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Girls bowling: Schaumburg's Frick leads field after Day 1 at state

Schaumburg junior girls bowling standout Haylie Frick caught fire at just the right time during the opening day of the state finals meet at Cherry Bowl near Rockford.

Frick opened Friday morning with a 642 series for her first three games, with individuals of 224, 215 and 203.

Problem was, she sat in 12th place heading into the lunch break.

But Frick solved the problem in a hurry, finishing the day with a 706 series (one of only two 700s Friday) to take a 15-pin lead into Saturday's final round.

Frick, who rolled a 1,217 at sectionals and won a regional title with a 1,282, holds a slim 1,348 to 1,333 edge over Machesney Park Harlem junior Olivia Watson with O'Fallon senior Mary Orf also within striking distance at 1,322, or 26 pins behind.

Frick, one of two bowlers at Cherry Bowl Friday to surpass 200 in all six games, finished up with efforts of 216, 266 and 224 to pull into the lead.

Frick, whose older sister, Kylie, finished seventh in the state in 2016 and 2018 and also led the field after Day 1 in 2018, is looking to become the Saxons' third state champion (Kelly Sellinger in 1984 and Marilyn Gawlik in 2008). Six Schaumburg bowlers have placed in the Top 3 in state. Haylie Frick was 30th in state last year and tied for 53rd as a freshman (Schaumburg was 3rd in state that year).

On the team side, Conant and Buffalo Grove still are alive after finishing in the Top 12. The Cougars sit in 10th place after shooting 5,466. Junior Jemma Skweres had a 1,243 with high games of 234 and 225, while senior Elizabeth White was at 1,226 with high games of 234 and 223. Senior Cassandra Hyland finished with a 1,211 with high games of 233 and 218. She had Conant's high 3-game series with a 640 after the lunch break.

Buffalo Grove lives to fight another day after finishing in 11th at 5,430, just above the 12th-place Oregon co-op (5,426) and Sycamore, which ended on the outside looking in by a single pin at 5,425.

Senior Rebecca Howard led the way for the Bison with a 1,205 series with high games of 222 and 203. She went over 200 four times and had no game lower than 189 in a consistently solid effort.

"We were able to sneak into the Top 12, which is pretty awesome," she said. "We tried really hard for this the past few season and it's a nice feeling to get to where we are now. It was very exciting going into the last game."

Buffalo Grove, which broke 900 in its first 4 games, ended with 883 and 840 games. "We didn't shoot our best at the end," Howard noted. "We were a little worried, but we were able to pull it off in the end."

Howard said support throughout the Bison lineup was key Friday. "I definitely think we had a good mental game today," she said. "The support from our teammates and the cheering section we had with parents, helped us. We stayed confident and were there for each other. If something wasn't going right we went on to the next frame. We didn't worry about the last frame. We moved on to the next ball."

Howard noted the Bison would like to turn an 11 into an even lower number today. "Our goal would be the top eight," she said. "We would be very happy if we did that. We didn't finish as strong as we could have today. That will push us to do even better. Being in the Top 12 is a really huge accomplishment, but we want to push ourselves even more."

Junior Sara Clay added an 1,129 with a high game of 216, while sophomore Ally Howard finished at 1,103 with a high game of 225. Senior Mia Shiakalis had a 1,050 (213 high game) for the Bison.

Hersey finished 22nd, but junior Lauren Brown was one of the Top 30 individuals not on an advancing team, and earned a berth in the final round.

Brown finished 53rd individually Friday with an 1,138, which included a 240 high game.

"We started off a little rough, but we came back," Hersey senior Morgan Breden said. "The lane conditions were not what we have seen before. The oil dried out a lot quicker and you had to make adjustments. We had a great mindset going, but things did not work out in our favor. We are very proud of Lauren making it to Saturday. That is a great accomplishment."

Breden said being able to compete in the state meet was a thrill. "It was great for myself as an athlete to make to state in high school," she said. "It was a great experience for everyone on the team."

Senior Maddie Ritter added an 1,100 series with high games of 214 and 207 for the Huskies.

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