The bowling team has had a historic season centered around a State-bound bowler making history.

Senior Ashton Caplinger is headed individually for state and has had a long way to get there.

“On the way to State, we first had to go to Sectionals. There personally I placed 8th in Sectionals, and we did a good job. At Sectionals, there were a total of 77 people, and it was a pretty easy showing for me at Sectionals,” Caplinger said.

But making it to Sectionals was not so simple.

“I was actually in a pretty bad car wreck two days before Sectionals. The car hit a gas tanker, and we were lodged under it. The car was destroyed, and all of the airbags went off in the car. All the windows were shattered, and I had to go to the hospital. I was released from the hospital on the day of Sectionals, but I was still able to show up for it. I still had bowled one of my best meets, and after, I advanced to Regionals,” Caplinger said.

Caplinger then bowled out once more in the next round.

“At Regionals, I played well, and from there, I qualified 10 out of 37 and individually placed for the state,” Caplinger said. 

This is history in the making for the bowling team, GHS, and Caplinger.

“I am the only one who is going to State out of the team. I am also the first person in Greenwood history to go to State in bowling,” Caplinger said.

Sophomore Trever Capien began bowling his freshman year.

“There are bowling teams from others, and it’s pretty much a sport. We have days for practice, and it’s set up like a sport. Even though it is a club, we still have meets, and we are all close together like a sports team,” Capien said.

Capien has improved from his first year of bowling.

“We practice at this place called Royal Pin. It is like a full bowling alley. This is where we have most of our meets for the team. Royal Pin’s in Indianapolis, and it is a large bowling alley. I do feel like because of the practices, I’ve improved my game over the years because when I started, I was new to bowling,” he said.

There are certain rules for winning a bowling tournament and certain ways to win meets.

“We go against teams, and the person that you are pulling against in the meet. The person with the most total pins wins a point for the team. The total teams’ scores from all players are added, and the team with the most points wins. For team bowling, you have five bowlers bowl one game, and for singles, it’s three games and the total score,” Capien said.

In the end, Ashton Caplinger’s legendary bowling run came to a close at the IHSB state championship at the Expo Bowl. Caplinger individually placed 20th at state and started off at 20th in the first game. He was bumped up to 14th in the second game, and later in the third game, he held his spot. It was the fourth game when he fell back down to the 20th spot where he placed for state. He had a magnificent season setting records for the high school aswell as leading Greenwood to state.