Olathe North strikes it big in bowling regional

Make it a clean sweep for the Olathe North High School bowlers at the Kansas Class 6A regional tournament on Thursday at Olathe Lanes East.

The boys and girls bowling teams won team titles at the event, where state qualifiers were determined.

“That’s the first time we’ve won both the boys and girls regional championships,” Olathe North third-year coach Jim Anderson said. “We had 24 kids who worked so hard. The kids all enjoyed bowling together. These are the best teams I’ve had.”

The Olathe North boys had a team score of 2,656, with Shawnee Mission Northwest finishing second at 2,583. The third and final state qualifying team spot went to SM East, with a score of 2,554.

Sunflower League champion Olathe East finished fourth at 2,533.

The individual boys champion was Olathe North senior Matthew Estes, with a 730 series. Jared Sanders of Olathe East placed second at 656.

“I’ve improved a lot this year,” said Estes, whose best game was 269. “I’ve practiced a lot and worked on my release.”

Olathe North’s girls squad, the Sunflower League champion, cruised to the girls team title, with a score of 2,391. Second-place Olathe East was at 2,128. SM West placed third with a score of 2,105.

SM West senior Brittany Weber was the individual champion. She had a series of 691, ahead of Olathe North’s Vakara Daugherty, who had a series of 631.

It was a comeback year for Weber, who missed last year’s regional tournament with a sprained ankle. Her best game on Thursday was a 259.

“I was relaxed, and I had a lot of focus,” said Weber, who will be making her second trip to the state tournament.

This story was originally published February 25, 2016 at 7:02 PM with the headline "Olathe North strikes it big in bowling regional."