For Cedar Rapids Prairie boys’ bowling team, the ‘sky can really be the limit’

CEDAR RAPIDS — “Come on, ball!”

This has been the Cedar Rapids Prairie varsity bowling team’s battle cry for years.

What’s different about the chant now?

Everyone is shouting it.

“In the past, the boys during the bakers do the cheer, ‘come on, ball’ and they all scream,” Hawks Coach Dan Grady said. “But it’d always been just the varsity. Now, the JV guys are starting to do it. I've never had a JV team that's wanted to do that.

“So that means that everyone’s starting to buy in.”

With the start Prairie’s had, it’s easy to see why the entire program is invested in this season.

The Hawks are 4-0, took first in the Prairie Boys Baker Invitational on Dec. 16 and lead Class 3A in score per match at 3,185 — 30.2 points higher than the next closest team, Waukee.

“I knew going into the season what it was going to be like,” Grady said. “I have about 10 kids who could play varsity, so it's been one huge competition. And I have four averaging over 200 right now, so I expect what's going on to continue.”

One of the Hawks averaging 200-plus is junior Peyton Guyer.

Guyer was a first-team all-stater last year and leads 3A in score per game this season at 238.9.

“It’s nice being there (at the top of 3A),” Guyer said. “I’m in the alley almost every single day, putting in the work and the hours. It’s nice that it’s paying off.”

“Peyton, he's my leader,” Grady said. “He works so hard I can't even tell you, plus he’s a nice kid.

“He helps lower average bowlers, and he leads them by example. He won one of the ‘Bowler of the Year’ awards last year. Everything he gets, he deserves.”

Not far behind Guyer is teammate and fellow junior Wyatt Craig.

Craig ranks third in 3A averaging 227.4.

“I’m happy for my friend (Wyatt),” Guyer said. “He just started bowling sophomore year. It’s nice to see he’s making progress as well.”

“One of the things that's really unique about Wyatt, he just started bowling about two years ago and he’s self-taught,” Grady said. “He’s the calmest kid, nothing rattles him.

“Last year, first day of practice he comes in and shoots a 227 — he’d only been bowling for like three months. And I was like, ‘who is this kid?’”

Senior Trey Pike and junior Nathan Lockhart are the two other Hawks averaging more than 200 a game.

“Nathan is another one of my true leaders,” Grady said. “Last year, he was the seventh guy almost all year and could never make varsity. So, over the summer he started getting lessons and now he’s averaging over 200 and is going to be a mainstay on this team.”

Lockhart wasn’t the only Hawk working to improve his game over the summer. In fact, out-of-season bowling was fairly widespread throughout the program.

“Last year, the boys weren’t where they wanted to be, so a lot of them started doing private lessons,” Grady said. “The improvement was unbelievable.”

A two-way summer bowling camp between Prairie and Cedar Rapids Washington is another outlet many Hawks used to better themselves.

“At camp, we do practices and some outside tournaments,” Guyer said. “It’s all about putting in the hours and getting the practice we need to get better.”

With the work that’s being put in throughout the year and the culture that’s been established, it’s easy to see why Grady believes the “sky can really be the limit” for the 2023-24 Hawks.

“We all want to go to state,” Grady said. “We want to do well at state. We have every opportunity to do that.”

The Hawks haven’t qualified for state as a team since 2020.

“From what we’ve doing so far this year, I have a really good feeling that we could do something great as a team and make state,” Guyer said. “Possibly even go and win it this year for all we know.”