MV’s Bowling Rams walked into S.I. Bowl in Carterville and rolled their way to victory at their annual South 7 Conference meet on January 2.

The Lady Rams began the tournament mid-rank, ending their first frame in third place with a 594 score, but soon bounced back, jumping up to second place after a second game of 747.

The Lady Rams remained in second place after game three, falling behind the Cahokia Comanches by 48 pins. Catching up after game four, the Lady Rams ranked on top, ahead of the competitors with just a 6 pin lead.

Lady Rams defended their first place rank throughout the rest of the tournament and finished 116 pins above Cahokia with a total of 3907, becoming the 2019 South 7 Champions and taking home their first South 7 trophy since 2014.  

In the boys division, the Rams started off strong, taking the lead in first place during games one through three with a 955-1025-865 set. They later were bumped down to second place, falling behind the Centralia Orphans by only 3 pins after game four.

The Rams did not regain their lead over Centralia during the fifth game, and the previous South 7 champions finished the tournament in second place with a 4581 total.

In addition to receiving honors in team rankings, several of MV’s bowlers earned individual awards.

Jenna Dobbs, ‘20, earned the title of 2019 South 7 Conference Champion in the girls division, rolling games of 235-221-213-116-145 for a total of 980.

“I don’t think I could have done it without my team supporting me and being there. To be honest it shocked me to the point I was shaking bad because I was so excited and couldn’t believe that I bowled that well and never gave up throughout the day. I’m happy that I had my closest friends and my bowling family watching and supporting,” Dobbs stated.

Joining Dobbs on the all-conference team, Melody Oliver ‘19 placed third with 215-191-188-179-106 games, and Diana Ward ‘19 had 123-161-163-187-194 earning her fourth place.

Alec Blaydes, ‘20 also received fourth place and received all-conference team honors with a set of 222-216-237-209-140, and Rylan VanMatre, ‘22 who rolled a 147-246-191-185-180, placed seventh in the boys division.

Also bowling for the Rams were Zain Radtke, ‘19, Seth Beal, ‘19, Emmalee Nabors, ‘19, Peyton Swan, ‘20, Cole McDannel, ‘21, Kaylee Lemons, ‘21, and Rianna Bauer, ‘22.

After their South 7 victories, MV continued their season at the Carterville Invitational on January 5. The Rams placed fourth in the boys Gold Division and the Lady Rams placed first in the girls Silver Division.

Seth Beal ‘19 received honors for eighth high game and eighth high series in the boys division, and Melody Oliver ‘19 received tenth high game in the the girls division.