LONE TREE – There’s a new unified bowling champion in Colorado.
The Lakewood Tigers.
“It’s incredible, our kids worked hard all season," Tigers head coach Mike Merenda said. "They’re some of the most fun human beings we’ve ever gotten to work with. They’re champs all the way."
On Friday at Lucky Strike, the Tigers posted a team total of 649 pins to claim their program’s first-ever state title.
“This the first time we’ve broken 600," Merenda added. "This is the first time we've even broken 575, so we had about a 75-point improvement. Our kids worked hard and it paid off today. We had a lot of parental support. They came out and cheered on the kids, we had a lot of teachers and our admins out here. So, it wasn’t just about the kids. It was about Lakewood as a whole."
Finishing runner-up, Legacy scored 612 points. Silver Creek was third with 599 points. Fort Lupton finished fourth at 581. Pueblo South was fifth at 573.
“This sport has grown from just a couple of schools and there are 29 schools here from all over the state,” Merenda said. “It’s incredible.”
This marks the sixth year of CHSAA's Unified Bowling State Championships. Pueblo East won the inaugural title in April 2021 (during Season C of the 2020-21 school year), while Pueblo South won the 2021 championship in November. Pueblo Central claimed the 2022 title, Windsor won in 2023 and Northridge a year ago.
Each team bowled a five three-player co-ed/modified Baker Games with the top-three teams being determined by total pinfall through those five games. All teams played in an open format; there was no bracket. The top two scores (based on total pinfall) determined the state champion and runner-up.
A Baker Game is when team members rotate between the three players with each participant rolling one ball before a teammate rolls the next. Regardless of a spare or strike, the next participant will always roll the next ball. This format gives equal playing time for each member, creating meaningful participation that is essential to the Unified Sports® model.