The Alleykats are competing in state this weekend after coming in fourth in regionals. They are staying in San Antonio for the weekend and will compete against 32 of the best schools in the state. 

There were feelings of nervousness, stress and excitement at the regional competition. 

“It was fun but very tiring because we had to start really early,” sophomore Jaslyn Fox said. “It was great. I was crying because I was so excited.” 

For the first part of the competition, the teams bowl as a group and then move on to the individual portion of the competition in the afternoon. 

“It’s very intense. Everybody is bowling, so the score is cumulative,” Alleykats sponsor Gary Granger said. “If someone does poorly it is up on the wall and everyone can see what the scores are. Everyone is always looking around and keeping track of the scores.”

Due to the pandemic, the environment of the bowling alley and competition in general has changed. 

“With COVID, there has been a change since last year,” senior Benjamin Mohr said. “We are in two lanes by ourselves. It’s still exciting, but it makes it a little boring because you don’t have the competition right next to you.” 

The game and advancement is a group effort as the score is cumulative between all of the players. They have to work together towards their common goal. 

“It feels pretty great because we approached it as a team instead of individually,” senior Benjamin Mohr said. “We had to be consistent on throwing and get spares and strikes. I feel that we have the will to win and also be able to enjoy it.”

The team faced not only new teams from different schools in the area, but some past rivals and opponents from the district competition. 

“The regionals experience was different from last year, but it was really fun having the tema there, being supportive,” junior Joel Jimenez said. “We didn’t think we were going to make it. It was very close between us, Conroe, and The Woodlands.”