CABOT — The Cabot Lady Panthers bowling team continued its dominance in the state’s largest classification.
Cabot won its fifth consecutive state championship and the eighth in 10 years by winning the Class 6A state title Feb. 15 at the Hijinx Family Entertainment Center in Jonesboro. The Lady Panthers rolled 3,647, beating state runner-up Bentonville by 72 pins.
“Being a bowler at Cabot High School definitely carries some significance,” fourth-year Cabot coach Clark Bing said. “Just the fact of what they have done over the past 10 years is remarkable. The girls are proud of the program and the legacy that has been built.”
Bing said this year’s team could be summed up in one word — consistency.
“They are never too high and never too low,” he said. “They were always just focused on what they were doing. Nerveswise, I thought they handled it well. I wouldn’t say pressure. We’ve got to look at the legacy of our program but also look at this as the next opportunity to win another one. You can’t get bogged down by keeping the streak alive. It’s nice and all. We’ve focused on not putting pressure on ourselves. We treated it like another match.”
Cabot senior bowler Emily Tripp, who won the 6A-Central championship, finished as the bronze medalist in the state tournament. She rolled a three-game series of 586. Bentonville’s Kynzi Eichler was the gold medalist with a 675. Bentonville’s Lindsey Gan was second at 587.
Cabot’s other results were as follows: 8. Allison Hicks, 515; 10. Bethany Taylor, 476; Savannah Mato, 470; 13. Caitlin Cringle, 463; and 14. Callie Harwood, 455.
With this year’s state title, Tripp earns her fourth state-championship ring.
“I think it is something very special because it’s something I didn’t realize that I’d be a part of a few years ago,” Tripp said. “It’s definitely something that I’ve grown to love. It’s something, definitely, I’m going to continue to do in the future. It’s just a really special thing to be a part of.”
Tripp did not start bowling until joining the Lady Panthers team as a freshman.
“I was looking for something new to do,” Tripp said in trying bowling. “It was just taking a leap of faith and trying something new.”
Tripp has committed to bowl at Oklahoma Christian University in Edmond.
Tripp said there was some pressure going into the state tournament because of the past state championships.
“We did lose a lot of good girls last year,” she said. “It would have been heartbreaking after putting so much work into it. I definitely think we put the time and the effort into it. We went out and did what we were supposed to do.”
Bing said one thing that his team really works on is picking up spares.
“We really focus on our spare game,” he said. “That was kind of the difference in the tournament, especially for girls, who aren’t going to strike as much or as often as boys. Picking up that extra pin or two that is left is huge.”
Bing compared bowling to golf.
“The minute you lose focus, it can humble you,” he said. “As a golfer, you keep your head down and stay focused. You find a landmark. It’s the same thing in bowling. If you look at the headpin 60 feet away, your chances of hitting it are slim. When you focus on a dot 5, 10 or 15 feet away, you can see what your ball does and adjust. Every lane is different. That is the thing these girls did a job of doing.”
Staff writer Mark Buffalo can be reached at (501) 399-3676 or mbuffalo@arkansasonline.com.