The Daily Item
Two veterans and a newcomer led Valley high school bowlers this season with a steady regular season and strong postseason.
Shikellamy senior Shanna Kimball and Selinsgrove junior Nick Heckman were Daily Item bowling all-stars a year ago. Milton freshman Peyton Schley, a Tri-Valley student who bowls for the Black Panthers as part of a cooperative agreement, put himself front and center with a dominating postseason run.
Kimball continues a run of standout Shikellamy girls as The Daily Item Bowler of the Year, while Heckman and Schley share top honors for the boys.
Kimball was far and away the Heartland Athletic Conference’s top player during the regular season. Across 30 games for the league champion Braves — who went 46-4 during the regular season — Kimball averaged 221.5 pins per game. She was one of just two players to knock down 6,000 pins during league play and had nearly 500 more pins than any other player in the HAC.
During the postseason, Kimball led Shikellamy to a sixth-place finish at states and a spot in the Eastern Regional final. During team qualifying at regionals, she rolled games of 217, 269 and 233 (719 series) to lead the Braves to the top seed. Her 269 game was the highest of any bowler in qualifying.
She finished 16th in the Eastern Regional in singles after rolling games of 214 and 222.
Heckman, a two-time Daily Item bowling all-star, led the PHAC in scoring average after finishing in the top five as a sophomore. His average of 216.81 was nearly pins more per game than Schley and his teammate Xander Goudreau, who was also in the running for bowler of the year honors.
At Eastern Regionals, Heckman rolled an 895 series during singles, while rolling games of 229 and 216 to lead the Seals to a ninth-place finish. He was a regional quarterfinalist in singles as a sophomore.
Schley burst onto the scene for the Black Panthers, helping Milton to the Eastern Regional team title while also qualifying for the singles final.
Schley was second to Heckman with a 212.85 average across 21 games. At regionals, he rolled a 299 game to qualify for the singles stepladder final. After winning a semifinal match, he lost to eventual state champion Gavin Courtney of Garden Spot, 226-212, in the Eastern final.
Schley and teammate Eli Russell powered the Black Panthers to the Eastern Regional team final, rolling games of 227 and 268. At states, Milton finished fifth overall — Schley had games of 207, 220 and 232 during qualifying — and he was ninth in singles.
