Quakers rally to win first OCC boys bowling title

New Philadelphia’s boys bowling team got hot at the right time and the Quakers now have a shiny Ohio Cardinal Conference trophy to show for it.

After scuffling just a bit in the regular competition to start things off in the Jan. 31 event, the Quakers easily beat Wooster in the baker format semifinals, setting up a winner-take all showdown with Ashland in the final. The teams headed into the conference tourney tied for first after both finished the regular season with 11-1 records.

Ashland won the first game in a blowout, 230-162 but the Quakers bounced back to win the second 214-171. In the rubber match for all the marbles, the Quakers stepped up and prevailed 212-188.

The championship is New Philadelphia’s first. The Quakers finished third a year ago. Ashland had won the prior two championships, three of the last four, and four of the eight decided since the conference’s formation.

Jack Fair led the Quakers on the day with an individual total of 649 pins, eight ahead of teammate Landon LaBiche. Chase Hutchison added 607, with Nick Tedesco chipping in 578 and Preston Cox 502.

Their performances helped Fair and Labiche earn first-team All-OCC honors. Labiche, a first-teamer for the second year in a row, finished with a 224 average, seven pins ahead of Fair. Tedesco (203) earned a spot on the second team, with Hutchison (189) getting an honorable mention. Coach Jeff Locker was named coach of the year for the second consecutive season. Ashland led the seven-team field through the first three games of the tourney, totaling 3,280 pins. Wooster was second with 2997, 20 more than New Philadelphia. Lexington was fourth at 2797. Dover was seventh with 2412.

After baker games Ashland still led with 4,611, while the Quakers moved into second with 4,165. Wooster dropped to third with 4,071. Lexington was fourth with 3,986. Dover finished seventh with 3,316.

Paired with Wooster in the semifinal match, the Quakers won 244-199 and 224-164, setting up the final. Dover’s Jackson Anslow, who finished with a 182 average, earned an all-conference honorable mention. Anslow had a solid 632 series in the tournament. Dre Zobenica was second on the Tornadoes at 518. They were the only two Tornadoes in all three games as Dover had eight different bowlers compete in all.

In the girls tournament, Wooster, which went 12-0 during the regular season, also won the tournament to capture the outright championship. The Generals put up 3,785 pins in standard play, easily outdistancing runner-up West Holmes, which had 3,101. Dover finished third with 2,651, with New Philadelphia seventh with 2,393.

Dover’s Kaitlin Yoder, who totaled 437 pins in the tourney, earned a first-team all-conference berth. Teammate Jocelyn Steele received an honorable mention. She had a 462 in the conference finale. Jay Brown added a 406.

Allison Knisely was named second-team All-OCC for New Philadelphia. She rolled a 555 series in the conference tourney.