Blue Streaks reach state bowling tournament

So the ending ultimately was not of the storybook variety. That, however, does not change the impressive season had by the Lake boys bowling team.

After winning the sectional tournament and then placing second at the Northeast District tournament the following week, the 2025 Blue Streaks accomplished something no other Lake team had done before: they were headed to Columbus for the OHSAA Div. I boys bowling championships.

Held at Columbus’ HP Lanes on Friday, March 6, Lake entered the qualifying round – which consisted of three individual games followed by five Baker-format games – with the goal of making the cut and being one of the eight teams to advance to the championship round.

Unfortunately for the Blue Streaks, life had different plans. After the first round of individual games was in the books, Lake sat in 13th place out of 16 teams. By the end of the third game, the Blue Streaks’ cumulative score stood at 2,541, placing them in 15th place, ahead of only Youngstown Boardman.

In the Baker games, Lake found itself in a pitched battle with Boardman to stay out of the cellar. After four of the five games had ended, the Blue Streaks held an 81-pin advantage. Bowling can be a streaky sport, however, and in the final game, the Spartans bowled a 232 – their best game of the Bakers – while Lake had the misfortune of rolling its worst, a 151.

The result? The Blue Streaks finished with a total pinfall of 3,452 to Boardman’s 3,454.

With a score of 4,236, Centerville emerged from the qualifying round as the No. 1 seed, but if you need further evidence of how fickle the sport can be, the Elks were bounced in the first round of the championship round by eighth-seeded Gahanna Lincoln.

Cincinnati St. Xavier, long known for football and swimming, claimed its first state title, besting Cincinnati Elder in the final round three games to one.

Again, the outcome was not what the Blue Streaks had hoped for going into the tournament, but now that they’ve broken through and qualified for state, the sky is the limit for this program. Although any future success will be without two important cogs in the Lake machine, seniors Josh Trent and Braden McKinney. Juniors Noah Earles and Andrew and Benjamin Venus will return, however, each with some valuable experience under their belts.

Of note is how closely the four top Lake bowlers scored in the three individual games. Trent (522) and McKinney (521) placed 68th and 69th, while Earles (517) and Andrew Venus (515) finished 71st and 72nd, respectively.

Boys wrestling

And then there was one – and maybe two more.

Of the seven wrestlers Lake sent to the Div. I Wadsworth tournament, held March 6-7, three ended up placing. However, only one wrestler is assured of competing at the OHSAA Div. I Wrestling State Tournament, scheduled for March 13-15 at The Ohio State University’s Schottenstein Center.

That would be junior Lukas Jordan, who continued his battle with Wadsworth senior Kyle Jardine at 157 pounds. At the sectional tournament, Jordan placed second after losing a 10-3 decision to Jardine in the championship bout. This time around, it was even closer. In what may have been the bout of the entire tournament, Jordan (43-6) and Jardine (26-3) again met in the finals, with Jordan taking Jardine to the limit before succumbing 8-5 in overtime.

Lake’s other two placers both finished fifth, meaning they will travel to Columbus as alternates for the state tournament. The first was junior Andrew Cassetty (38-10) at 106 pounds, who pinned Ashland’s Tyson Mateo in 0:54 in the fifth-place bout. Senior Boston Abdul also placed fifth following his 6-5 decision over Dayne Howey of Fremont Ross.

As a team, Lake placed 11th with 54.5 points. Federal League rival Massillon Perry won the team title with 241.0 points, comfortably ahead of runner-up Louisville (175.0).