Going into the last meet of the season, the Amherst Falcons Bowling Team had just one goal — to win both of their matches and make a trip to the State Finals.
On February 2, Amherst traveled to Five Star Lanes in Stevens Point for their final match-ups with Antigo and Iola-Scandinavia. Antigo was undefeated at the time, and they placed second in state last season. Iola-Scandinavia, another good program, had a record of 3-3-2 going into this meet. The bowlers knew both matchups would be tough, but Amherst had fight and spirit, and the team was going to fight as hard as it could to get their chance at State.
The first match would be Antigo. The Falcons knew they would have to grind and take advantage early. As the match started, there was an intensity in the air because the bowlers and the spectators knew how important this match was to both teams. Amherst knew that if they wanted to win, they would have to bowl better than they had all season, staying positive no matter what happened in the match.
Halfway through the match, the Falcons were up 4-1, but then Antigo went on a three-game win streak, making the series 4-3. With Antigo’s rise from the dead, Coach Brad Cieslewicz realized he had to change the line-up and bring up the spirit of the team. With a few adjustments, the Falcons went on to win the next two games and beat one of the best teams in the state.
Maxim Wise responded to this question by saying, “I was very glad that we beat Antigo considering they were undefeated,” said Amherst senior Maxim Wise. “They are our rivals, so it was nice that we beat them.”
Junior Maddox Brown, who bowled outstanding in the first match of the day, said, “I felt very confident in myself and the team overall.”
Senior Kaleb Krupka, who is the main source of energy on the Falcons team, was pleased after the first match. “It was a big win beating the Antigo team,” Krupka said. “The energy was electric going into the second meet, and we were feeling really good.”
“I wasn’t really nervous [about facing] Iola,” Wise added. “They were just another team we had to face.”
Unfortunately, it can often be the teams that you’re not worried about that can come back to haunt you.
For the second match of the day, Amherst faced off against a very respectable Iola team. After the adrenaline rush of beating Antigo, the team seemed to maintain its intensity in the first few games since they knew that this match would decide the fate of the Amherst season. The team was confident they could to beat Iola, but the Falcons were surprised by their Iola neighbors.
Iola came out hot, winning the first two games in a dominating fashion. This shocked the Falcons and they had to regroup quickly to have a chance. The Falcons battled back quickly, tying the match 2-2, and from that point on, it was a back-and-forth battle, with both teams giving it everything they had. The nine-game match was tied at 4-4 with one game to go and the fate of the Falcons’ season on the line. Intensity was high, even for the fans, and nobody knew what would happen.
Unfortunately for the Falcons, Iola came out with the win. The Amherst team was very emotional when the final ball was thrown, considering how close they were to making it to state.
This was a very good season for the Falcons, ending the season at 6-2-2 and out-averaging their opponents. The bowlers improved a lot over the season, and several sophomores proved themselves to be Varsity-caliber bowlers, thanks to the trust placed in them by their coaches.
Just wait until next year…
