Pueblo South claims Colorado’s second unified bowling state championship

ENGLEWOOD – The unified bowling crown is staying in Pueblo.

Less than a year after Pueblo East made history as Colorado’s first-ever unified bowling state champion, Pueblo South continued the southern city’s domination of the young sport by winning the state’s second title. On Friday afternoon at AMF Belleview Lanes, the Colts posted a team score of 415 to run away from the field and take home the trophy.

Not only was the event an historic triumph for Pueblo South, a point of pride for unified bowling in Pueblo as a city, and an excellent experience for all 12 teams competing as a whole, it was yet another in many massive steps forward for the growth of unified bowling in Colorado over the past two years.

“Going into last year’s state championships, we had won our league and our region and the kids got here and they just got a little nervous,” Pueblo South coach Raul Delgado said. “This year, like any other athlete, they were like, ‘We want to get back there and get it all.’ They did it. I’m just so proud and I couldn’t be any more happy for them because they were so fired up and were all smiles from ear to ear.

“The sport is growing so fast and our city has embraced it. We have fans and cheerleaders and it’s super loud just like the crowd here at state. It’s really been embraced by everyone and to see it spread across the state is amazing. I hope it gets even bigger because it’s such a great experience for these athletes.”

In the team’s inaugural season, the Windsor Wizards were runners-up on Friday, scoring 355 points. Pueblo Central (333) was third, Silver Creek (313) was fourth, Pueblo East (300) was fifth and Eaglecrest (288) was sixth. Northridge (273) was seventh, Rangeview (262) was eighth, Frederick (243) was ninth, Legend (239) was 10^th, Brighton (232) was 11^th and Skyline (177) was 12^th.

While trophies and medals were handed out, and the Colts were certainly proud of winning theirs, the environment at AMF Belleview Lanes was as supportive and friendly as it was competitive.

“We’d been inside that bus for a very long time so as soon as we got here, I started ordering pizza to energize my whole team and my whole family,” Pueblo South senior Charles Rucker said. “We were geared up and ready to go, and we were playing to win. We all were concentrated and focused and we had a lot of fun with all the other teams, high-fiving and congratulating everyone.”

In Colorado, the number of unified bowling teams increased from 15 teams last season to 27 this fall. The sport is growing at an incredible rate and its inclusive community continues to expand to all corners of the state.

“We worked really hard to do this,” Pueblo South sophomore Cheyenne Doreck said. “We thought we had a chance but we knew it was going to be hard. All the other teams are really good, so it’s just huge. State is super fun because there’s lots of people cheering you on and it’s fun to see everyone on the other teams.”