Palo Verde’s boys bowling team needed to win its third game in the Class 5A state title match and record a high pin total to have a chance to defend its title.
The Panthers did just that.
Palo Verde won the third game against Liberty to claim two points and picked up an additional three points by having a higher overall pin total across the three games.
That propelled the third-seeded Panthers to a 5-4 win (2,405-2,370 pin total) over No. 5 Liberty to claim their second straight 5A state title Friday at The Orleans.
“It’s unbelievable. I’m so happy,” Palo Verde coach John Read said. “These boys did an amazing job, and I give all the credit to them. They stood up when it was necessary. That third game was incredible.”
Top-seeded Coronado claimed the 5A girls title 9-0 (1,939-1,885) over No. 7 Clark. It’s the Cougars’ fourth team title and first since 2008.
“It’s a big sense of relief and also a validation for all the hard work these girls put into their season,” Coronado coach Nicholas Elefantis said. “There was a lot of expectations on this team because we had four returning bowlers, and I’m glad we were able to pull it off.”
The matches consisted of three games, each worth two points. The team with the higher accumulated pin total received three extra points, so a team could claim the title by winning only one of the three games but having the higher total.
That’s what happened in the boys match. Liberty won the first two games and led 1,615-1,537 in the pin total.
Entering the third game, Read said he told his team there was “no insurmountable point total” it couldn’t overcome. Palo Verde then rolled 29 strikes in the last game to win the third game 868-755 to erase the deficit and claim five points to win the school’s second boys bowling title.
“The main word you could describe it is resilience,” Palo Verde bowler Jack Grossman said. “No matter what we bowled the first two games, no matter what we bowled the other games, we’re still trying. We never gave up and were still trying to win.”
In the girls match, all three games between Coronado and Clark were tight. The Cougars went into the final game leading 1,310-1,261. Clark got the overall pin total to under 30 in the final game, but Coronado pulled away.
Coronado bowler Calee Berry, who won the individual state title Jan. 31, rolled a pair of strikes in the final frame to seal the win.
“I’m glad I got to do this with this team, this amazing coach and bring it home even though it was stressful,” Berry said. “It was very stressful, but it was amazing.”
In 4A, Bonanza claimed the boys title 7-2 (2,365-2,210) over Legacy, and Del Sol edged Las Vegas High 9-0 (1,654-1,578) to win the girls title.
In 3A, Losee defeated Boulder City 7-2 (2,116-1,934) to win the boys title, and The Meadows held off Mojave 7-2 (1,765-1,723) to claim its second straight girls title.
Contact Alex Wright at [email protected]. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
