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LINCOLN — A year for the history books ended at the state finals for the Hartington-Newcastle bowling team.
The Wildcats now head into the offseason with plenty to be proud of. The boys qualified for State by winning the District title, and made an impression immediately when they took on one of the higher-seeded teams in Seward and lost in four games of a best-of-five first round match.
They then took on Humphrey-Lindsay Holy Family and dropped a 3-2 decision to get eliminated.
“We had our chances throughout the (Seward) match but couldn’t stay consistent and take advantage of their mistakes,” HNS coach Nate Holan said. “(Against Holy Family) we really struggled in the first two games and were down 2-0. We kept fighting and found a way to win the next two games to tie it up.”
Unfortunately, the team struggled in the fifth game and couldn’t get many fills. “Having never been down to state I think maybe we just didn’t handle it very well. We really had a hard time hitting our spots and hitting the head pin. This caused us to have harder spares to pick up which led to a lot of open frames. We were still in both rounds and had chances,” said Junior Ben Kleinschmit.
The splits was a big issue on the Wildcats trip to state. “The curse of the splits were starting to appear and things were getting all messed up, which happens sometimes or just not generating enough revs on the ball that really hit the pocket,” he said. “But we didn’t lose by too much in the (Seward) game.”
Dropping into the losers bracket of the 8-team field, the Wildcats tried to battle to stay alive, but couldn’t get the job done, playing to a final seventh place to match their seed going into the tournament.
“I feel like this season was a real big steppingstone for the program as a whole for the men’s bowling side,” Kleinschmit said. “We finally got where we’ve been close in the past and finally got over the hump which was amazing.
“We bowled against a lot of good people and gave the state champion a run for their money and at districts. Beat the state runner up. So, It’s a really a big stepping stone and I believe that with all of us returning next year along with a couple more people, we can make it back next year and make a big statement.”
The girls did not qualify, but with all but one senior returning the future is as bright for them as it is for the boys who bring back the whole roster in 2024-25.
“This year’s girls team was kind of a wait and see team,” Holan said. “We lost a lot from last year and had two new bowlers so we didn’t know what to expect. They did a great job of learning and improving. They got together as a team every week to put extra time in and worked hard. Having only one senior on the team and the work ethic they showed this year should make next year fun to watch.
“I think they will continue to work in the off season and work with the girls who will be joining the team next year. They will have a chance to be a really good team next year.”
Holan said the boys potential was obvious in the preseason and it all came down to consistency.
