Bowlers close down lanes with second consecutive run to State
After a striking season, the Wildcat Bowling team made an impressive run at state, wrapping up another great campaign. The team of nine bowlers was led by coach and former individual state champion, Matt Mead. Among these nine bowlers, junior Xavier Gauthier and sophomore Luke Schaefer represented the Wildcats in the individual competition after they both finished in the top 10 for regular season statistics in their district. The team totaled 2,778 pins in a 15 game series, averaging around 185 per game, falling short of the cut for the second round.
Senior Steven Reigh reflected on the practice that went into the State tournament.
“The team as a whole prepared for State by focusing on the weaknesses that each individual had,” he said. “We practiced extra days throughout the week and we even asked the bowling alley to put out tougher oil patterns for us to make our adjustments.”
Despite loads of practice, the team came up short of advancing past the first round. Gauthier felt the team struggled on a much tougher oil pattern.
“I feel like I definitely didn’t perform to the level I felt I could,” he said. “My shot execution wasn’t there all weekend. As a team we started off very strong but then hit a tough pair and things started to get away from us.”
Despite a disappointing ending for a team losing five seniors next season, Gauthier witnessed his teammates fighting to improve themselves each time they stepped onto the lanes.
“It’s great to know we all made State after all the hard work we’ve put in,” he said. “Each and every person on this team tried to get better every time they showed up at the center and I feel that’s what really led to our success this season. I also believe we could have gone in with a stronger mental game and prepared more for State.”
While they did not reach their desired outcome, the team grew into a family through their combined goal of making State for a second year in a row. Mead, a West grad, witnessed this growth and enjoyed watching his bowlers fight for one another.
Photo courtesy Joe Mayo
Team members huddle up as they prepare for their state tournament competition. The squad had a great run to state, despite not winning.
“Although the overall outcome is not what we set out for as a team, I’m very proud of the commitment each bowler had to the team and their ability to continue fighting for one another,” he said. “I’ve stressed a ‘team first’ mentality all year, and was happy that they carried that over into the State tournament.”
With this being his final season as head coach of the Wildcats, Mead feels blessed to have watched his team grow from sub .500 just three years ago, to back-to-back conference champions in 2020 and 2021.
“I feel extremely fortunate to have been given the opportunity to help coach and mentor this team,” he said. “The cohesiveness this team exemplified week in and week out was inspiring. It’s always fun to watch the growth of an individual from the time they enter the program to the day they leave, because I know the amount of perseverance that they needed in order to achieve that growth.”
Mead wishes his best to the program and sees much potential for the team's success in coming years.
“I hope the kids learn that as long as you give maximum effort each step of the way, there is no such thing as failure, only learning,” he said. “We weren't able to obtain the ultimate goal of winning a championship together; however, we were able to learn together through the experience. I will be cheering the bowlers on next year from afar and wish this program the best of success moving forward.”
by Joe Mayo and Ashley Kozel
Published March 25, 2021
Oshkosh West Index Volume 117 Issue VI