With the highest game of the state final match, a 186, senior Barbara Hawes led Kearsley to its fifth consecutive state title.

It was Hawes’ third and final year of bowling.

“During the title match, I wasn’t super nervous,” Hawes said. “Around the sixth frame you could tell that Tecumseh had given up and, at the point, we knew.”

What the Hornets knew was they would claim an MHSAA Division 2 girls state bowling championship — Kearsley’s sixth in seven years.

Hawes said that it being her last year is bittersweet.

“I think I’ll miss the friendships I’ve made the most,” Hawes said.

In the beginning of the state final, which was Friday, March 2, at Canton’s Super Bowl, Hawes said the Hornets were not performing as well as they hoped. But once it came to the final, something “clicked” for the Hornets and they were ready to win.

The Hornets went up against their long-time rival Tecumseh when it came to the final match.

The Indians had won the state title for three years in a row from 2008-2010 until the Hornets fired back in 2012 and took on the streak themselves.

Coach Robert Ploof said it took some time, but Kearsley was eventually able to end Tecumseh’s streak.

“Tecumseh was always a powerhouse in girls bowling and tough to beat,” Ploof said. “I have tried to build our program into one that could beat them because they were always so strong.”

When it came down to it, the Hornets pushed through with a 1,186 total pinfall against Tecumseh’s 990.

But the state championship started when Senior Emma Boychuk won the quarterfinal match for the Hornets against Sturgis 1,202-1,149.

In the 10th frame, Boychuk struck out, giving her team the chance to move to the semifinal round. Kearsley narrowly beat the Trojans by 53 pins.

This was Boychuk’s fourth and last year on the team.

“It being my fourth team title it’s a very great accomplishment,” Boychuk said. “It’s unbelieveable that we’ve made history once again.”

Though Boychuk is sad that her high school bowling career is done, she said she’ll never forget the times that she has won.

After defeating Sturgis, the Hornets went up against Carleton-Airport in the semifinal and zoomed past the Jets into the final round.

Carleton-Airport was put to an end by the Hornets 1,113-974.

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Then it was Tecumseh’s turn to compete against the Hornets.

The Hornets had a close start with the Indians in the state championship match with only a 10-pin lead after both Baker games.

But the lead increased during the individual games, when the Hornets beat Tecumseh by 196 pins and earned themselves another state title.

The state champion team is seniors Barbara Hawes, Karlee Griffin, and Emma Boychuck; juniors Alexis Roof and Mary Wheeler; sophomore Imari Blond, and freshman Allison Robbins.