Defending champion Sumner Academy girls are ready to roll

As the Sumner Academy bowling team concluded its final practice Thursday, Sabres coach Eddie Gunter had something to say to his girls.

“This is our state title until somebody takes it from us,” he reminded them.

Yep, one of the state’s most accomplished varsity bowling programs is back — with a different look but a familiar purpose. The Sumner Academy girls have won the Kansas 5A-1A state bowling championship each of the last two years, and they’ll try to make it a three-peat today at West Acres Bowling Center in Wichita.

“Maybe we’re not the favorite going in, but I don’t know that we’ve been the favorite the last two years, and we’ve taken it,” Gunter said. “I’m proud of them. They got there — that’s all I can ask.”

The Sabres may have lost the reigning Kansas 5A-1A girls state champion, Sarah Ottens, to graduation. They may have lost half of their state title team from last year. But it seems not all that much has changed.

For the third year in a row, Gunter said, the girls finished undefeated in regular-season matches. (They did settle for third place in one tournament.) They won a regional championship on Saturday. There’s only one detail left.

“Everybody just kind of expects us to keep doing what we’ve been doing, which is hard to do,” Gunter said. “Anytime in any sport you’ve had some success, they just automatically think your success will just keep coming.”

That’s probably because the Sabres have yet to give their faithful followers any reason to think differently. (They expect 25 to 30 parents and supporters to be in attendance today.)

Senior Morgan Benton, with an average in the upper 190s, leads the team and is a state championship contender. She placed third in the state last year.

Senior Sierra Martin (eighth at state last season) and sophomore Santana Reed also return from the Sabres’ last state title team.

Meanwhile, freshman Emily Lai, junior Brianna Talavera, senior Kristin Forrest and senior alternate Kim Mikulan have filled the vacancies in the lineup.

“We’re just trying to keep it going,” Benton said.

And the Sumner Academy girls aren’t the only ones feeling motivated by their tradition. The Sabres’ boys team is in contention to capture its first state title, led by senior Nathan Kriss (fourth at state last year).

“They’ve seen the girls win it twice. And these seniors, they’re ready,” Gunter said. “They want a piece of that.”

KANSAS BOWLING STATE TOURNAMENTS •6A at Olathe Lanes East: Girls bowl today at 2 p.m. Boys bowl Saturday at 10 a.m.

•5A-1A at West Acres Bowling Center in Wichita: Girls bowl today at 3:30 p.m. Boys bowl Saturday at 4 p.m.

submitted by RYAN YOUNG - 2009-03-05 23:30:01

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