Bowling takes conference title
Members of Owatonna’s conference champion bowling team include: Nic Hill, Jayden Battey, Nora Jorgensen, Bella Katuin, Caleb Johnson and Paige Swenson. Submitted photo
It’s rare that a season goes by without an Owatonna High School team winning a conference championship. And this fall is no different. The OHS bowling team won the South Central Conference regular season title.
Coach Brianna Oftedahl said, “It was a huge accomplishment for sure, and something we continued to work on throughout the season. It was a goal that we had.”
The Huskies competed in the conference tournament this past weekend but lost in the first round. They still have the super-regional to look forward to on Nov. 19. The top teams advance to the state tournament in December. Oftedahl said it’s important for her team to “play the lanes. We have a very impressive team with their ability to put the ball on the lane where they want it to go and it’s just getting the reaction on the lane that we want. They’re very good at hitting their marks.”
The varsity bowlers are Bella Katuin, Jayden Battey, Nic Hill, Caleb Johnson, Paige Swenson, and Nora Jorgensen.
“We have a real cohesive team that works together to stay positive,” said Oftedahl. “One of our big things is, one of our seniors, Bella, has a ‘dad joke’ book and that’s what we use if we start getting down, just to bring ourselves out of it.”
A girls’ bowling season begins after the holidays. “We’re always looking for a couple more bowlers,” Oftedahl said. More information is available through their Facebook page. The co-ed high school season begins in September.