Everything seems fine for the Great Bend High School boys’ and girls’ bowling teams.
If there is any added pressure of hosting a Class 5-1A regional tournament, it doesn’t show, according to Panthers head coach Mike Perry.
“The boys are bowling really well in practice,” Perry said. “The girls, we’ve been working on changing their shots, so it’s a work in progress. But everybody looks good.”
With time changes and cancellations becoming the norm across the state due to inclement weather, Great Bend’s regional tournament has proven no different. The girls' competition has been pushed back to noon, with the boys following at 2:30 p.m.
The top two teams qualify automatically, with the top six individuals not on either of those teams making the cut as well.
The Lady Panthers are led by Miranda Hejny, who was named Western Athletic Conference MVP this season. She bowled a 637 during a fill-in meet with a junior varsity squad, which she competed in because she missed a meet earlier in the season due to illness.
The boys’ team, who finished second at the state meet last season, is led by Dakota Conaway, who claimed the WAC boys’ MVP award, but Perry said the rest of the team has been working hard as well.
“Dakota’s the leader,” Perry said. “However he bowls, the rest of the boys seem to follow, but Danny Herrman has been working his tail off in practice. They’ve all been working hard.”