Berwick High School's bowling team began postseason play Tuesday morning when it faced Brother Martin at Acadiana Lanes in Lafayette. Team members are, front row from left, Cameron LaCoste, Jackson Kenney, Ethan Blanchard and Kyle Valdez. On the second row are Isaaiah Williams, Scott Price, Coach Cole LeMay and Cameron Kelly. Not pictured are Cody Kapp, Luke Lodrigue and Micah Lodrigue. (The Daily Review/Geoff Stoute)
Panthers to open playoffs against Brother Martin
The Berwick High School Panthers will face a tough challenge in the first round of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association State Boys Bowling Tournament when it faces Louisiana bowling powerhouse Brother Martin Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. at Acadiana Lanes in Lafayette.
Brother Martin (12-0) is the No. 2 seed, while Berwick (7-5) is seeded No. 31.
Instead of playing in a regional and bi-regional format this year, teams were seeded 1-32 using power rankings and will play in single-elimination regionals either at Kenner Lanes or Acadian Lanes.
The two remaining teams from each regional will advance to the state semifinals, which will be held at All-Star Lanes in Baton Rouge April 4.
There are no classes or divisions in bowling, so schools, regardless of size, compete against one another.
Brother Martin, the defending state champion, has advanced to the last five Final Fours, also winning state championships in 2015 and 2016 and finishing as semifinalists in 2014 and 2017.
The Crusaders’ lineup features six bowlers who are among the top 80 bowlers in the state to qualify to participate in the Louisiana High School Athletic Association Bowling State Singles Championship, with the lowest Crusader ranked No. 42. Bowlers qualified based on their average at the end of the regular season and will bowl at All-Star Lanes April 5.
The Crusaders’ Cody Schaffer and Drew Gardner are ranked in the top five among singles bowlers. Schaffer is No. 2 with a 224 average, while Gardner is No. 5 with a 213 average. Four others of the Crusaders’ top six bowlers have averages above 200. Hunter Dunn has a 203 average, Will Oertling, a 202; Brandon Bonvillion, 201; and Brennan Brouilette, 188.
Berwick’s Kyle Valdez, who is seeded No. 68 in the state singles championship, leads the Panthers with a 182 average. Berwick’s next top five bowlers are Isaaiah Williams, Scott Price and Cameron Kelly, all with 165 averages; Micah Lodrigue, a 154; and Ethan Blanchard, 143.
Other members of the Berwick bowling team are Jackson Kenney, Cody Kapp, Cameron Lacoste and Luke Lodrigue.