Two members of the EHS boys bowling team entered the packed Camelot Bowling alley in Collinsville on Saturday Jan. 25 to compete in the IHSA bowling sectionals.

Seniors Eian Sims and Michael Jenkins approached the event with a great deal of anticipation.

Prior to sectionals, Sims placed sixth overall at regionals and third as an individual.  Given his placement at regionals, he said he was worried about the competition at sectionals.

“The score I had at regionals wouldn’t be enough,” Sims said.  “I had to do a lot better so it was stressful and the pressure was on.”

Although Sims gave his best effort, he ended up with a score that put him just 33 pins from advancing.

“I had a series (six games) of 1258,” Sims said. “Top seven individuals advance and seventh earned a score of 1291.”

Despite the fact that his season came to an end, Sims is content with his performance at sectionals.

“It went well,” he said. “A few mistakes I made definitely impacted my score. I could have done better, but overall I’m satisfied with how I performed.”

Craig Ohlau, the EHS boys bowling coach, said that Sims’ showing at sectionals was further evidence that he had progressed into one of the best bowlers in southern Illinois over the last month.

The other Edwardsville representative was far less satisfied with his performance after averaging 170 per game.

“I got sick and just felt fatigued the whole day,” Jenkins said.  “I couldn’t find a line to play because I couldn’t throw the ball the same speed in any two consecutive shots.”

He said he was eliminated early in the tournament.

“I bowled poorly enough that I was all but eliminated from advancing after the first two to three games,” Jenkins said.

However, coach Ohlau was pleased with Jenkins’ attitude and tenacity.

“Michael struggled a bit early but showed the grit and perseverance that got him to this point by sticking some 220 games and fighting to get back in the mix of things,” coach Ohlau said.

Both of the seniors represented themselves and the school well at the meet, according to coach Ohlau.

“Sometimes it is not about how you bowl,” coach Ohlau said.  “It’s about how you roll, and I couldn’t be more proud of how these two seniors finished their careers as Tigers and how they represented the school.”