The annual NDBPA State Scratch Team tournament is a favorite for many bowlers in the state. A weather system made its way across the high plains on Friday that brought icy conditions to nearly every road in North Dakota. An impressive turnout of 19 4-person teams made the trek to Midway Lanes in Mandan despite poor travel conditions that delayed the start of the event on Saturday.
The tournament was held on a custom 3.5 to 1 ratio oil pattern with over 30mls of oil. All teams would bowl two 6 game blocks with the high pin total taking home the title on Sunday afternoon.
The pattern played fair but difficult early on. As the pattern broke down, the scores started trending North. By the end of the day Saturday, annual powerhouse, Team ND Storm, took the spot atop the standings and never looked back. The team comprised of Tayler Wallstrum, Randy Peterson, Eric Kempel, and Travis Hersrud put together a 5030 block on Saturday to lead the field by close to 100 pins. On Sunday, Team ND Storm expanded their lead thanks to games of 929 & 943 late in the day to ultimately put the tournament out of reach.
Top 5 teams:
1.) 10174 | ND Storm – (Tayler Wallstrum, Randy Peterson, Eric Kempel, Travis Hersrud)
2.) 9806 | Wolfy’s Pro Shop | NHB – (Joshua Kragh, Jamey Kragh, Blake Wallstrum, Thomas Wolf)
3.) 9665 | NDBowling.com – (Daren Seney, Nathan Smith, Chris Charles, Eric Nelson)
4.) 9660 | Anything – (Aaron Petrowitz, Corey Zimmerman, Joel Galle, Barry Zimmerman)
5.) 9527 | Strike Zone – (Jese Sickler, Peyton Sumners, Bryan Goehring, Brad Peterson)
ND Storm was lead by Tayler Wallstrum who claimed the top spot in the singles option with a 2644 effort (220.33 ave). All 4 Team ND Storm members finished in the top 10 individually.
Top 5 individual scores:
1.) 2644 | Tayler Wallstrum
2.) 2606 | Nathan Smith
3.) 2589 | Austyn Ducharme
4.) 2543 | Eric Kempel
5.) 2539 | Thomas Wolf
The win gives Team ND Storm back to back wins and 8 titles overall in the NDBowling.com Era (Since 2012). While a couple team members have changed over the years, Randy Peterson and Eric Kempel have been a part of all 8 titles since 2012. Nice bowling!
Big thanks to Bryan Goehring and the Staff at Midway Lanes for hosting the event. Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!