Big Walnut’s Furukawa, Newark's Gabor stand out at Division I state bowling tourney
Saturday, March 9, 2024
By Jarrod Ulrey
julrey@cbussports.com
Big Walnut’s Aidan Furukawa readies himself to bowl during the OSHAA state championship at HP Lanes in Columbus Mar. 8. Photo: Kevin Lam
Coming in as district champions and seniors with high expectations, the Division I state bowling tournament yielded a mix of disappointment and thrills for Big Walnut’s Aidan Furukawa and Newark’s Jade Gabor.
Furukawa was gunning for the championship and fell just short Friday in the boys event at HP Lanes, rolling a 728 series to finish runner-up behind Kettering Fairmont senior Isaiah Shannon (743).
On Saturday in the girls tournament at the same site, Gabor battled through her emotions once she realized she hadn’t won and it remained uncertain whether she’d done well enough to earn first-team all-state honors – only to find out a short time later that she’d accomplished the latter feat.
Both bowlers finished 29th at last year’s state event while competing as individuals before helping their respective teams qualify this winter.
“It was a little disappointing (not to win),” Furukawa said. “I really made it my goal this year to try to win it, and I felt like I gave it my all. Kudos to Isaiah. He bowled great. For a lot of us, it was our last run. We played really well together. We had our best run, and I don’t think I could ask for anything else. We did something this team has never done by making it to state and then to match play. We left it all out there.”
Furukawa, who will compete for Savannah College of Art & Design, also helped Big Walnut earn the third seed for the championship round and finish fourth overall.
The Eagles shot 3,586 during the qualifying round as senior Nick Green finished 13th (639) and senior Garret Irvine was 14th (636) to each earn honorable mention all-state honors.
Then during the championship round, Big Walnut defeated sixth-seeded Hilliard Davidson 3-1 in the first round before losing to second-seeded and eventual state champion Beavercreek 3-1 in a semifinal. The Eagles beat the Beavers 174-173 in the opening game of the semifinal before losing 217-155, 201-190 and 179-142.
“All season long, the goal was to get here, and we got here finally,” Big Walnut coach Conner Leidtke said. “It was a struggle throughout the day. We had a solid three guys that were on all day. The other guys were struggling, but they fought through it. We battled Hilliard Davidson, which is one of our rivals in the Central District and that was tough. We beat them, came in against Beavercreek and put up a good run against them, but Beavercreek’s a tough team.
Newark’s Jade Gabor bowls during the OSHAA state tournament Mar. 9 at HP Lanes in Columbus. Photo: Kevin Lam
“Aidan was definitely a big keystone for this team. He’s probably one of the strongest anchor bowlers I know, and we put a lot of pressure on him. He put the team on its back and had to strike out a lot to get us here. I wish we could have taken some pressure off of him, but he really excels in that area and he keeps his cool. Obviously he wanted to win individually, but making it to the finish as a team was the be-all, end-all goal. He’s a really good leader.”
Also competing as teams in the boys tournament were Jonathan Alder (10th, 3,390) and Gahanna Lincoln (11th, 3,367).
Davidson, which bowled a 3,492 series, got a third-place individual finish from senior Caelan Guthrie (719) that earned him first-team all-state honors.
“This team never gives up,” Wildcats coach Tim Voigt said. “The breaks just didn’t go our way in the championship round. Our coaching staff could not prouder of these boys. My seniors, Caelan Guthrie, Derek Wellman, T.J. Voigt and Nicholas Bremer all bowled well at some point along the way.”
Gahanna sophomore Will Gray was 11th (660) for honorable mention all-state acclaim while Jonathan Alder was led by junior Drew Damron (16th, 629).
Competing as individuals were Reynoldsburg sophomore Quinn Dean (tied for 25th, 599), Pickerington North seniro Baylee Becker (29th, 590) and Hilliard Darby sophomore Isaac Fellner (62nd, 526).
The Gahanna girls team made it the championship round as the No. 6 seed after rolling a 3,017 during the qualifying round but lost to third-seeded Troy 3-2 in the first round to finish sixth overall.
Against Troy, the Lions won 190-178 and 160-119 during the first two games but lost game three 161-136, game four 166-165 and then fell 143-129 during the final game.
“I (knew) in the third game that we were going to regret this if we didn’t put (Troy) away,” coach Todd Burns said. “They’re a really good team. I felt like we got some breaks in the first couple games, and in that third game, we just didn’t take advantage of it. You could tell they got a little tight and that the pressure started to get to them, but they battled all day.”
Jordan Carruthers of Gahanna concentrates during warmups for the OHSAA state championships at HP Lanes in Columbus Mar. 9. Photo: Kevin Lam
Gahanna, which was making its eighth state appearance in nine seasons including winning three titles in four seasons from 2018-21, was led during the qualifying round by junior Jordan Carruthers and sophomore Lacey Holden, who each shot 547 to tie for 22nd.
“It felt amazing to be here with my team,” said Carruthers, who was a starter during last year’s state run as well. “When we’re out there, we feel so united as a team. We started off kind of rough, but the more we progressed, the better we got.”
Gahanna’s only senior was the coach’s daughter, Casey Burns, who finished 31st (526).
“We just needed to pep ourselves up,” said Holden, a starter last season whose sister, Tori Richardson, was a four-year starter and key player on both the 2019 and ’21 teams. “Individually I struggled, but I’m also really happy at the fact I was able to pick myself up at the end.”
Also in the team competition, Hilliard Bradley and Newark each totaled 2,866 to tie for 13th and London finished 15th (2,848).
Gabor, who finished 71st during the 2022 state tournament, recorded a 644 series to finish fourth.
“Honestly bowling with my team at state makes such a big difference,” Gabor said. “It gave me more confidence, and I’m so used to bowling with them in a high school environment. … This is going to be a huge confidence booster. My confidence is really a big problem for me sometimes, but if I remember what I did here, it’ll get my confidence back.”
Earning second-team all-state honors was Bradley freshman Rachel Johnson (ninth, 601).
“I really was thinking about my grandma, who was a big part of my life before she passed away in October,” Johnson siad. “She was the one that kind of put it on the family (to bowl).”
Making all-state honorable mention was London freshman Abbie Wheeler, who was 12th (572).
Competing as individuals were Licking Valley senior Olivia Strait (tied for 27th, 541), Worthington Kilbourne junior Amber Brockway (34th, 522), Jonathan Alder senior Daisy Henderson (tied for 40th, 514) and Pickerington Central junior Emma Pugh (53rd, 487).
The Red Raiders were making their first state team appearance and went just 9-14 during the regular season.
“I had a good time overall, and the important thing was we made it here,” Wheeler said. “Everybody has been so excited. We worked hard all this season, and I couldn’t be prouder of them.”
Hilliard Davidson’s Caelan Guthrie prepares to bowl at HP Lanes during the OHSAA state tournament Mar. 8. Photo: Kevin Lam