By Conner Orr

At the beginning of the day, the bowling team exceeded expectations and after the first three games, they found themselves in second place. However, the team slipped behind R.A. Long, to take third place, after starting the 7 baker games with a low score.

At this point, the team found themselves in a battle with Fort Vancouver. Whichever team placed third would qualify for the 2A state championship tournament. 

In the third baker game, River reclaimed their lead over Fort Vancouver, after slightly losing it. Unfortunately, for River, however, in the fourth baker game, Fort Vancouver dominated, which helped them regain the lead. They continued this momentum throughout the rest of the games to help them take third and River fourth.

River only lost by 50 pins to Fort Vancouver (3590-3540), and took fourth, which was higher than projected- they were expected to place fifth. Moreover, they placed higher than five other teams, most notably Hudson’s Bay, a team which River had struggled with during the regular season.

Despite the team’s season coming to an end, Pax Marino, Sydney Rehberg, and Brooklyn Burnett will represent the team in the state tournament after their amazing performances throughout the tournament. Marino knocked down 563 pins for River, Rehberg 543, and Burnett 527.

Overall, the team surpassed expectations and grew highly from the beginning of the regular season. The team was a mere 50 pins away from having a chance at the 2A state championship, after claiming second place last year. Despite the team losing many of its seniors from last year, they battled tirelessly and were able to turn around from a rough start on the year to being the 4th best team in districts and sending three players to state. Great job, bowling!