Back-to-Back: Newton girls clinch return trip to state tournament

DES MOINES — The first 10 Baker games in the girls regional team bowling competition were intense. The margin between the top three schools was a minuscule two pins.

But the Cardinals saved their best for last and a 265 final game put the nail in the coffin for the rest of the field as Newton blew past everyone in the final five games to lock up its second consecutive Class 2A state berth.

“To be able to take the whole team back to state is a great accomplishment,” Newton head bowling coach Christie Hughes said. “These kids have been great. They’ve worked hard for this.”

The top two finishers in both boys and girls at each state qualifying meet advanced to state. In the new format, the state berths in the team competition are decided by 15 Baker games.

The Cardinal girls registered a 2,580 and that turned out to be somewhat of a convincing win after a tight first 10 games.

“It feels really good. I’m excited. Last year, on the way to the meet we said we were going to state and we did,” sophomore Libbie Keith said. “This year, we said the same thing and we did it again. It feels so awesome. We are super pumped.”

The Newton boys’ team season is over after the Cardinals finished sixth with a Baker score of 2,440.

Newton’s girls were 85 pins in front of Council Bluffs Lewis Central, which also advanced to state as the region’s runner-up.

Lewis Central led Oskaloosa by one pin and Newton was two pins back after 10 Baker games.

The Cardinals took over the lead after 11 games following a 163 to Lewis Central’s 159. They flip flopped after the 12th game following Lewis Central’s 181 and Newton’s 172.

The Titans stayed in the lead with a 195 in the 13th game. But Newton finished with a 200 and a season-best 265 to pull away for good.

In the 15th and final Baker game, the Cardinals started with nine straight strikes.

“We knew our placing was really close after 10 games. So we wanted to get a few more 200s at the end,” sophomore Genessa Slings said. “It was nerve wracking down the stretch. We all tried to stay positive and work together as a team.”

Lewis Central’s runner-up score was a 2,495. Oskaloosa faded in the final five games but still took third with a 2,291. The rest of the eight-team field included host Urbandale (2,227), Creston (2,180), Waverly-Shell Rock (2,097), Norwalk (1,973) and Des Moines Hoover (1,661).

Newton rolled three 200-plus games in all. The Cardinals had a 225 in the ninth game to pull closer to the front.

“It feels great. This will be my first time going to state. I’m excited,” said Kaitlyn Gifford, who is the only senior on Newton’s varsity girls’ team. “That was the best possible way to clinch it. We weren’t expecting that at all but having that (265) helped us for sure.”

The Newton girls team includes Keith, Slings, Gifford, junior Bailey Hansen, sophomore Beka Weithers and freshman Nevaeh Bown. Keith, Slings, Hansen and Weithers all were part of last year’s state qualifying team.

Oskaloosa won the boys district team championship with a 3,067. Ottumwa also is headed to state after finishing second with a 2,913.

The rest of the eight-team field featured Waverly-Shell Rock (2,851), Norwalk (2,763), Urbandale (2,760), Newton (2,440), Des Moines Hoover (2,238) and Creston (1,969).

The Cardinal girls lost two seniors, including top bowler Abby Price, from their state qualifying team last year.

This year’s team started the season feeling like they couldn’t get back to state without Price. But as the year went on, the Cardinals’ confidence continued to grow.

And now they’ll get another shot at a 2A team trophy at Cadillac Lanes in Waterloo on Tuesday.

“She’s called us and talked to us and has been to a few meets,” Keith said about Price. “She called us on the way up here and wished us luck. We did this for her. All of us look up to her.

“Our team was maybe not as strong mentally at the beginning of the season. It was easy to feel like she was the only reason we made it last year. We definitely proved we can hold our own. We are a strong team and have grown a lot this year.”

Hughes said rolling nine strikes in a row in the 15th and final Baker game was something she’s never seen before from one of her squads. It helped take the drama out of the final few games, too.

“I don’t think we’ve ever gotten nine strikes in a row like that,” Hughes said. “To have a couple three 200 games was big. These girls can get on a run and catch fire. I can’t wait to see what they do next week.”