Le Mars Community sophomore Slayton Schroeder led the Bulldogs at the Class 2A individual state bowling tournament with a runner-up finish in Waterloo on Wednesday.
In the preliminary round, Schroeder was in a groove bowling a 737 with a pair of 246 games and a 245. Schroeder says he could tell he was going to be in a groove from the start of the first game.
In the bracket portion, Schroeder opened up the day with a 241-180 victory picking up right where he left off from the preliminary round. He says the type of throw he needed in the preliminary was the same as the first match.
In the second round, Schroeder tied his opponent at 202 forcing a roll-off to determine who would advance to the championship. With advice from fellow bracket qualifier Taylor Lindner, Schroeder won the roll-off 40-39 to advance to the championship match. Schroeder says the roll-off was a tense moment to be a part of.
In the championship round, Schroeder finished as runner-up to the defending state champion, Cole Darling from ADM, by a score of 237-196. Schroeder says the margin for error in the championship match is incredibly slim.
The ascent for Schroeder in the sport of bowling has been a rapid one. From competing mainly junior varsity as a freshman last year to finish as runner-up at the state tournament as a sophomore, Schroeder says his growth has even caught him off guard.
At the state tournament, Schroeder was joined by Taylor Lindner who finished fourth and Drake Gill who finished 11th as teammates in competition. Schroeder says they along with Coach Travis Jones have spent a lot of time making him the bowler he is.
Schroeder joins Taylor Lindner as the only Bulldog bowlers to place in the top four in the fifth year of the bracket format of the individual tournament.
