The boys bowling team won its MHSAA regional with a total pinfall of 4,091 at Monitor Lanes in Bay City on Friday, Feb. 22.

The Hornets were dominant in the Baker games, scoring two games of 198 and averaging 180.3 pins per Baker game.

The team’s highest individual round total was 1,082 in game two.

The only challenger was Cadillac, who scored Bakers of 254 and 249. But the team was stung by the Hornets in the individual rounds, falling to second place.

Escanaba came in third at the regional.

Senior Kyle Langworthy is confident in his team’s ability to compete and focus.

“If we just keep our heads up and bowl our best, then we’ll accomplish it (winning the state competition),” Langworthy said. “I think that we’re just bowling our own game and not worrying about anything else.”

Burke thinks the team has a solid chance at winning the state final.

“I think we have a really good chance at doing this,” Burke said. “We have a really good team that meshes well together.”

On Friday, March 1, and Saturday, March 2, the team will compete in the MHSAA Division 2 state final at Waterford’s Century Bowl.

The Hornets were eliminated in the quarterfinal of last year’s final by New Boston Huron. They will look to push farther into the playoff this year.

Langworthy has rolled with the boys bowling team for three years and is ending his last season at Kearsley by qualifying to the MHSAA state final as an individual — the only Hornet to do so this season.

In the singles competition at Monitor Lanes in Bay City on Saturday, Feb. 23, Langworthy accumulated a pinfall of 1,229, earning him eighth place.

The ninth- and 10th-place bowlers were a mere pin under his total.

With a high game of 253 and a tournament average of 204.8, Langworthy’s lowest tally was 176 in his fourth game.

Langworthy is excited to see that he will compete at the state final, but he is focused on playing his best at the final event.

“Nothing has paid off yet,” Langworthy said. “We still have states to go.”

Performing only 25 pins under qualifying for the state final, freshman Gage Slagor earned 18th place with a total of 1,203.

Placing 20th, junior Lawson Boshaw also had a strong performance of 1,192 pins.

Senior Nathan Maxwell and junior Ethan Burke placed 28th and 30th, respectively.

Burke is happy to see Langworthy succeed.

“It’s his senior year,” Burke said. “I’m sad that the other guys didn’t get to make it in their senior years, but I’m happy for him.”