BOWLING: Tech’s girls continue perfect run with I-A state title

It’s not often the word perfect is used appropriately to describe an individual athlete or sports team.

But there is no other way to describe Tech’s girls bowling team, especially after the Roadrunners continued their recent dominance Tuesday afternoon against Boulder City on the biggest stage.

Led by Emi Leong’s 566 series, the Roadrunners defeated the Eagles 9-0 in the Division I-A state final at The Orleans to capture their third consecutive state championship.

“It feels good,” first-year coach Randy Michalik said. “You’ve got to give the girls a lot of credit for staying motivated. It’s very easy to slip into moderation, or whatever. But they were motivated from the beginning of the year.”

The Roadrunners, who outscored opponents 117-0 this season, have now gone 39 consecutive matches without dropping a single game over the last three seasons. Leong, a junior, has been a part of all those wins. And even she can’t believe that record remains unblemished.

“It feels so weird to me,” Leong said. “I’ve had bad days. I’ve had good days. But somehow we made it through. We did it, undefeated, three years in a row and it feels great to say that.

“(My score) today was under average for me. But I had a good day yesterday. And I had some good days in regionals. It feels really great. All I care is that we won. We had to work together as a team to do it. I hope we can do it again, possibly next year. My sister might be joining the team too, so that will be interesting. I can’t wait.”

Elisa Loden rolled a match-high 203 in the opening game for the Roadrunners, who held a 303-pin lead after two games.

In the boy’s final, Chaparral outscored defending champion Boulder City 2,266-2,068 in pins and won 9-0 to win its first state title.

“I’m just so proud of them,” Chaparral coach Cynthia Ziegler said. “They went through a lot last year and this year. I’m just so happy because they deserved it. They’re such great kids.”

Senior David Galvan paced the Cowboys with a 645 series, including a match-high 249 in the second game.

“It’s not only about one person,” Galvan said. “It’s the team that matters. And as long as you bowl as a team, you’re going to do great. Going into this, I was so confident.”

In Division I boys, Arbor View swept Palo Verde 9-0 to win the Sunset Region championship. Cameron Collins posted the day’s highest series with a 666 for the Aggies.

Coronado topped Green Valley 7-2 in the Sunrise Region final. Green Valley’s Austin Signoretti rolled the day’s top game with a 278 for the Gators.

In Division I girls, Shadow Ridge defeated Centennial 7-2 in the Sunset Region championship.

Silverado, the two-time defending state champions, swept Liberty 9-0 in the Sunrise Region championship. Megan Philippi rolled a team-best 625 series for the Skyhawks.

The Division I boys and girls state finals take place at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday at The Orleans.

Contact reporter Ashton Ferguson at aferguson@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0430. Follow him on Twitter: @af_ferguson.