Willard and Wildenmann lead the Muskie Men to victory at the OBC #2

Competition in the Ohio Bowling Conference is always fierce. The conference boasts the largest contingency in the nation with 20 men's team and never fails to provide exciting results. Saturday the conference came together at the Columbus Square Bowling Palace for the second of the four regular season tournaments.

The Muskingum Men flexed their bowling muscles right from the start posting a team total of 1126 in game, followed by games of 981 and 1149 to close out the 3 team games. The Muskies got set for the 12 baker games in second place, trailing Thomas Moore University by just 5 pins and 71 ahead of Ohio State in third.

"We looked good when the lights came on. We caught a pair in game that wasn't well broken down in game 2 and had to grind through the lack of carry." Coach David Jones said. "When we hit the 3^rd pair, we really started to open it up."

Junior Jacob Willard celebrated his 20^th birthday with his first career individual win posting a 246.7 average in a 280 game 3.

"It was awesome that I was able to claim that first individual title on my birthday. It was my best outing of the year so far and I'm only hoping to grow more and get better off of this victory." Willard said of his performance. "Brody and I were pretty close to each other basically all day, so we had just communicated well on what we were doing and after that it just came down to me executing shots and I was able to do that with no problem."

Senior Brody Wildenmann continued his strong season notch another top 10 performance, averaging 226.3.

Muskingum continued to put up strong numbers in the baker portion. Sophomore Caelan Guthrie relieved Junior Talon Newton who averaged 190 in his 2 plus games. Guthrie assumed the leadoff spot for bakers and continued to set the tone for the team.

Games of 209, 236, 213, 158 gave the Muskies the lead after the first block. As Thomas Moore began to struggle dropping to 3^rd, Ohio State and Muskingum battled it out.

In the 7^th frame game 9 Senior John Jacobs shot missed the head pin right leaving a 5-count split. Coach Jones called on Sophomore Alex Smith left hander to shoot the spare. The call proved true, as Smith converted the high-pressure shot. Two games later Guthrie left the same spilt, and again Smith got the call. For the second time, Smith came through with the spare.

"It was huge, especially in a tournament as that close where a few open frames could be the deciding factor in winning." Said Smith. "I'm just glad I was able to help in whatever way possible and give the team a chance to win."

"Alex was absolutely clutch at the exact moment we needed him to be." Coach Jones reflected on Smith. "We haven't been able to get him a lot of shots in the last 2 tournament, so to execute on both of those shots was massive."

In game 11, the Buckeyes posted a 235 to the Muskies' 184. Going into game 12, Ohio State held a 10-pin lead over the Muskies.

The entire tournament came down to the final 12 frames, and the Muskies were not going to be denied. After an opening frame split the Muskies threw 6 consecutive strikes. A 7^th frame spare by sophomore Jacob Lehn followed by strikes by Wildenmann and Willard and the Muskies finished with a 244 shutting out Ohio State (190) and securing the tournament win.

Wildenmann on the win, "It felt good to get a win in a conference tournament, but we still felt that we bowled mediocre at most times."

The win was a total team effort as Lehn posted an average of 216.3, and freshman Jacob Moravcik averaged 213.6

Moravcik on the victory, "It was a great feeling. We stayed composed, made smart adjustments, and supported each other the whole time. It's exciting to see our team growing each week."

"All eight of the guys had important moments today." Coach Jones stated. "Being able to step up when your name is called is paramount. It's those moments that seem trivial in the moment that prove pivotal at the end."

"I would say that we gained some confidence in the past couple weeks and we should be able to put together some great performances at all 3 upcoming tournaments." Wildenmann on the momentum the team has gained.

The Muskies are off until December 18-21, when they start a stretch of 3 consecutive Tier 1 tournaments in Las Vegas and Addison, Illinois