Two bowlers battle for 300 game in MVC Valley Divisional Tournament, Hempstead girls and Waterloo West boys claim titles

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - It’s every bowler’s dream to bowl a 300 game. Entering Thursday’s MVC Valley Divisional Tournament, Lucas Dolphin of Cedar Rapids Kennedy and Justin Trcka of Cedar Rapids Xavier had come close in the past.

“I’ve gotten 299, and then 289 a couple of times,” Dolphin said.

“I’ve had a front-nine, which is one less strike than I had today,” Trcka said.

Both Dolphin and Trcka were well on their way to bowling a 300 in their second game of the tournament. Dolphin had eight consecutive strikes, but then knocked down nine pins in the ninth frame. He recorded a spare and ended his game with three strikes afterwards, giving him a final score of 279. Trcka had 10 consecutive strikes, but on his second-to-last throw, he only knocked down eight pins. He finished with a final score of 287.

“I’ve been there so many times that when I’m going to the 9th, a lot of it is, there’s some nerves, but not a ton when you go there a bunch of times,” Dolphin said.

“I never looked up at who was watching,” said Trcka. “So I didn’t know how many people were watching. I just kept doing my thing, kept doing the same routine every single time.”

Not only did both of them come close to bowling a 300, their lanes were right next to each other. Both of them admitted that they peaked at each other’s scoreboard.

“It did make me a little nervous, I guess, but I just tried to zone in and focus what I was doing here,” Trcka said. “I’m friends with Luke, so it was a fun competition.”

“I tried to beat him,” Dolphin said. “It did not go well, as you probably saw. Can’t be mad for losing with a 279 when someone shoots a 287.”

On the girls’ side, Dubuque Hempstead won the team title and had the top individual champion, Kristen Mitchell. On the boys’ side, Waterloo West won the team title and Trcka was the individual champion.

Copyright 2021 KCRG. All rights reserved.