Girls state bowling: Wadsworth's Cassidy Myers named first-team All-Ohio

COLUMBUS — Cassidy Myers was playing way outside and hooking in on the lanes at HPL Bowling Center, but the Wadsworth junior wasn't on the outside looking in when it came to earning first-team All-Ohio honors Saturday at the Division I girls state tournament.Throwing her strike ball just a board or two inside the right channel, where it remained for some time before violently snapping left, Myers earned the accolade by pounding the pocket all day en route to a fifth-place 630 series (168-234-228).The Grizzlies' Aubrey Masuda was the top bowler on the five-person All-Ohio honorable mention list — sixth through 10th place earned second-team honors — with a 588 series (215-213-160) that placed her 11th.For the third time in as many state appearances, including last year, Wadsworth finished 12th in the 16-team field. Celina captured the team crown, with Bellefontaine's Gracie Hood winning the individual title with a 679 (208-248-223) and Buckeye's Aubrey Reuter finishing 70th with a 452 (161-134-157)."It's scary," Myers said of playing so close to the channel. "One little mishap and it's in the gutter, but the shot felt good. It felt very good."I'm proud of myself. I want to work harder and I want to get better. I want to do even better next year. I want to be the best bowler and best person I can be."Myers' day got off to a rough start — "My first game could have been so much better," she said — but she didn't let that stop her.In her second year at Wadsworth after transferring from Norton, the powerful right-hander started her second game with a double, then threw a five-bagger from the fourth through eighth frames. After sparing in the ninth, she had a chance to shoot 256, but a great pocket hit left a solid 10 pin in the 10th, which she missed."I think I have it down and then I get in my head," she said of her nemesis, the 10 pin.Myers began her third game with a pair of spares, then threw a four-bagger. She stayed clean and struck on her first ball in the 10th, then finally found the gutter on her next ball before picking up all 10 pins for a spare.Masuda's day went the opposite way, as she started great and struggled to the finish line.The 5-foot-1, 96-pounder had a four-bagger in her first game and didn't have an open through eight frames, then left a 4-10 split in the ninth that she couldn't convert before going strike-nine-miss in the 10th.In the second game, the junior opened with a double, spared in the third, fourth and fifth frames and then threw three strikes in a row before the 4-10 split once again reared its ugly head in the ninth.With a very solid 428 through two games, the final one was a struggle. It began with missing a pair of 3-10 baby splits and also included an open in the seventh, but a double helped Masuda salvage a 160."I came in here to win, so it was very underwhelming," the junior said of her performance. "It was discouraging, my open frames and bad breaks. I started strong, then I really don't know what happened the third game."With everyone contributing here and there — Morgan Shaeffer shot 426 (165-108-153), Addy Martin had 388 (120-148-120) and Ella Brandenburg rolled games of 190 and 148 in relief of Grace Dunwald (114) — Wadsworth had a chance to advance to the quarterfinals, but didn't capitalize.After the individual games were finished, the Grizzlies were in 10th place, just 15 pins out of eighth, heading into their five Baker games. Had they gotten into the top eight, they would been in a seeded bracket and gotten the opportunity to bowl in the quarterfinals — and possibly the semifinals and final — in a head-to-head, best-of-five Baker games format.Wadsworth, however, shot 154, 181, 133, 168 and 129 and dipped to 12th."I thought we could do it," Masuda said. "We just came from a great Baker set at districts, but I guess not. I felt like we had enough experience to know what to do. The performance just wasn't there."Reuter, who won Summit County Sectional and Northeast District titles, never got going. The senior had 11 opens, including nine missed spares, and didn't have a double until striking in the ninth and 10th frames of her final game."I wasn't able to get settled," she said. "The oil moved a lot. Once I found a good spot, the oil moved again, so it was hard for me to find a good line."Despite her struggles, the first Buckeye bowler, male or female, to qualify for the state tournament enjoyed the experience."It was very emotional," Reuter said. "I was crying half the time, but it was a nice atmosphere to be in. I'm thankful for the experience. I really hope that, in the future, more Buckeye bowlers are able to be here."Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4046 or rnoland@medina-gazette.com.