Boys Bowling Advances to OHSAA Division I Final Four in Historic Season

Boys Bowling team delivered a historic performance Friday at HP Lanes in Columbus, advancing to the Final Four of the OHSAA Division I State Tournament for the first time in program history.

Amherst opened the state tournament with an outstanding showing during the qualifying round. The Comets rolled team games of 1105, 1066, and 1041 for a 3,212 total during the individual portion of the competition, placing them first overall after the three games. Amherst then added a 918 Baker series with games of 164, 216, 165, 206, and 167, finishing qualifying with a combined score of 4,130 to earn the No. 3 seed entering the eight-team championship bracket.

The Comets were led individually by Grant Taylor, who placed third overall with a 706 series after games of 256, 224, and 226 to earn First Team All-Ohio honors. Garrett Smith followed with a strong performance, finishing tied for fifth place with a 685 series (202, 229, 254) and earning Second Team All-Ohio recognition. Ethan Burich finished 14th with a 662 series (238, 223, 201) and received Honorable Mention All-Ohio honors. Brady Smith added a 586 series (218, 188, 180) to finish tied for 39th, while Trenton Roberts rolled a 573 series (191, 202, 180) to place 47th.

In the state quarterfinals, Amherst faced sixth-seeded Ashland in a best-of-five Baker match. The Comets opened with a 169-152 win in Game 1 before Ashland evened the match with a 181-170 victory in Game 2. Game 3 ended in a 202-202 tie, forcing a bowl-off between the teams’ 10th frame bowlers. Grant Taylor delivered in the clutch, winning the bowl-off 53-50 to give Amherst a 2-1 match lead. Ashland responded with a 182-173 win in Game 4 to force a decisive fifth game, but the Comets closed strong with a 240-193 victory to secure the match and advance to the Final Four.

In the semifinal round, Amherst matched up with Elder, which had advanced after defeating St. Ignatius in the quarterfinals. Elder claimed the opening two games 213-188 and 198-169 before the Comets responded with a 216-147 victory in Game 3 to extend the match. Elder closed the match in Game 4 with a 204-183 win, earning the 3-1 semifinal victory.

The appearance in the championship round marked a milestone moment for the Amherst bowling program. The Comets’ previous best finish at the state tournament was a 10th-place finish in 2023.

Amherst capped off a tremendous season that included a Southwestern Conference Championship, a North Shore Bowling Conference Championship, an OHSAA Sectional Championship, and the program’s first-ever trip to the OHSAA Division I Final Four.