A Pella bowler earned his second consecutive trip to the state meet while his team’s season ended Monday at Perfect Games in Ames. The Dutch finished seventh out of nine teams in the Baker games, shooting a 2800 in 15 games, tying them for 2nd all time in the Pella Boys Bowling record book for 15 Baker Game score.

“We put together a really nice string of games to keep ourselves in the mix for most of the first session. We struggled a bit with some of the transitions as the oil on the lanes began to break down. I was really proud of the effort and grit the team showed today in what can be a really long stretch,” said Head Coach Lynn Bishara.

Alex Bishara earned his second straight State Tournament Qualification, finishing sixth out of 54 bowlers. Bishara finished with a 660 series (199, 226, 235) and is the first bowler in program history to qualify twice for the State Tournament. The Dutch were also paced by Carter Failor’s 599 series and Zander Beckey’s 574.

“The boys really battled today and kept grinding. Carter set the pace for us in the first game with a 216, and Zander had his season high game (by more than 30 pins) in the last game. Many on the team bounced back after a tougher second game. I’m really proud of the improvement we’ve had over the season and the ‘next ball’ mindset we’ve worked on.”

The Pella Boys Bowling Team graduates three seniors (Failor, Beckey, and Troy Paxton), who have all notched their names in the Pella Boys Bowling record book.

Bishara will compete at the 2A State Individual Tournament on Wednesday, February 25 at Cadillac XBC in Waterloo.