Swanberg reaches semifinals, but falls short of bowling state title repeat
JACKSON – As late Saturday afternoon arrived, Cole Swanberg was on the verge of running it back.
A boys singles bowling state championship repeat was a real possibility for the Cheboygan senior, who reached the semifinals after a pair of match play victories earlier.
However, Swanberg fell just short of having a chance to defend his MHSAA Division 3 title after suffering a 416-390 loss to Gladwin’s Harvey Zelt during a semifinal clash at JAX 60 in Jackson.
“He (Swanberg) just did a great job,” said Cheboygan coach Brian Taylor. “From all the pressure that all these kids have on them, it’s pretty big, but when you’re the defending champion and you’ve got the big bullseye on your back, it probably added more pressure onto him, and I think he handled it well. I think that’s part of what makes him such a great bowler. Obviously he’s gifted with the talent to bowl, but it takes a lot with your mind, also, and he does a really good job of that.
“Those two put together really makes him a great bowler.”
After finishing sixth with 1,236 pins in the morning qualifiers, Swanberg captured a round-of-16 victory over Muskegon Orchard View’s Korbin Tenbrink (371-297) and then reached the semifinals by defeating Almont’s Matthew Redmond (374-281) in the quarterfinal round.
Unfortunately for Swanberg, his day ended in defeat to Zelt, who was later defeated by Stockbridge’s Mason Beebe (407-353) in the championship match.
Saturday marked the end of an exceptional career for Swanberg, who won the state title as a junior last season, captured a regional title as a freshman, and also earned numerous all-conference honors during his four seasons with the program.
“He’s probably right up there, if not the best one to come out of our program, but he just sets the level,” Taylor said of Swanberg. “Now, people are looking up and thinking, ‘Hey, I’d like to be like Cole.’ He’s somebody you’re never going to replace. He’s not only a great young bowler but a great young man. I’m pretty proud of him.”
Portman pulls upset in match play clash
Also making some noise on Saturday was Cheboygan senior Izzy Portman, who pulled an upset victory after qualifying for the girls round-of-16.
After tallying 1,065 pins in the qualifiers, Portman was seeded 16th and had to take on Comstock Park No. 1 seed Ashley Hunter. From there, Portman captured a 340-308 victory over Hunter and earned a spot in the quarterfinals. However, that’s where the journey ended for Portman, who suffered a 393-349 defeat to Onsted’s Sydney Nichols, who later went on to win the state title with a 375-370 victory over Coloma’s Savannah Hamilton.
“It’s the big thing we talk about all the time, whether it’s our team event or whether it’s individual, and it’s just you’ve got to get in,” Taylor said. “She (Portman) was No. 16, the final qualifier, right down to the last pin, so she got to go up against No. 1 and obviously she knocked her off. That goes to show you that it can be anybody’s day and anybody’s game. She was able to get there, obviously she did great, and everyone was proud of her as well.”
On the boys side, senior Tommy Jones fell short of qualifying for the round-of-16 after finishing 26th in qualifying with 1,099 pins. Senior Jenna Knaffle, who took 38th with 922 pins, also didn’t qualify for the girls match play round.
For Taylor, he knows the impact his top four senior players made with the program through the years.
“Cole and Tommy, Izzy and Jenna – you just don’t replace those types of kids,” Taylor said. “They’re outstanding as young men and women, and their bowling speaks for itself, so it’s going to be tough. We’re definitely going to be young (next season), we’ve kind of got to start all over, but you can’t replace them. It’s tough.”
Cheboygan girls reach quarterfinals, lose to Shepherd again
In Friday’s team competition, the Cheboygan girls – Portman, Knaffle, Izzy Taylor, Alicia Vieau, Lily McKervey and Ellie Kennedy – earned the third seed by tallying 2,954 pins in the qualifiers.
But just like last season’s state championship match, Cheboygan lost to Shepherd (1,096-1,075), this time in the quarterfinals.
“They’re obviously a little disappointed,” Taylor said. “We ran into Shepherd again, which was the same team we lost to in the finals last year, and it was pretty much the exact same team they had, and we had a chance. We just came up a little short. They were disappointed, but when they look back, it’s pretty remarkable with how far they went the last couple years as well.”
Flint Powers Catholic captured the state title with a 1,024-1,007 victory over Ishpeming Westwood.
Meanwhile, the Cheboygan boys – Swanberg, Jones, Marvin Stokes, Deegan Schoenith, Luke Marsh and Jesse Harbison – didn’t qualify for the match play round after finishing 12th in the qualifiers with 3,013 pins.
Winning the boys state title was Lansing Catholic, which captured a 1,239-1,216 victory over Ogemaw Heights.
This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Swanberg reaches semifinals, but falls short of bowling state title repeat
