Chat with the champions: Hudson’s Bay bowlers all about team and friendship first

MJ Westmorland and Sanaa Tyler of Hudson’s Bay love that they were able to lead the Eagles to a state championship in bowling last week. Tyler won the state individual title and Westmorland finished second. Photo by Paul Valencia

Sanaa Tyler won the Class 2A individual state championship, and teammate MJ Westmorland finished second, leading the Eagles to the team title; Skyview won the 4A team title

Paul Valencia
ClarkCountyToday.com

There was an individual state championship on the line.

There was a team state championship to win, as well.

Sanaa Tyler and MJ Westmorland knew they were in this thing together, and no matter what, Hudson’s Bay was going to be the ultimate winner.

The Eagles are state team champions.

And two Eagles finished first and second in the individual standings.

“If I had finished second … I’d be screaming her name,” said individual champion Sanna Tyler. “I kind of idolize her. She’s a senior. She’s a really good bowler. I just love how she hits those strikes, and it’s like, ‘Bam! Yeah, she got it.’”

Westmorland had a similar philosophy.

“Of course, I want to win, but I was rooting for her the entire time,” Westmorland said of Tyler. “I’m super happy for her that she won. I wanted to win, too, but at the end of the day, second place is really good, and I’m glad she got that moment.”

By the end of the next day at state, they were both champions, leading the Eagles to the team title.

Once again, Southwest Washington crushed it at state bowling. Hudson’s Bay claimed the Class 2A team title with those first- and second-place finishes for the individual scoring, and Skyview earned the Class 4A team title.

The Hudson’s Bay bowling team won the Class 2A state championship last week. Photo courtesy Hudson’s Bay bowling

Clark County Today sat down with a couple of Hudson’s Bay champions to discuss last week’s big event and their joy of bowling.

For these Eagles, the team takes priority over individuals.

“I’ve always thought to myself, I want to take home a championship,” said Westmorland, a senior. “I know it’s going to be a lot of work, but I know I can lead my team to do it. It feels just really amazing to be able to say, ‘Yeah, I’m on a state championship team.’”

“High school bowling is family,” Tyler said. “It’s like you’re bowling for yourself, but your scores go into team. You bowl high, another person will bowl high. ‘We got this.’”

In high school bowling, all individuals bowl six games at state. All pins go toward a team score and each individual score is added up, as well. At the end of that day, individual champions are crowned. The next day, though, the teams gather again for 14 Baker games, adding to the team total from the previous day’s action.

The end of the individual portion of the competition could have been intense for Tyler, but honestly, she did not know where she stood.

“It was emotional and kind of shocking for me because I just wanted to go in there with a goal to place,” Tyler said. “I had no idea whatsoever I was going against my teammate.”

It turns out, Tyler and Westmorland were tied atop the leaderboard heading into the final game. Tyler rolled a 185 in the final game to Westmorland’s 176. In all, Tyler scored 1,145 to Westmorland’s 1,136.

The coach told Tyler she was the state champion.

“What are you talking about?” she asked.

Sanaa said she really didn’t know.

“For me, it still feels like a dream.”

Westmorland took the early lead with a 234 in the first game.

“It’s my job to get hot so everyone else can feed off my energy,” Westmorland said, noting the team aspect of the competition. “I want them to feel I have their back, and I can pull out a big game like I did at the start and they can feed off of that.”

Tyler recorded a 245 in the third game, the best mark in the entire competition.

“It was like a ‘Wow factor.’ You’re there with your team. You feel the energy that your team is giving you, so you just put it out on the lanes,” Tyler said.

When that part of the competition ended, Tyler and Westmorland were proud to represent the Eagles, finishing 1-2 in state.

Then the focus changed.

Bay led by 160 pins going into the Baker Games. Westmorland pointed out, though, that 160 is not that big of a lead. Two bad games can wipe away that lead. The Eagles bowled those 14 Baker Games as if they were behind, and cruised to victory, winning by more than 400 pins.

“Everyone started getting emotional,” Tyler said as they bowled Baker Game No. 14. “All the seniors started crying because they knew it was their last game. Our coach told us, ‘You guys are state champs.’ All the emotions started, all the tears.”

Hudson’s Bay team champions: Sanaa Tyler, MJ Westmorland, Abby Schoonover, Siddalee Huff, Charly St. Mars, Allison Oulliette, and Mikenna Witt.

Also at state bowling, the Skyview Storm took a big lead through the first six games, then extended that lead in the Baker Games the next day to claim the Class 4A team title. The Storm had three consecutive 200-plus games in the Bakers to cruise.

Brianna Hust led the Storm at state with a six-game total of 1,100 pins to finish fifth in the individual race. Kaydree Rowland was seventh, and Addysen Case took 10th place.

The Skyview Storm took home the Class 4A state team title in bowling last week, continuing an incredible history for Southwest Washington squads. Image courtesy WIAA

Skyview champions: Brianna Hust, Kaydree Rowland, Addysen Case, Avery Henderson, Abby Pine, Kayla Lester, and Alex Pine.

In the 3A competition, Evergreen took fourth place in the team race. Prairie’s Izabella Hewes was the top individual placer from Clark County, finishing third.

Sanaa Tyler won the Class 2A individual state championship, and teammate MJ Westmorland finished second, leading the Eagles to the team title; Skyview won the 4A team title

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