North Bullitt's Dakota Waskom wins bowling state championship, Trinity takes team title

Trinity High School was crowned king of the pins on Tuesday after the Shamrocks bowling team won the 2023 KHSAA boys bowling state title at Kingpin Lanes in Jeffersontown.

Coming into the tournament as the No. 2 seed, Trinity beat Dayton, Pendleton County and Butler before sweeping Montgomery County (235-135, 187-134, 189-143) in the finale. Trinity is the only team other than Butler in 2018 to sweep the title match.

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Knowing how hard his team has worked since October, Shamrocks coach John McCarthy was proud of Trinity's dominant showing.

"We had some 'come to Jesus' meetings about where our priorities had to be and how we needed to handle pressure situations," McCarthy said. "Today they paid dividends. We were able to handle those situations better than we did early in the year and the guys had each other's backs."

Coming into the field led by eventual state runner-up Conner Woosley, the Shamrocks cruised past the first round, but they were nearly sent home in the second by Pendleton County. Trinity won games one and three before it came down to the deciding fifth.

With the sophomore Woosley throwing his best stuff, the Shamrocks rolled one of their best games of the entire afternoon and clinched the 3-2 victory (191-144, 186-189, 206-142, 194-211, 201-181).

"He's probably one of the smartest bowlers we've got," McCarthy said. "And he executed today. I'm very very proud of him. He was runner-up in the region as well but he was tough all day. I hated that he didn't win but it's exciting because he's not done."

Alongside Woosley, Trinity returns sophomore Brandon Padgett and junior Ethan Ackerman, who finished in sixth and eighth place, respectively.

"They wanted to get better," McCarthy said. "Some people you push them and they struggle with it. These guys when we tried to raise the bar up and say 'we need you to do this 10% more' they accepted it."

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North Bullitt's Dakota Waskom wins singles title

Dakota Waskom didn't plan on winning the KHSAA boys bowling single title. He didn't even know if he'd make the first cut.

"I wasn't shooting to win because the way I've been bowling lately," Waskom said. "But I just got hot down the line and threw strikes."

Coming into the tournament with a 220 average, Waskom wasn't a longshot to win the title by any means, but still lacked some confidence in his arm. But North Bullitt coach Emily Knight has seen Waskom bowl two 300 games this season and felt that if the senior could keep his cool, he'd have his shot.

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"Seeing him bowl every day I know what he's capable of," Knight said. "I think sometimes he worries himself but I knew that he had this in him."

Waskom made it to the qualifying round by the thread of his bowling laces. Sitting with 624, Waskom was tied for eighth place but had accomplished his goal of making it to the next round. While the other bowlers prepared for the next stage of the competition, Waskom dumped the pressure off his shoulders.

"I was definitely a little nervous going through the day," Waskom said. "I don't even know how I'm here to be honest. There's a lot of good bowlers but I was just playing my sport. It's what I've been practicing for all year."

Knight added, "He did a really good job of keeping his emotions leveled. He focused on one frame at a time and didn't look too far ahead. If he had a miss his response would be 'next shot.'"

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Waskom took down Butler's Peyton Troutt in the semifinals before besting Woosley in the finale. Even with the championship dangling around his neck, Waskom was still in shock that he pulled it off.

"I don't know if it's really set in yet," Waskom said. "But I'm just really proud of myself. I was nervous but I pushed through and here I am."

Follow Courier Journal reporter J.L. Kirven on Twitter @JL_Kirven for more updates on Louisville prep sports.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: KHSAA Bowling: Trinity wins team championship, Waskom gets singles title