For much of the pandemic, some of the area’s prep student-athletes saw their training facilities shut down completely.
Now, with just a six-week season set for 2021, Sequim High’s bowling squad doesn’t have a lot of time to get up to speed before the season-culminating league tourney set for June 10.
“It’s going to fly by,” said Sequim coach Randy Perry, entering his 13th season leaving the Wolves.
Things look a little different on the lanes this year thanks to some health precautions, Perry noted. Rather than the two regular games, two Bakers and an aggregate score to determine winners, bowlers are kept on the same lanes for three full games, he said, and teams only use their top four bowlers instead of five.
While the Wolves struggled for team wins the last couple of years against some deep Kitsap squads, they see five returners back on the team including two-time state qualifier Madison McKeown.
McKeown placed sixth at districts last season and 36th at the 1A/2A tourney, and looks solid in early-season matches this year, Perry said. In her most recent six games she’s averaged 163 pins, he noted.
“She’s rolling real nice,” he said.
“With Madison (bowling so well), we just need a couple of other girls bowling 120-140, and we will be OK,” he said. “I’m optimistic that we’ll compete all year.”
Returners Gabriella Mattern-Hall, Emily Green and Anastasia Updike make a solid top four, Perry said, while three freshmen look to push for a varsity spot.
“That’s the best thing for coaching, is to see a girl actually get better at it — and having fun, too,” He said. “I think they’re going to be pushing my fourth bowler for varsity time for sure.”
With Bremerton having some low numbers and North Mason not having a team this year, Klahowya might be the team to beat in league, Perry said.
“All the other teams have been bowling for a month, (but) we’re going to get a lot of lane time in,” he said. “We always get better. It’s a good group of kids. We’ll see what happens.”
Winter sports preview: Sequim High Bowling
Head coach: Randy Perry (13th year)
2019-2020 record: 2-9; two athletes to districts, one to state
Returners: Madison McKeown (jr.), Gabriella Mattern-Hall (jr.), Emily Green (sr.), Anastasia Updike (so.), Morgan Tate (jr.)
Newcomers: Morgan Kayser (fr.), Olivia Ostlund (fr.), Kaia Lestage (fr.)
Wolves post strong scores in early matches
Despite three losses to open the 2021 season, Sequim’s bowling team saw a number of silver linings, including junior standout Madison McKeown’s best-bowled game.
Klahowya dominated the Wolves’ season opener 3-0 (622-443, 623-360, 485-419), with Sequim’s Anastasia Updike posting the Wolves’ top individual game score of 142.
Sequim rebounded to nearly knock off visiting Olympic on May 4, bowling a 608-pin second game before falling 2-1 to the Trojans (457-428, 510-608, 591-423) in Port Angeles.
McKeown, a two-time state tourney qualifier, paced the Wolves with a career-best 211-pin second game and 463-pin series.
Sequim then took another game against class 3A foe Central Kitsap a day later in Silverdale, as the Cougars edged the Wolves 2-1 (550-499, 510-574, 571-519).
McKeown bowled a 186-pin second game and 162-pin third game, and the Wolves got solid contributions from Gabriella Mattern-Hall in the first game (134 pins) and Emily Green (145) and Updike (140) in game three.
