Avon Lake Bowling Becomes 1st Lorain County Team To Make States

AVON LAKE, OH — It took only three years for the Avon Lake bowling program to find unprecedented success. The girls varsity team became the first ever Lorain County bowling team to qualify for state competition.

On Friday morning, the bowling team will head to Wayne Webb's Columbus Bowl to compete for state accolades. Rayana Meyers, Madison Reimueller, Kayleigh Reimueller, Chloe Smith, Lexi Cline, Grace Gallagher, Phoebe Hood, and Amber Warthman will all be ready to throw their best game.

Coach Bill Gallagher said only one girl has been on the team for three years. He estimated that the average Avon Lake High bowler has been with the program for 1.5 years. " This is amazing. Knowing the history that I know, that no Lorain County team has ever made it to the state finals, it's amazing. These girls are amazing," Gallagher said.

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To get to states, the girls had to finish at least sixth in their sectional tournament in North Ridgeville. That tournament was played on Sunday and included plenty of drama.

With one match remaining, the Avon Lake girls were in eighth place. Every pin mattered down the stretch. Luckily, the girls dominated their final match-up and maneuvered their way into the sixth spot, punching their ticket to Columbus and making history in the process.

Gallagher said people felt the Avon Lake teams sneaked up, out of nowhere, to achieve great success. Now, the Avon Lake program is on the map and it's headed to states.

So what's the game plan for Columbus?

"We focus on our girls hitting our marks, hitting our targets," Gallagher said. "We don’t worry about the scores, or the win. Just focus on the marking." That won't change in Columbus, he said.

Before they departed for state tournament play, the Avon Lake girls bowling team was given a proper send-off at the high school. Students lined the hallways and clapped the players out, while the band played a good luck and farewell song.

Like many Northeast Ohio towns, Avon Lake can be obsessed with football. This time, though, Gallagher felt the schools did everything they could to let the girls know they were proud of them and supported their efforts.

"The schools have been amazing," he said.