It's been an up-and-down season for the Granite City bowling program, but with a quartet of veteran bowlers leading the way, coach Tim Wilson is confident that better times are ahead.
Senior Matt Clark and junior Eric Mann are the leading scorers for the boys team, while seniors Erica Hay and Amanda Reagan have been standouts for the girls. Both squads got off to a good start, but struggled throughout much of December.
"Eric is our anchor bowler and he's been pretty consistent," Wilson said. "Matt is the spirit of this team and he's stepped it up as a senior. The team needs him to keep their heads in the game. For the girls, Erica has come through as our anchor bowler, and Amanda has been bowling well lately."
Clark admits to being frustrated with the Warriors' recent slide.
"This far along, we should be performing a little better than what we are, but every day we learn a couple new things and get a little stronger as a team," Clark said.
"Last year, Mr. Wilson came in as a new coach and set a stricter tone on the team, but I think it was for the better ... Now that we're in the second year of his system, we really know what he wants."
As a freshman, Clark didn't intend to try out for the bowling team, but former teammate Mike Bast talked him into it.
"Eric and I have been bowling together ever since I was 3 and he was 2, but when I got to high school, I started out nervous," Clark said. "I bowled varsity almost all my freshman year. Since then, I've had my ups and downs, but I'm pretty happy about the improvement I've made."
Mann also started as a freshman.
"I was pretty nervous when I started, but I did alright, and I've gotten a lot better since then," Mann said.
Mann and Clark compete in leagues at Bowland, Granite City's home center, during the offseason.
"Bowling in the summer helps a lot," Mann said. "If you don't start, it's really hard to just start again at the beginning of practice. Most of the leagues are just for fun, but it's still good competition."
Meanwhile, Hay finds herself in the spotlight for the girls team.
"I never thought I would be one of the leaders of the team, but I just try to boost everybody up," Hay said. "I've been doing a little better than last year, but everyone has their ups and downs. I got my first 600 series this year at the Abe Lincoln Tournament (Dec. 3 in Springfield), so that was a highlight."
Hay's uncle, Sean Hay, is the head bowling coach for Collinsville and helped her get started in the sport.
"It was something I was really interested in, but I didn't start until my freshman year," Hay said. "I got on the varsity about halfway through that year. I've gotten a lot more consistent since then."
Like Hay, Reagan has had to adjust to taking a leadership role.
"It's different, but I enjoy helping out the team," Reagan said. "I've actually improved a lot this season. It's my second year on my varsity and I'm a little more confident."
The girls are confident that Granite City can be a force in the postseason.
"We just need to keep getting our spares and stay positive," Reagan said.
BOWLING NOTES: The Granite City boys are 5-5 after a 4-0 start.
"The competition got a little tougher - we had Collinsville, Belleville West and O'Fallon all in one week," Wilson said. "It doesn't get any easier in the Southwestern Conference, but we're working on a few problems we've had. Our communication needs to get a little better."
"Last year we had some guys step up and come through for us and this year we haven't had those breaks. We're just trying to improve every day."
The girls, who picked up a key win over Alton on Dec. 13, also started the season 4-0 but hit the same skid as the boys.
"You can't just put two or three scores together and have a great team performance - you need five solid bowlers in the Southwestern Conference," Wilson said. "Heather Travis threw a 600 series against Alton and Shelby Hall finished high at the Abe Lincoln Tournament. They step up at different times, but boys or girls, we need to have everyone bowling well at the same time.
"Springfield is also where our sectional is going to be held, so that tournament gave us some valuable experience."
