Minerva bowlers stay busy, post wins and strong Eastbury showing

To say it was a busy week on the lanes would be an understatement, as Minerva faced United and Salem in match play before competing in the 2026 Eastbury Sectional Warmup Tournament Jan. 17.

First up was United, and Minerva’s boys and girls had little trouble rolling to wins in the Jan. 13 match against the Golden Eagles. The boys stood out in a 2,327-1,771 victory as Lane Hawk (214-224) rolled a 438 series. Owen Frazier started slowly but finished strong with a 261 high game and a 405 series as the Lions took an insurmountable 470-pin lead into the Baker games.

On the girls side, Minerva won 1,736-1,538. Rylan Klitz (215-178) rolled a 393 series to lead the Lions, while Bailey Wood posted games of 170 and 179 for a 349 series.

Three days later, Minerva took on Salem in an EBC match, and while the margin was tighter, the result was the same as the Lions won 2,039-1,866. Mason Arnoto rolled only one game, but his 209 was Minerva’s high score. Frazier and Hawk added series of 364 and 353, respectively.

Wood led the Lady Lions to a 1,811-1,684 win over the Quakers with a 364 series that included a 203 high game. Klitz posted a 350 series, and Alexis Gonzalez added a 322.

With the wins, the Lady Lions improved to 11-3 overall, 4-1 in the EBC, and 5-2 in the Stark County High School Bowling Conference’s American Division. Minerva’s boys improved to 13-1, 4-1 and 6-1.

On Jan. 17, Minerva competed in the Eastbury tournament, which featured three-game individual series followed by a six-game Baker tournament. Results produced an eight-team field for a best-of-three Baker playoff.

On the girls side, Klitz (524) tied for fifth and Wood (502) placed 13th in the individual portion. In Baker play, the Lady Lions placed fifth with a total pinfall of 2,929, setting up a first-round matchup against Green.

Minerva won the opener 190-149. Green bounced back with an 186-167 win to force a deciding third game, which the Lions took 166-146. In the second round, Minerva faced top-seed East Canton, and the teams split the first two games. In the decider, the Hornets edged the Lions 146-141 to advance to the finals, where they defeated Wooster.

For the boys, Minerva put three bowlers in the top third, led by Frazier, who placed third with a 667 series, nine pins off the lead. His 259 in Game 1 was the second-highest score of the day. Hawk placed 15th with a 561 series, and Austin Ailing was 26th with a 537 series that included a 235.

In the Baker tournament, Minerva was seeded third after a 3,867 pinfall, earning a first-round matchup against East Canton. The Hornets edged the Lions 175-170 in the opener, then completed the sweep with a 137-123 win as both teams cooled off in Game 2.