The Portage High School girls bowling team has rolled its way to this weekend’s state meet for the 14th Annual State Finals. The Indians are heading to Arrowhead Bowl in Lafayette to compete in the state meet for the first time since 2010.
Portage fell to Boone Grove in the regional championship before avenging that loss in the semistate final, 389-356.
“We have been defeated by Boone Grove multiple times, so I went into it telling the team that we have to beat them," sophomore Jackie Rhoda said. “They just couldn’t pick up their spares. It was awesome, we were all crying; it was a very good achievement.”
Veteran head coach Debbie Gossett guided her team to the semistate championship a day after her brother passed away.
“I had a lot of emotions going through my head,” she said. “There was a time where it looked like we weren’t going to win, and the girls just pulled themselves up and did what they had to do.”
Everything has come together at the right time for Portage to punch its ticket to the state meet. Rhoda has emerged as the leader of the squad despite being an underclassman.
“It’s a good thing to be looked up to,” she said. “I am the anchor on the team now going into state. Just to win the points and know that I can be the winner of the team is a good thought process.”
Nicole Walton and Alyssa Bogolin are other key contributors.
“Alyssa Bogolin has come a long way,” Gossett said. “She worked hard last summer and really worked on her game.”
Gossett said she likes to shuffle the lineup around to make sure she utilizes the person that is “on right at that moment.” Rhoda said some of the top competitors that the Indians will have to stack up against are Boone Grove, Lake Central and Homestead.
“We have to keep our heads up even if we have open spares, listen to our coaches, figure out where our marks are and just not let them take us down emotionally,” Rhoda said.
Rhoda credits the coaching staff for “keeping the team going” this season. Both Rhoda and Gossett have high expectations for the state meet.
“Our goal is to win,” Gossett said. “I expect them to just come out and do their best. If they do their best, they can do it. They know how to win.”
Photo by Kiley Jones, Legend Yearbook Staff