Xavier, Miller roll into state bowling

CEDAR RAPIDS - At the beginning of the season, Caleb Miller wasn't sure he'd be making another appearance at the state tournament.

With just a pair of seniors leading three sophomores and a freshman, Miller thought Cedar Rapids Xavier might not have the experience to make a charge to Plaza Lanes in Des Moines.

However, the senior is more than happy his team proved him wrong. Teammate Brett Young won the individual title at the district meet, but Xavier's team win means Miller can compete for an individual title.

'I love how we treated every meet,” Miller said. 'Every meet was like the state tournament for us. We tried to keep everyone's heads up all the time.

'We held together pretty well. I'm really surprised we bowled as well as we did.”

As an individual, Miller has had a lot of success in Des Moines. As a sophomore, he won the Class 1A state title in 2013 and finished runner-up in 2014. Miller heads into today's Class 2A tournament leading the state with a 228.2 average.

'My biggest goal is just to perform well,” said Miller, who hopes to bowl for Mount Mercy. 'It'd be great to win, but I want top-5 for sure.”

Several area teams will compete alongside Miller in Des Moines. The Cedar Rapids Prairie girls qualified for the second consecutive season and will bowl Wednesday in the 3A tournament. The Hawks finished fourth in 2014 and are led by a pair of underclassmen.

Freshman Mikayla Hite won the individual title at the regional tournament and junior Rylee Blood is fifth in the state with a 201.5 average.

'When Mikayla came in at the beginning of the season, she had one of the highest averages locally,” said Prairie head coach Don Willfong. 'She struggled a little bit a few weeks ago, but she turned it around and is doing awesome.”

The Cedar Rapids Jefferson boys will battle for the team title in Class 3A. The J-Hawks hope for a strong outing in Des Moines after a shaky showing at the district tournament. Jefferson finished eighth at state a year ago.

'We've got to pick up a few more spares,” said Jefferson head coach Virg Cerveny, following the district tournament. 'We were backing off our spares, so we need to clean that up a little bit.”

Individually, Marion's Bre Smith will compete in Class 2A. Iowa City High's Brooke Shaw and Taylor Hayslett will take on the field in Class 3A.

Cedar Rapids Washington's Bryan Cline, Iowa City West's Heath Schintler and Linn-Mar's Sam Crawford qualified as individuals in Class 3A.

'This will be my third trip to state,” Cline said. 'It's always a great time. It will be a little different without my team, but I'm looking forward to it.”