High school bowling: Stunning upset puts Wadsworth girls on verge of league crown

WADSWORTH — The Wadsworth girls bowling team played the role of giant slayer Tuesday at Kolony Bowl, and the Grizzlies played that role to perfection. Not only did Heidi Steele's team hand the three-time defending champion Nordonia Knights their first Suburban League loss in at least 47 dual matches, they did so in convincing fashion while rolling to an impressive 2,287-2,050 victory on their home lanes. The Wadsworth boys team, which clinched its first overall SL title Saturday at the league tournament, got an outstanding 527 two-game series (248-279) from Nate Weyand and beat Nordonia 2,574-2,189. The Grizzlies (12-1, 12-0) can wrap up the first undefeated league season in program history by beating Brecksville today at Roseland Lanes, but Tuesday belonged to the girls team. Entering with a team average 119 pins lower than the mighty Knights, who beat them at the SL preseason and postseason tourneys, the Grizzlies (12-0, 11-0) overcame a shaky start — they had at least seven opens after two frames of individual bowling — and never looked back in a match that was originally postponed due to inclement weather. From Aubrey Masuda (396, 182-214) to Cece Craig (389, 237-152) to Cassidy Myers (373, 191-182) to Addy Martin (146 game) to Amelia Lutz (273, 116-157), who bounced back after living in Splitsville in the first game, and on to substitutes Grace Dunwald, Morgan Shaeffer and Ashley Valatka, everyone played a role. "I'm just extremely proud of it not being one individual," Steele said. "It was all of them today. When one was struggling, the others held her up until she could join them." As monumental as the victory over Nordonia was, the work is not quite done. Wadsworth, which last captured an overall SL title when it went undefeated in 2015-16 in the league's first year of existence, needs to beat Brecksville today to earn the outright championship. The Grizzlies, who will finish second to Nordonia (11-1) if they lose, will enter with an average dual match score that is more than 300 pins better than the Bees (8-3). "Our goal is to be Suburban League champs, and in order to do that we have to win," Steele said. "The girls bowl best when we're having fun, so that will be the focus." On a day when at least 10 strike balls went into the gutter between the boys and girls matches, Masuda was rock-solid steady. The tiny sophomore had just one open, that coming in her very first frame on a 1-2-7-10 spare. On the flip side, she didn't have a double — and never had three in a row — until getting two in her second game, the last in the ninth and 10th frames. "My spare shooting was on point," said Masuda, who had a gutter bowl and then picked up 10 for a spare in the 10th frame as the Grizzlies shot 205 in their second Baker game to take a commanding 263-pin lead in the match. "I could have had a big day with some carry, but oh, well. "Today was great. It would be amazing (to win the SL). It's been a grind for me this season, but I'm very happy with the team I have." Craig, a senior who shot her first 200 with a 225 in the final game at the SL Tournament, didn't let her career high stand for long. After opening with a strike and spare, she threw a five-bagger and stayed clean the rest of the way to shoot 237. Only a split in the 10th frame of her second game kept the red-hot right-hander from her first two-game 400 series. "I was ready today," Craig said. "After the Suburban League on Saturday I felt really pumped. I'm used to these lanes (at Kolony) and I know how to work with them." One of just two seniors on the team — Lutz is the other — Craig is bowling the best she has in her life as the Grizzlies begin the most crucial stretch of the season. "It's awesome to see," Masuda said. "I'm very proud of her, especially in her senior season. I'm going to miss her next year. She's a great bowler and a big part of our team." Dunwald, a junior who almost never sees action in the individual games because the Grizzlies rarely sub for their top five, was called into action when Martin left a 10 pin in the 10th frame of her second game. Having sat for 45 minutes, she picked it up and then got nine pins on her fill ball. Though it wouldn't have mattered by the end of the day, the shot was big at the time. When the rest of Dunwald's teammates finished strong in the 10th and the Knights faltered badly, the Grizzlies owned a commanding 143-pin lead that easily could have been much less. "I was excited and nervous at the same time," Dunwald said. "I'm not used to all that attention. I don't have a secret. I just try my best and hope it works." It did — for all the Grizzlies. Now all they have to do is beat Brecksville today. "If we can beat Nordonia, we can beat anyone at this point," Craig said. "If we bowl like we can and everyone's head is in it, we should be able to seal the deal." Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4046 or rnoland@medina-gazette.com. Follow him @RickNoland on X.