ShawneeDispatch.com

The smallest school to field a bowling team in Kansas proved this season that size doesn't matter when you can roll a hook.

Despite being the only Class 2A team in the state to field a team, the Maranatha Academy Eagles boys bowling team won seven games in the 2008 season - all against larger schools.

Led by freshman Connor Johnson and seniors Benny Belknap and Kyle Mowrer, the Eagles ended the season in regional action Saturday at the Mission Bowl in Mission.

Belknap finished just 17 pins out of the running for the state tournament.

Maranatha coach Chuck Isaac characterized the 2008 season as a transitional year in which the team tried to find an identity after losing four players from the 2007 team to graduation.

The Eagles again will graduate four senior varsity members this season, but with Johnson and five other freshman boys bowlers, Isaac said Maranatha could have the framework for a successful team next season.

"Typically, in the past I've had to start from scratch," Isaac said. "This is the first time in four years that I've had a boy come to the program with experience. I've usually had to build them into experienced varsity bowlers. That's an incredible challenge. With six freshmen this year I'm excited that I get four years to help them become competitive."

The Eagles' season featured plenty of great competition, but the highlight of the year probably came in the team's Jan. 28 meet against St. James Academy and KC Washington.

In that meet Mowrer threw nine strikes in his first nine frames to end with a 278 - the highest score in the program's four-year history. The team finished with a whopping 2,243 pins, finishing second to Washington by only 37 pins.

On the girls' side, Maranatha bowler Kelsey Walters had an even closer call to State when she tied for the final State berth with her Regionals' finish. However, the junior lost out the state on tiebreaker of highest game.

The Maranatha girls finished fourth at regionals, one spot from a State berth and the Eagles' highest ever finish.

Led by sophomores Shelby Crawford and Kay VanRavenswaay, Maranatha girls bowling also looks to have a bright future with many returning bowlers to the roster.