RCMS bowlers place 8th at state, girls finish 23rd

The Reed-Custer Middle School boys and girls bowling teams faced a fun and exciting weekend during the State Bowling Tournament at Town and Country Lanes in Joliet.
    “The girls did an amazing job, but it was a tough crowd, and they weren’t able to move on to the second day,” said head coach Robert Dillon.
    The Lady Panthers finished in 23rd overall, as the individuals also competed in a 152 bowler pool.
    Elizabeth Wietting secured 82nd, Kayley Kohler earned 91st, Eva Mudro picked up 112th, and Julia Janopoulos finished 122nd.
    In the boys division, the Panthers bowled against a tough group of schools, and at the conclusion of Friday placed ninth to advance into Saturday’s finals.
    At the completion of Saturday’s six games, Reed-Custer moved up for a final eighth place finish.
    Out of 156 bowlers in the division, Brandon Carlo placed 14th overall to receive an individual medal.
    William Crutchfield earned 31st, followed by Edward Gad in 46th and Josey Wells in 66th.
    “A huge thanks to the support of alternates Blake Sonquist and Nick Doran, as they helped cheer on the team throughout the tournament,” Dillon said.
    Overall, it was a solid showing for the Reed-Custer program, and coach Dillon looks forward to returning to state next year.
    “I have seen all of these kids grow from when they first got involved in our bowling program,” Dillon said. “It is exciting to see how well they did, along with their sportsmanship along the way. They did a great job of representing our school, and I received a compliment from a parent of another school on our sportsmanship.”
    “I look forward to the kids coming back out next year to see how much they have practiced in the off season, along with some new faces, and hope to have another good turn out,” Dillon added.
    The Reed-Custer girls team will have another year at the middle school level, but the four boys will be moving up to high school next year.
    “I look forward to seeing them continue on with the individual level  there,” Dillon added. “Great job bowlers, and thanks for representing Reed-Custer!”