Bowlers from Washington and Sigourney-Keota are preparing to bowl at next week’s Class 1A state meet in Waterloo.

Washington freshman Kaeden Zear is moving on as an individual bowler, along with Sigourney-Keota senior Wells Clark and junior Owen Clark. Bowling at Monticello, Zear bowled a 707 across three games, placing second. Meanwhile, in Keokuk, Owen Clark took first place with a 668. Wells Clark finished third with a 643. 

The Demons and Savages both narrowly missed out qualifying as a team. Washington placed third at their qualifying meet behind Monticello and Benton, while Sigourney-Keota placed second behind Central Lee. Only the top team from each qualifying meet moves on to state.

Washington bowling coach Makenzie Martin says Zear knew he was in a good spot to qualify, but still needed to calm his nerves to get the job done, “By the second and third frame of that last game, he just looked at me, and he goes, ‘I need something to get my nerves out of it.’ And I looked at him and I was like, ‘Every ball, we’re going to play rock-paper-scissors just you’re not thinking about it.’ And every ball from there on out, we played rock-paper-scissors, he kept it together, and he threw a beautiful ball into that pocket, and kept himself right where he needed to be.”

Likewise, Sigourney-Keota bowling coach Austin Bruns says the program continues to produce high level talent, “I think this is my sixth or seventh consecutive year taking state qualifiers. Last year, we took three, we took two on the girls side, one on the boys side. So it’s nice seeing people return back to the state tournament, and then taking some new ones.”

The Class 1A individual meet is scheduled for Tuesday, February 24th, at the Cadillac XBC in Waterloo. Sigourney-Keota also had a qualifier on the girls side earlier this month. Sophie Young finished 15th in preliminary play, narrowly missing out on the bracket portion of the tournament.