High school bowling state rankings feature a shocking, new No. 1

BAY CITY, MI – The Michigan High School Interscholastic Bowling Coaches Association released its second state rankings of the 2019-20 season, recognizing the top teams on the prep scene for Feb. 24.

Here’s a closer look at the top-10 teams across the state for boys bowling and girls bowling at the high school level heading into the postseason, which begins with regionals Feb. 28-29.

RELATED: Coaches, players and fans are asked to submit photos from the upcoming regional tournaments for use on MLive by emailing bcsports@mlive.com.

Ogemaw Heights bowling — The Ogemaw Heights boys bowling team moved to No. 1 in the Division 3 state rankings.Courtesy

BOYS BOWLING

In a poll that saw very little movement, there was one significant exception to the rule. Ogemaw Heights rocketed from out of nowhere to No. 1 in the Division 3 rankings. That’s not a new thing for the Falcons, who caught many by surprise last season when they rolled all the way to a state runner-up finish. Flint Powers, Farwell and Portland are also newcomers to the Division 3 poll this week while reigning champion Gladwin fell out.

The same 10 teams held true in Division 2 and Division 4 while only Flushing joined the top 10 in Division 1. Dearborn Divine Child and Whittemore-Prescott were big movers this week, with Divine Child jumping from No. 8 to No. 2 in Division 2 and Whittemore-Prescott rising from No. 9 to No. 2 in Division 4.

Utica Eisenhower, New Boston Huron and Grass Lake remain the teams to beat, upholding their No. 1 rankings for another poll.

Utica Eisenhower bowling — Utica Eisenhower is the No. 1-ranked team in Division 1 boys bowling.Courtesy

DIVISION 1

1. Utica Eisenhower

2. Waterford Kettering

3. Macomb Dakota

4. Farmington

5. Midland

6. Oxford

7. Saginaw Heritage

8. L’Anse Creuse North

9. Flushing

10. Sterling Heights Stevenson

DIVISION 2

1. New Boston Huron

2. Dearborn Divine Child

3. Tecumseh

4. Jackson Northwest

5. Cadillac

6. Sturgis

7. Owosso

8. Flint Kearsley

9. Three Rivers

10. Chelsea

Grass Lake hosts Jonesville in boys bowling — Jonesville's Hunter Vincent bowls during a boys bowling match at Suburban Lanes in Jackson on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2020. The match featured the number one ranked teams in Division 3 and 4 facing off.J. Scott Park | MLive.com

DIVISION 3

1. Ogemaw Heights

2. Jonesville

3. Sanford Meridian

4. Coloma

5. Flint Powers

6. Livonia Clarenceville

7. Farwell

8. Carrollton

9. Portland

10. Paw Paw

Grass Lake bowling — The Grass Lake boys bowling team is No. 1 in Division 4.Courtesy

DIVISION 4

1. Grass Lake

2. Whittemore-Prescott

3. Ithaca

4. Manchester

5. St. Charles

6. Unionville-Sebewaing

7. Kalamazoo Hackett

8. Harbor Beach

9. Bad Axe

10. Schoolcraft

GIRLS BOWLING

It is clear who stands as the teams to beat on the statewide girls bowling scene. All four teams that earned No. 1 rankings in the initial poll held strong in the latest poll. Westland John Glenn, Flint Kearsley, Flat Rock and Oscoda remain at the head of their classes as the top-ranked squads.

There wasn’t much movement in the top-10 either, as only five new teams cracked the rankings. Brownstown Woodhaven, Dearborn Divine Child, Midland Bullock Creek, Michigan Center and Whittemore-Prescott made their rankings debut this week. Bullock Creek was the big mover, leaping all the way to No. 3 in Division 3.

DIVISION 1

1. Westland John Glenn

2. Macomb Dakota

3. Flushing

4. Lake Orion

5. Farmington

6. Monroe

7. Warren Cousino

8. Salem

9. Davison

10. Brownstown Woodhaven