoleon, in the first round. O-G won the first round with 3,000 pins.

In the second round Baker Series, the Pirates rolled 170-203-224-255-165-153=1,170 to finish fourth. Bryan actually won the Baker Series with 1,233 pins, while Tinora was second at 1,202. Napoleon was third, two pins ahead of Bluffton at 1,172.

Pirate senior Matt Piehl bowled a 213-209-191=613 three-game series to lead Bluffton in round one. Piehl finished 10th in the 68-bowler individual field.

O-G sophomore Brodie Pedrosa won the sectional title with a 713 series.

Sophomore Coby Dailey bowled a 236-156-213=605 set to come in second for the Pirates and 12th overall.

Sophomore Emmitt Kidd bowled a 201-215-171=587 series to finish a solid 15th.

Junior Joziah Salazar was the fourth Pirate roller with a 220-159-169=548 first round set, good enough for 20th place.

Sophomore Xavier Navarro bowled a 194 in game three, while Pirate subs rolled 133 and 149 in the first two games to combine for a 476 series total.

“Coby Dailey's 236 was his best single game of the season,” Nye noted. “Also, Xavier Navarro coming off the bench with a 194 and never missing in the Baker games was a huge difference maker for finishing above the cut.

“We had four bowlers finish in the top 20 individually, and the fourth best Baker total, so this hands-down was a total team effort today,” Nye added.