02/22/2026
Oxford’s boys and girls varsity bowling teams were sent to Grand Blanc lanes to compete in the 2026 regional event. The Wildcats would battle 13 other teams with powerhouse programs like Davison, Grand Blanc, Lapeer, Flushing and Holt to advance to the state finals. Only 2 teams and 7 individuals would be able to keep their season going and advance to Allen Park next week. The teams would bowl on Friday and singles on Saturday.
The Wildcat boys struggled in the 8 baker games and found themselves chasing Davison and Grand Blanc in team games. Even though the boys battled and bowled solid team games of 990 and 1034 they couldn’t catch up to the leaders. The team finished in a disappointing 4th place and ended their team season.
The boys bowled singles on Saturday and again they battled. The field of nearly 80 bowlers bowled 6 games and only the top 7 would advance. All 6 Oxford bowlers had their ups and downs and only Dominic Hambly would advance. Dom averaged over 220 to claim the final spot. He had an exciting 278 game to help him advance. Oxford Wildcat Eli Wright finished in the 8th spot by a mere 5 pins. He was spectacular all day and had a 279 in his last game to make a run at advancing. All 6 Oxford boy’s finished in the top 40. Matt vonKnorring was 23rd, Ethan Wardrop 25th, Dom Kempen 32nd and Ryan Curtis 40th.
The Wildcat Girls were well prepared and have been bowling well all season. They jumped out to the lead after the baker games and never looked back. They averaged over 180 in the 8 baker games with a high game of 231. In the first team game they closed the door on the nearest team to them with an event high 1027 effort. The Wildcat girls would win the regional by 213 pins over the Davison Cardinals. They now advance to the state finals in Allen Park next weekend. They will bowl the team event against 15 other teams on Sunday March 1st.
They too bowled singles on Saturday. Oxford Wildcat Maya Vetch jumped out to a big start with a 259 game and averaged over 197 for the 6 games. She cruised into the final 7 finishing 3rd in the region. Bowler’s Elleanna Ford and Emaleigh vonKnorring just missed finishing in the 8th and 9th spots. Skylar Scott finished 13th, Kaitlyn McFadden claimed the 19th spot and Phebe Coffman ended up 21st. The field had nearly 60 bowlers.
Both Dominic Hambly and Maya will bowl for the individual state title on Monday March 2nd.