2014 ALL-NORTH OAKLAND AREA BOYS BOWLING: State powers Oxford, Clarkston lead star-studded team
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
Dan.Stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
Twitter: @LocalSportsFans
This was an exceptional year for boys bowling in the area and the team and individual results back that up.
Two local Division 1 schools, Oxford and Clarkston, both reached the final eight in the state after great seasons, while three local teams also finished in the top eight at the Oakland County Tournament. That was just for starters.
Throughout every tournament, area standouts were knocking them down with precision. Several area players garnered all-league honors while two others earned spots on the All-State Team.
The 2014 All-North Oakland Area boys Bowling Team reflects the dedication and success put in over the past year with nine players making the first team while 14 additional players garnered honorable mention status. The team was selected by NOS staff.
Oxford’s JR Lafnear and Clarkston’s Lenny Kersten share the Coach of the Year honors after guiding their respective teams to brilliant seasons.
Below is a brief profile of each first-team member:
FIRST TEAM
WES BRUMMIT, Lake Orion: A senior in his third varsity campaign, Brummit just missed out on a state finals berth by finishing 11th at the Waterford 300 Bowl regional (1,137). Posting an average of 212.29, Brummit made the All-OAA Second Team. He placed 40th at the Oakland County Championships and 25th at the Romeo Early Bird Tournament.
“He was moving right along at the regional, then closed out with a couple of bad frames and just missed out,” said coach Kevin Crowther. “Overall, he had a great season. He was pretty consistent for the most part and was usually one of our top two bowlers.”
TIMOTHY CUTHRELL, Clarkston: The Wolves enjoyed one of their best seasons to date and Cuthrell was a big part of that. The sophomore posted a fine 224.20 average, second best in the two-division OAA, and earned All-OAA First Team honors for those efforts. He placed 18th at the D-1 Waterford 300 Bowl regional (1,081) and 55th at the Oakland County Tournament.
JACOB DELONG, Oxford: A junior, Delong earned All-OAA Second Team honors this season after posting a 197.28 average. He was 17th at the Division 1 Waterford 300 Bowl regional (1,095) and 20th at the Oakland County tourney (622).
TYLER GIDDEY, Troy: This junior rang up a 216.18 average, good enough for All-OAA First Team honors. He placed 16th at the Oakland County tourney (627) and 12th at the D-1 Sterling Heights 5-Star Lanes regional (1,251).
BRANDON HURLBURT, Oxford: This senior’s fourth varsity campaign showcased him as one of the best in Oakland County. His 225.94 average was tops in the two-division OAA, leading him to an All-OAA First Team slot. He finished 18th at the county meet (625), 18th at the Early Bird Tournament (616) and 25th at the Division 1 Waterford 300 Bowl regional (1,048).
JACOB KERSTEN, Clarkston: Perhaps the area’s most successful bowler this season, Kersten earned Division 1 All-State Second Team honors this season. Posting a 215.96 average, the talented sophomore also earned All-OAA First Team status. He was the Oakland County champion (704) with the eighth-highest single game score (253) on the day. He also placed third at the Waterford 300 Bowl regional (1,183) and fifth in the qualifying block at the state finals (1,421). Kersten also reached the state quarterfinals in bracket play.
SEAN MCKINNEY, Oxford: Part of Oxford’s most successful season to date, McKinney’s senior campaign had multiple highs. His 219.75 average was third-best in the entire OAA, god enough for first-team all-league honors. He was second at the Early Bird Tournament (694), eighth at the county (662) with the seventh highest single game (254), and 27th at the Division 1 Waterford 300 Bowl regional (1,040).
NICK UDOCON, Ortonville Brandon: Although Udocon was somewhat inconsistent inside Flint Metro League play, out-of-conference play was a different story. The junior had the highest single game at the Oakland County Tournament (277) and finished 26th overall (602). He also finished 22nd at the FML conference meet (547) and sixth at the Owosso Capitol Bowl regional (1,140). At the Division 2 state finals, he finished 28th (1,163).
ERIC WAGNER, Clarkston: Part of Clarkston’s deep arsenal of talent, Wagner notched Division 1 All-State Third Team honors after a brilliant senior campaign. Named to the All-OAA Second Team after posting a 214.86 average, Wagner was 11th (1,137) at the regional and finished 15th in the qualifying block at the state finals (1,320). He eventually reached the state quarterfinals in the singles bracket play at the state meet.
CO-COACH OF THE YEAR
JR LAFNEAR, Oxford: The Wildcats have grown up the past few years under Lafnear and had their best season to date. Oxford finished 9-1 in dual matches, shared the OAA Red Division crown with Clarkston, placed first in the qualifying block at the Oakland County tourney (3,842) and reached the quarterfinals in bracket play, finished third at the Division 1 Waterford 300 Bowl regional (3,745) and advanced to the D-1 state semifinals before bowing out to Detroit U-D Jesuit (1,499-1,438).
LENNY KERSTEN, Clarkston: In his sixth season on the Wolves’ staff, Clarkston continued to thrive as one of the better programs in Oakland count y. Ranked in the state for most of the season, Clarkston finished 9-1 in duals and shared the OAA Red Division crown with Oxford. The Wolves also won the Waterford 300 Bowl regional title (3,778), finished seventh in the qualifying block at the Oakland County tournament and finished third in bracket play at the county. At the state finals, Clarkston was tops in the qualifying block (3,774) and advanced to the state quarterfinals before being ousted by Howell (1,386-1,329).
2014 ALL-NORTH OAKLAND AREA
BOYS BOWLING TEAM
FIRST TEAM
Wes Brummitt Lake Orion Senior
Timothy Cuthrell Clarkston Sophomore
Jacob Delong Oxford Junior
Tyler Giddey Troy Junior
Brandon Hurburt Oxford Senior
Jacob Kersten Clarkston Sophomore
Sean McKinney Oxford Senior
Nick Udocon Ortonville Brandon Junior
Eric Wagner Clarkston Senior
CO-COACH OF THE YEAR
JR Lafner Oxford 10th Season
Lenny Kersten Clarkston Sixth Season
HONORABLE MENTION
Clarkston: Nick Treece, soph.; Evan Farogh, jr.; Holly: Mitch Smith, soph.; Lake Orion: Sam Yang, jr.; Zac Biskner, soph.; Ortonville Brandon: Jacob Quintanilla, sr.; Oxford: Drew Pappas, jr.; Kyle Woody, sr.; Barry Wynkoop, jr.; Troy: Carter Scillion, fr.; Joe Jackson, jr.; Lamont Walter, jr.; Troy Athens: Justin Fortney, soph.; Alard Roen, jr.
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