Tri-Cities high school bowling fared well at the NSAA Bowling Championships this week at Sun Valley Lanes in Lincoln. The Grand Island Senior High girls bowling team took the Class A Bowling team title, while Kearney’s Fulton Moyer was the Class A Boys Singles Champion.
The Islander Girls entered into the Class A championship bracket as the #2 seed in the double elimination bracket, and defeated Omaha Marian 3-1 in the opening round, Omaha Westview 3-1 in the second round, and Millard South in the Bracket 2 final. In the championship, Grand Island defeated Heartland Athletic Conference rival Fremont in four games to win the Class A Championship. It’s the first state title for the Grand Island girls, who have been forced the past three years to accept second place.
The Grand Island Senior High boys bowling team was also in the Class A Championship after wins against Kearney (3-2), Millard South (3-0), and Omaha Westside (3-1) but fell to Fremont in the championship, 3-1.
In the individual championships, Eryk Stuchlik of Grand Island and Fulton Moyer of Kearney qualified for the bracket final. The opening round saw three upsets, with top seeded Chase Fowler of Fremont being the only higher seed to win in the opening round. Stuchlik was defeated by Alex Starks of Lincoln East 407-356, while Moyer defeated Nathaniel Nattrass of Millard South, 407-330. Moyer defeated Starks in the semifinal 323-309, and would claim the first championship for Kearney (team or individual) in its third year, defeating Andrew Wusk of Fremont 449-388 in the championship.
In the girls singles championship, Grand Island Senior High would qualify three for bracket play, and would have an all Islander semifinal between Bailey Vodehnal and Kaleigh Kuusela, which Kuusela won 387-352 to advance to the championship. Bailey Seacrest of Bellevue West, who defeated Grand Island’s Brinley Rathjen 409-306 in the first round, would defeat Kuusela 434-375.
Two area bowlers were knocked out of the opening round of bracket play in the Class B singles championship, with MacKenzie Tate of Hastings falling to eventual singles champion Blakeley Meyers of Waverly, and the eventual runner-up Samantha Michaud of Elkhorn defeating York’s Trinity McConnell 360-350.
PAST LOCAL STATE BOWLING CHAMPIONS:
2026
Class A Girls Team: Grand Island def. Fremont 3-1
Class A Boys Individual: Fulton Moyer, Kearney (449) def. Andrew Wusk, Fremont (388)
2025
Class B Girls Team: Grand Island Northwest def. Elkhorn, 3-2
2023
Class A Boys Team: Grand Island def. Fremont, 3-2
Class A Boys Individual: Kaden Kuusela, Grand Island (484) def. Nathaniel Centineo, Bellevue West (427)
2022
Boys Team (only one classification): Grand Island def. Grand Island Northwest, 3-1
