Trojan boys roll to third-place finish at state

DES MOINES ? The Fairfield boys? bowling team has accomplished plenty of firsts this season.

The Trojans rolled to a regular season-best record of 6-3, won their first conference title and even grabbed their first-ever state meet bid after finishing second at districts.

So, it was no surprise to Fairfield head coach Lisa Greenig when the boys tacked on another first Thursday.

In just the program?s third season, the Trojans took third place in the Class 1A State Bowling Championships at Des Moines? Plaza Lanes. The Trojans finished with a school record 3030 team score, 124 behind first-place Epworth and 51 behind runner-up Red Oak. Louisa-Muscatine, which handed Fairfield all but one of its losses this season, finished fifth at 2972.

?I was so proud of how well they did, how well they represented the school,? said Greenig. ?Our expectations were that our kids would bowl well. They were directly competing against the first-place team [Epworth], and they really rose to the occasion.?

Stian Hoff, a senior foreign exchange student from Norway, and freshman Andrew Chatfield led the Trojans with top-six finishes.

During the first two games, Hoff rolled a series of 473 and Chatfield bowled a 464 to notch their names into the top 10. In the third game to determine placings, Hoff bowled a 226 for a second-place medal, and Chatfield rolled 200 to finish sixth.

Mitch Goudy, a junior, scored third for the Trojans and came in 21st overall. Goudy?s games of 188 and 216 combined for a 404 series.

Rounding out the team score, the Trojans also received a 26th-place finish from Gabe Hull and 30th-place finish from freshman Cody Craff. Hull rolled a 397 series and Craff was just four pins behind at 393.

Also bowling on the bronze medal-winning Trojan squad was junior Ben Hull, who put games of 169 and 180 together for an overall series of 349.

?We were lucky to have Stian come in as a leader this year, and with that the other bowlers stepped up because of him,? Greenig said. ?You can?t win with just one guy, and we didn?t. This was a whole team effort.?

Fairfield?s Shannan Baker was the lone representative for the girls? team and bowled in the middle of the pack with a 315 series. The senior wrapped up her high school career with games of 153 and 162.

?She was above her average both games. She had three big splits in two games and doubled up strikes in both games,? Greenig said. ?I know she was nervous, but she settled in and bowled some solid games.?

In the girls? team race, Keokuk won its second Class 1A state championship in four seasons. The Chiefs, who also won the 2009 state crown, finished with a 2811 team score.

Greenig and Bryan Marlay close out their third year at the helm of the Fairfield bowling teams and stand to return a good amount of bowlers next season. Hoff is the lone senior on the boys squad, while Baker and Kaylen Marlay will be the key losses for the girls.

?We are already looking into next year, and we already want to make sure they continue bowling over the summer,? Greenig said. ?We should have a good foundation for next year and now that they?ve experienced it they?re hungry for more, and that?s a good thing.?

Class 1A State Bowling Results

Plaza Lanes, Des Moines

Boys Final Team Standings

1. Epworth 3154, 2. Red Oak 3081, 3. Fairfield 3030, 4. West Delaware 2991, 5. Louisa-Muscatine 2972, 6. Camanche 2927, 7. Des Moines Hoover 2853, 8. Sergeant Bluff-Luton 2839, 9. Oelwein 2837, 10. Clarke 2807

FAIRFIELD (3030) ? Round one: Stian Hoff 473 (256, 217), Andrew Chatfield 464 (255, 209), Mitch Goudy 404 (188, 216), Gabe Hull 397 (186, 211), Cody Craff 393 (210, 183), Bell Hull 349* (169, 180), Total 2131; Round two (Baker): 899 (171, 166, 201, 212, 149)

Girls Final Team Standings

1. Keokuk 2811, 2. West Delaware 2757, 3. Newton 2668, 4. Denison-Schleswig 2648, 5. Mount Pleasant 2593, 6. Red Oak 2559, 7. Cedar Rapids Xavier 2537, 8. Camanche 2383, 9. Oelwein 2191, 10. Clarke 2128

FAIRFIELD ? Shannan Baker 315 (153, 162)