Brady Shank may not have qualified for the IHSA State Championship, but the Rochelle senior capped off his high school bowling career with a strong performance in the IHSA Rockford (Jefferson) Sectional at Don Carter Lanes on Saturday.
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ROCKFORD — Brady Shank may not have qualified for the IHSA State Championship, but the Rochelle senior capped off his high school bowling career with a strong performance in the IHSA Rockford (Jefferson) Sectional at Don Carter Lanes on Saturday.
Shank pieced together arguably his most consistent six-game series of his season, rolling 218, 212 and 215 over his first three games for a 645 series before tossing 203, 212 and 185 for a 600 series during the second half of competition. The senior finished with 1,245 pins to place 23rd out of 130 varsity bowlers, averaging 207.5 pins per game for the tournament.
“I would be proud to shoot a six-game series like that,” head coach Doug Koch said. “The talent this young man has will take him a long way in this sport. It was something to watch Brady grow over the last four years.”
St. Charles North won the team crown with 6,335 pins while Machesney Park (Harlem) finished second with 6,319 and Rockton (Hononegah) took third with 6,123. Oregon’s Austin Strite earned the individual title with a 1,398 six-games series. Grayslake (Central) bowler Miles Pletcher was the final at-large individual qualifier with 1,315.
“I thought I was very calm and consistent for the most part,” Shank said. “I had to throw the ball hard to keep it on the right side of the lane. The kids who bowled with me are some of the best in the state, and placing 23rd wasn’t bad at all.”
Saturday was Shank’s second time bowling at the sectional level after he and his teammates qualified as a group last season. While Shank was bummed he didn’t get to perform alongside his teammates this year, he was excited to have an opportunity to meet some new players from other schools.
“It’s very different going from bowling with a team to bowling as an individual,” Shank said. “You don’t get to celebrate with your teammates… I had the chance to bowl with a new group of players, and at that point it was all about experience… I’ve put so much time, effort and dedication into not only the last four years, but my entire 14-year bowling career… My love for this sport will never die and it’s what I’m most passionate about.”
With the sectional round officially concluded, the Rochelle boys bowling season has come to a close. The Hubs will graduate four senior players including Shank, who said that Rochelle’s small-town atmosphere, as well as the friends he made during conference play, are things he will miss most about competing at RTHS.
“When you make the paper after a good meet, a lot of people will congratulate you and say that you did a good job,” Shank said. “That’s the fun part about being from a small town. People hear about your accomplishments… I’ve met so many good friends from each team in our conference, and I’m going to miss our “Big 3” as well. Dallas [Driver], Tyler [Johnson] and I were all together for four years and I’ll miss that friendship.”
