Ciarra Landry was a freshman at Charlotte High School the last time she got to hold the MHSAA State Championship trophy. Now a senior, Landry is looking to lead the CHS girls bowling team to the crown one last time before she graduates. This will be her fourth appearance in the finals.
The Orioles captured their fifth straight regional title last weekend, earning another trip to the Division 2 State Finals Feb. 28 and March 1 at Century Lanes in Waterford. The girls team will be joined by the CHS boys bowling team, whose third place finish earned them another trip to the finals as well.
Coaches Dave Jackson and Pat Landry had high expectations for their teams entering the season, though they sometimes have a hard time explaining both teams’ continued success.
“I’m just dumbfounded at times,” Jackson said of the program’s success. “We have a lot of support from the community, from our bowlers (at CharLanes) and from the bowling association. We also have a pretty good youth program.”
There is also a comfort level gained from competing in high-pressure situations, which many of the team members on both squads have faced in their careers.
“Success breeds success,” Pat Landry said. “Once you’re put into pressure situations you learn how to handle it. You have to learn how to succeed.”
Ciarra said she sees similarities with this year’s team and the 2011 that won the state title and hopes to add a second Division 2 state title.
“The team chemistry was outrageous when we won it all,” Landry said. “We just clicked that day more than any other time that season. We have similar chemistry with this year’s team. We’re good enough, we just have to be on … we have to be focused.”
Four members of the girls team also qualified for the Individual State Finals, including Regional Champion Malorie Kiplinger, a sophomore at CHS. Ciarra finished third, sophomore Taylor Wendorf finished fourth and junior Stephanie Zimmerman finished seventh. The team also includes junior Sidney Adams, freshman Brooke Noecker and junior McKenzie Hennings.
The boys team includes seniors Hunter Mather, David Huva, Cory Osborn, Kyle Geitzel and Josh Hillard, junior Collin Fox and sophomore Connor Fox.
Charlotte High School has been represented at the MHSAA Division 2 Bowling Finals every year since 2007. The girls team will make their seventh state finals appearance in that time. The boys team is making its fifth appearance since 2007.
