Knox Pages will select one student athlete to be recognized as the Park National Bank Athlete of the Month during the 2023-24 school year. Nominations for Athlete of the Month are accepted from Athletic Directors and Coaches, but are ultimately chosen by Knox Pages and are based on the student’s exceptional athletic performance, effective teamwork and achievement in their communities. Park National Bank is proud to support this initiative and is giving the athletic department of each school $1,000 in honor of each athlete chosen.
HOWARD – Will Jensen watched as Chip Pozderac bounced from one lane to another, making sure every bowler had everything they needed for East Knox’s final KMAC match of the season.
He put down his ball and put a hand on his coach’s shoulder.
“Don’t worry, Poz,” he said calmly. “We got this.”
East Knox had already clinched the KMAC regular-season title for the second straight season.
Jensen, a senior on the team, was a big reason. Not only is he the best bowler on a team filled with talent, but his spirit and encouragement lifts those around him to achieve what they didn’t know they could do – as any of Jensen’s teammates would tell you.
“It’s great to see them grow,” said Jensen, who was selected the Park National Bank Athlete of the Month for January. “They work hard. They earned it.”
Jensen’s high two-game series of 489 tops the KMAC for the second straight season. His best game is 265, just one pin off the conference record. Jensen has led the team to school and conference records in scoring at least three separate occasions this season.
Jensen spends some time every day at the lanes. When his team isn’t practicing, Jensen can usually be seen throwing a few games on his own.
On the rare moments he isn’t knocking over pins, Jensen is fixing cars. Specifically, he preps cars to run in demolition derbies during the summer. Jensen has three cars he’s working on now.
With the regular season wrapped up as of Wednesday’s victory over Mount Gilead, Jensen clinched his third KMAC Bowler of the Year award.
On Friday, the Bulldogs will attempt to win their second KMAC tournament title in three years. With as many as four East Knox bowlers earning all-conference first team honors, they’re certainly a favorite.
Bowling is something Jensen has done since he learned to walk. His parents are both local bowlers. Tim, his father, bowls in four different local leagues. According to Colonial City Lanes, Tim has bowled two 300 games in competition.
Will’s best score? 299.
“It’s a rush, that’s for sure,” Jensen said, thinking about the final frame of that game. “Usually, the first two strikes are harder, and the third one is easy. Not that time.
“I’m really hoping to get a 300 some time this season.”
As a freshman, Jensen joined the fledgling East Knox team, which at the time consisted of three bowlers, including no girls.
Pozderac joined the team the following year. Immediately, interest in East Knox bowling skyrocketed.
Pozderac recruited students she knew had bowled for fun – and a few who had never bowled before. By the end of summer, she had a bowling camp with 18 kids.
Some of those campers joined the team that winter. Jensen took them under his wing and became a surrogate coach for them.
“I would teach them the basics, and they would take it from there,” Jensen said. “They put in the time.”
That season, Jensen led East Knox to a shocking KMAC tournament championship. The following year, the Bulldogs won their first season title.
Not bad for a team that literally grew to more than six times its size in less than three years.
“These kids get very little recognition,” Pozderac said. “Nobody talks about bowling. We had so many kids come out, I had to actually cut some kids from the team (after tryouts). That was heartbreaking.
“I said from Day 1, ‘We’re going to win the KMAC’. I didn’t realize how much that went into it. But, now having it won twice – they say it’s not the destination, but it’s the journey. Well, I’m ready to load the bus to state.”
This year, East Knox rolled through the KMAC unbeaten. The Bulldogs even managed to beat Mount Vernon – twice.
With everything else checked off, Jensen has one final goal. It’s the one thing no East Knox bowler has achieved. At least, not yet.
“I really want to get to state,” Jensen said. “I don’t know. I can roll bad, or I can roll good. It’s tough.”