Here are 12 Columbus-area high school boys bowlers to watch in 2023-24 season
Last season's Division I state runner-up and two members of third-place finisher Hilliard Davidson highlight our 12 central Ohio boys bowlers to watch this winter.
Baylee Becker, Pickerington North
The senior, who excels at both bowling and baseball, averaged 198.4 a year ago to lead all returnees to a deep Panthers team that tied Teays Valley for the COHSBC-A championship. Becker, who had a high game of 245 and high two-game series of 462, tied for 17th at the Division I sectional and 60th at district.
Nicholas Bremer, Hilliard Davidson
The senior was a dependable leader for a Wildcats team that finished second in the Division I district tournament and placed third at state. He was one of three Davidson bowlers to average 200 per game or better (202.9) and placed third at sectional, ninth at district and 15th at state.
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Peyton Brobst, Briggs
The junior is the top returning scorer from the COHSBC, having averaged 215.1 a season ago to come in second behind DeSales’ Caden Lester (218.6). Brobst finished 87th at sectional and bowled as high as 264 for a game and 489 for a two-game series in the regular season.
Nasir Byrd, Walnut Ridge
A senior, Byrd’s average of 214.6 led the Scots to the City League championship. That was an improvement of nine pints from his sophomore season. Byrd recorded a 288 game in February against Briggs and tied for 102nd at sectional.
Drew Damron, Jonathan Alder
The 2023 Division I state runner-up was one of the area’s most consistent bowlers as a sophomore. He averaged 214.9 in the regular season and finished 24th at sectional before placing second at both district and state, a combined six pins out of first place.
Quinn Dean, Reynoldsburg
Dean will try to build on a solid freshman season that saw him average 207.4, record a high game of 278 and two-game series of 504. Dean was Division I sectional runner-up and placed 19th at district, one of four freshmen to finish in the top 20.
Aidan Furukawa, Big Walnut
The senior and defending Division I district champion averaged 211 during the regular season, placed 38th at sectional and tied for 29th at state. Furukawa has committed to Savannah College of Art and Design and is one of four returnees from last year’s top six for the Golden Eagles.
Nick Green, Big Walnut
Green is again expected to help anchor the Golden Eagles after they finished third at district and 14th at state. The senior averaged 205.5 last winter, placed fourth at district and was 61st at state. He began this season by winning the Ohio High School State Invitational Kick-Off Tournament with a 680 three-game series.
Caelan Guthrie, Hilliard Davidson
The senior led the Wildcats in average (205.5) a season ago, powering them to a district runner-up finish and third place in the state. He placed fifth at sectional, 38th at district and tied for seventh at state. Guthrie was runner-up in the Ohio High School State Invitational Kick-Off Tournament (659).
Logan Henslee, Westerville Central
The Warhawks’ leader in average (201.5) last winter, the senior placed 20th in the Division I sectional, 17th at district and 56th at state. He is one of five returnees for the defending district champions and two seniors on the team, along with Ben Cantieri.
Nick Maliwesky, Watterson
The junior was largely consistent in averaging 211.9, recording 23 regular-season games over 200 and 13 series of 400 or more. He placed 37th in the Division I sectional and 23rd at district. Maliwesky raised his averaged by 17 pins from his freshman year.
Tyler Roof, Ready
The junior hopes to build on a sophomore season that saw him rank only 59th in the COHSBC in average (186.1) during the regular season, yet tie for fourth at the Division II district tournament and place 67th at state. Roof was a starting offensive lineman for Ready’s Division IV, Region 15 quarterfinalist football team.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Here are 12 central Ohio boys bowlers to watch in 2023-2024
