Coming off a state championship season, the Collinsville girls bowling team has had the toughest of acts to follow.
"It is a lot of responsibility for us to have," said junior Katie Crafton, who as a sophomore was just a few pins away from competing at the state tourney last season. "There's a lot of pressure on our shoulders."
Despite the graduation of several top-notch rollers, many of whom are now bowling in college, the Kahoks have opened the winter season with a respectable 4-2 start. Victory No. 4 came as expected on Thursday at Camelot Lanes, where Collinsville bowled over rival Granite City, 37-3.
Crafton led the way with 673 series, which included games of 244 and 225. Only her younger sister, sophomore Sarah Craft, posted a higher game score (245). Sarah ended up with a three-game total of 635.
The Kahoks really stepped up in game No. 2, totaling 1,090 pins to the Warriors' 813. Four of their rollers - the Craftons, Amber Burns and senior captain Elizabeth Beauchamp posted scores over 200. Burns had a 217 and Beauchamp a 216. Courtney Bruncic added a 168.
"These girls are uber-competitive," said Kahoks coach Sean Hay, whose niece, senior Erica Hay, rolls for Granite City. "We really wanted to beat them.
"It's a growing process. We have to take it one frame at a time."
For the first time this season, the Kahoks posted a score of more than 3,000 pins, finishing the match with 3,060.
The Crafts were the most consistent, as Sean Hay said they have been all season.
"Katie was really close to qualifying for state last year," Hay said. "She really loves tournaments."
None of the Warriors (3-3) were able to be as consistent. Their best single game came from senior Amanda Odom, who rolled a 215 in the second game. The only other bowlers to top the 200-mark were Odom, who posted a 207 in game three, and Erica Hay (202 in game one).
Collinsville's bowlers seem to understand that they will be hard-pressed to duplicate last year's match record of 12-1-1. So rather than hang their hats on unrealistic expectations, the Kahoks are trying to improve at their own pace.
"We're starting to catch up to where we need to be," Crafton said. "We have to clear our heads and keep approaching every game one frame at a time."
