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Here is a look at the Ottawa and Streator high school bowling teams this winter.
Ottawa Pirates
Boys
Coach: Mark Andrews
Top returners: Will Znaniecki, sr.; Robbie Burke, sr.; Corwin Diaz, sr.; Caden Walter, sr.
Top newcomers: Bentley Thumm, fr.
Worth noting: Znaniecki returns as the Pirates’ lone returning sectional qualifier and with the top average from last winter, a 182. Burke (170 avg. in 2023-24), Diaz (167) and Walter (165) will be looked to join Znaniecki in leading the Pirates to team success, with Thumm a promising addition. “Goals for the year are certainly to compete for a conference title and to qualify as a team for sectionals,” Andrews said. “For this to happen, the players must work on their game in practice and compete every game to be the best they can be for the team. ... I have really enjoyed these players. They have a great work ethic in practice to become a winning team. They have just started to touch the surface of what they can achieve this year. I am excited to see how it plays out.”
Girls
Coach: Levi Ericson
Top returners: Ana Zeglis, sr.; Kilah Figenbaum, jr.; Rylee Harsted, jr.; Kathy Perez, jr.
Top newcomers: Quinn Wilkinson, so.; Tessa Diaz, jr.
Worth noting: The Pirates’ 2024-25 season will be built on their four returning varsity starters, with four-year starter/past sectional qualifier Zeglis and her 160 average leading the way. Figenbaum (150 avg. last season), Harsted (144) and Perez (143) will also be looked to for leadership and consistent scores. “I’m not sure we have one over-the-top leader since we have a group of high-character girls that are primarily three- and four-year varsity starters that all carry the expectations of the program,” Ericson said. “Our goals for this year will be to compete for a conference championship and strive towards advancing to sectionals as a team.”
Streator Bulldogs
Boys
Coach: Nancy Longnecker
Top returners: Cody Taylor, jr.; Tyson Kolojay, so.
Top newcomers: Ian Wheeler, jr.; Austin Murphy, so.; Konner Dulabhan, fr.; Brayden Bradley, fr.
Worth noting: Without a senior in the primary starting lineup, this winter’s Bowlin’ Bulldogs are young and relatively inexperienced at the varsity level outside of Taylor. Both he and Kolojay will be looked on to lead their new teammates, with Longnecker setting goals “to improve each match/invite that we play. To achieve our goals, they must learn how to pick up their spares.”
Girls
Coach: Nancy Longnecker
Top returners: Lyla Gengler, sr.; Lily Michael, jr.; Madi Bedeker, jr.; Jenna Onasch, jr.; Lisa Lopez, jr.; Kaitlyn Pettyjohn, so.
Worth noting: What was once a quite young and inexperienced Bowlin’ Bulldogs varsity roster has grown into this winter’s junior-led, experienced team that just posted a noteworthy third-place finish in the team standings of the Oregon Invitational. Michael and Bedeker both topped 1,000 pins in their six-game series, with Gengler close behind. “All six girls work together,” Longnecker said. “When these girls started bowling three years ago, all were new to the sport and have seen tremendous improvement in three years. ... Our goal is to qualify out of regional play as a team.”