1 of 2
Photos by Erin Nelson.
The Jags react after defeating Hoover to win the state title.
2 of 2
Photos by Erin Nelson.
Spain Park’s Lucas Mitchell throws the ball down the lane as the Jags face Hoover in the AHSAA state bowling championship game Jan. 28 at The Alley in Gadsden.
In an all-Hoover City Schools final, the Spain Park High School boys bowling team knocked off Hoover to win the Class 6A/7A state title Jan. 28 at the state tournament at The Alley in Gadsden.
Spain Park knocked off Hoover 4-2 in the best-of-seven final series of Baker games, giving the Jaguars their third state championship in program history.
The final was a close battle throughout. The Jags won 205-201 in the first game before Hoover edged the Jags 170-169 in the second game. Hoover took a 2-1 lead after winning 288-203 in the third game — a game in which Hoover began the game with 10 straight strikes. Spain Park rallied to win the final three games, winning 279-188, 246-191 and 201-143.
“None of these guys had ever been to state before, so for them to come out and play like they did, I could not be more proud,” Spain Park coach Stephen Hobbs said.
It was the third state title for Spain Park, with the Jags also winning in 2016 and 2017. Hoover finished as the runner-up for the second straight season.
Eight teams in each classification qualified for the state tournament. Competition on the first day consisted of each team bowling three traditional games and using total pins to set up the single elimination bracket used the second day.
Hoover’s boys earned the No. 1 seed, rolling up 2,805 pins on the initial day of competition. Alex Lee was the top Buccaneers bowler, finishing second overall with a three-game total of 663. Carter Hughes posted a 621, and Connor Davis finished with 543. A.J. Nelson, Rhett Pearson, Matt Lawley, Andrew Choi and Aiden Dockery also competed for Hoover.
Spain Park’s boys finished as the No. 3 seed, with Cole Henson leading the charge as the tournament’s top medalist. He posted a three-game score of 663 with a single-game high of 246. Ethan Lee scored 527, and Michael Kimble posted 511. Russell Partin, Liam Hilson, Lucas Mitchell and Luke Belmont also competed.
In bracket play, a best-of-seven series of Baker games was used as the format. A Baker game consists of five players on the same team alternating, each bowling twice over a 10-frame game.
In boys action, Hoover took down Spanish Fort 4-2 in the opening round. Hoover won the first two games before dropping the third and fifth, but eventually took care of business in the sixth game to advance. Spain Park had no trouble with Baldwin County, dominating en route to a 4-0 victory.
In the semifinals, Hoover took down Thompson, and Spain Park beat Hewitt-Trussville to earn their way into the final round. Hoover won the opening game in a tiebreaker and was able to carry that momentum to a 4-3 win, despite Thompson accumulating more pins. Spain Park jumped out to a 3-1 lead over Hewitt and held on for a 4-2 win.
“We were down 3-1 against Thompson and very easily could’ve folded,” Hoover coach Dustin Edgar said. “I’m super proud of how our guys fought back. They faced a lot of adversity and gave themselves a shot at a state championship.”
Spain Park’s girls had an outstanding day one, posting a score of 2,296 to earn the No. 2 seed.
Emma Hawkins rolled a three-game total of 561 to finish as the third individual medalist, breaking a program record with her 244 in the second game of the day. Emma Jolley posted a 476, and Morgan Jolley scored 456. Maggie Daniel, Kyndal Heaton, Blakley Watts, Emily Goddard and Caroline Whisenhunt all bowled for the Lady Jags as well.
