HOWARD — Will Jensen has been bowling since he was three days old.
His parents were bowlers. The bowling alley served as a second home.
Now he’s carrying the family tradition to potential new heights for his team.
Jensen, a junior at East Knox, is part of the Bulldogs’ six-man squad. He’s been with the program since he was a freshman and has seen barriers break down.
For instance, East Knox beat Mount Vernon for the first time in the program’s five-year history, then did it again on Jan. 13.
Last season, the boys finished second in the KMAC by nine pins, but won the KMAC tournament. That triggered expectations for this season.
“There’s a lot of pressure on our backs,” Jensen said.
The Bulldogs have risen to the challenge.
Chip Pozderac is the second-year head coach of both the boys and girls squads.
Heading into this week, the boys have fashioned an 11-1 record, while the girls are 9-3.
The boys team consists of Colin Baxter, Lane Lashley, Jordan Hull, Dylan Reed, Wyatt Ary and Jensen. The girls squad features Chloe Stevens, Olivia Nastasi, Madi Frost, Riley Cree, Miale Hurlow and Hailey Baker.
While both bowling programs have developed with more experience in the sport, Pozderac noted the blooming culture, too.
“It’s a drastic change,” Pozderac said. “The team camaraderie. They started to pull together as a team.”
In previous years, teammates would often sit in silence while the match was being played. Now it’s common for players to cheer on one another and offer support when a teammate struggles.
“Our team is so much closer this year,” Hull said. “We’ve really started to know each other, cheering for one another. I think its really just we’re friends now.”
Before Pozderac took over, the East Knox boys squad had only had three bowlers. Since then the roster has doubled.
“I think especially the boys have started to realize it’s not just one or two of them,” Pozderac said. “It needs to be all of them.
“All but two are new to bowling and they’re phenomenal.”
At the Mount Vernon game, Hull was on a streak, scoring a 345 total in two games. It brought back a year-long memory of Hull’s breakout game against Cardington last season, when he landed seven strikes in a row.
“Going into the final match of Cardington … I had struck everything so far,” Hull said.
His thoughts?
This is insane.
“But every time I went out there to throw a strike, it was the most confident I felt on the lane. I know I needed to close the ninth frame so I threw the best shot I could,” he said.
The boys started the year on a winning streak before Cardington ended the undefeated campaign on Jan. 20. The Pirates earned a 2,224- 2,096 decision.
It was the highest scoring game Cardington played this season.
“He’s an expert of picking up spares,” Pozderac said. “The team is fed off his energy.”
Hull never gets nervous, he said, because he’s been bowling for so many years.
“I’m on a roll. It’s really just muscle memory,” he said.
With their record, Hull has higher inspirations than winning the conference championship.
“I want our team to go to state,” he said. “And I think we have a chance this year. I need to bowl my best.”
The East Knox girls are an intriguing story, too.
The Bulldogs salvaged the day against Cardington, winning 1,865-1,778.
The girls finished dead last in the KMAC last year, yet have been jockeying atop the conference standings this year, Pozderac said.
The big difference sprouted from lots of practice, senior bowler Hailey Baker said.
“We wanted to get better because we knew we could,” Baker said.
The team became closer, working together rather than seeing bowling as an individual sport. Baker personally got a new ball, which has helped with her shooting and technical skills, she said.
The results could add to the school’s trophy collection. The Bulldogs will soon find out. This year’s KMAC tournament is at Victory Lanes in Galion. The girls event is on Feb. 10 and the boys play on Feb. 11.
