Senior C.J. Heil and sophomore Kyle Moyer paced the Elks early with 659 and 658, respectively — the fourth- and fifth-best individual scores of the tournament.
“Every week, I’ve got a different guy who steps up and leads us,” Centerville coach Andy Parker said. “But, today, I think our strength was that we bowled as a unit.”
The Elks were the only sectional team to tally three 1,000-plus games Thursday. They also had a solid block of Baker games, averaging 193 through six team games.
The sectional title was especially meaningful for Heil, the sole senior on the squad.
“Everything is more meaningful your senior year — every match, every tournament,” Heil said. “And you want to be the guy who leads everyone.”
Heil, who will bowl for Muskingum University next year, wasn’t sure he’d be that guy Thursday.
“In the beginning, I wasn’t feeling 100 percent but then I got on a streak and got hot,” he said.
It has been a record-breaking year for the Centerville boys as the Elks posted both a record high three-game series and match score during the regular season. Junior Dylan Dobran also matched the Elks individual high game with a 300.
There will be few surprises at the district tournament next week as conference foes Fairmont, Wayne, Sidney and Beavercreek will be among those battling for state berths.
“Our team motto this season has been ‘one shot at a time,’ and that’s how we look at it,” Heil said.
Nail-biter: Three regular games and six Baker games were not enough for Tecumseh and Springfield as the teams were tied with 3,761, forcing a two-frame roll-off to secure the ninth and final district team berth.
Tecumseh senior Dylan Terrell, who had to strike out in the 10th frame of the final Baker game for the tie, remained calm as he faced Springfield senior Jacob Beck for two additional frames. Terrell’s 10th-frame strike secured the win for the Arrows as Beck closed out the extra frames with a 9.
“Words cannot even describe the feeling when I saw those pins fall,” Terrell said.
Singles success: Wayne senior Sean Martin III topped all bowlers with a 714 series. Sidney junior Austin Simon (711) and Fairmont senior Hunter Schlegel (683) rounded out the top three individual placers.
District tourney: The Southwest District D-I tournament starts next Wednesday with the boys division at Beaver-vu Bowl. The girls will compete for coveted state berths on Thursday.
Boys Division I sectional bowling
District qualifiers
Poelking Woodman Lanes
Teams
1. Centerville 4,219
2. Fairmont 4,049
3. Wayne 4,019
4. Sidney 3,959
5. Northmont 3,932
6. Beavercreek 3,909
7. Miamisburg 3,812
8. Butler 3,785
9. Tecumseh 3,761
Individuals
J.T. Cherpeski, Fairborn 658
James Ridgeway, Tippecanoe 616
Travis Smith, Piqua 602
Mark Zeiler, Greenville 590
Ryan Day, Xenia 587
Hayden Jackson, Troy 585
Stephen Ridgeway, Tippecanoe 576
Stephen Spahr, Fairborn 574
Logan Jones, Troy 572
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