The roles were reversed this time.
The Pojoaque Elks, who a year ago cheered on Española Valley as they bowled their way to a championship, now had the Sundevils’ backing as they competed in the state final.
“We bowl with Española a lot, those kids, we see them all the time,” said Pojoaque senior Caleb Roybal. “It’s a cool thing for them to be here supporting us and stay supporting us, just like we did then.”
Pojoaque ultimately Elks took second place at the state bowling tournament on Feb. 1, losing to Artesia in the championship round, with Emma Kitchens winning the individual girls championship, and Caleb Roybal placing second for high game in the girls. Española Valley finished fourth as a team, and David Sandoval made the all-state team.
“When it mattered, we couldn’t beat (Artesia),” said Roybal.
The Sundevils needed a roll-off to reach the top four after a critical mistake. Facing a two-pin split in the final frame of the qualifying round, Raymond Archuleta tried to convert, and missed both, rather than play safe and get just one. As it turned out, the Sundevils were in a tie with Valley High, and one more pin would have sent them to the next round.
But Española came through, after falling behind early, and got the win over Valley capped by Raymond Archuleta’s turkey (that’s three strikes in a row) in the final frame for a 184-162 win.
The competition structure included: three individual games with five bowlers each, then four “Baker games” where five team members rotate between frames (i.e. the first bowler bowls the first and sixth frames, the last one has the fifth and 10th, etc.) The top four totals at that point advanced to a second round of three more Baker games added to the total score. Then, the two teams advance with scores reset, and a three-game Baker series for the win.
Pojoaque started the day hot, with a 963 total in the first individual round that included two bowlers over 200. Throughout the day, they kept pace with Artesia, a team who has won six of the last seven state titles, and a year ago dominated the qualifying rounds.
“They worked really hard all season,” said Pojoaque coach Louie Maestas. “They really put in a good effort, and I’m proud of them regardless.”
Adam Pacheco came on for a big day with two individual games over 200. The football team quarterback was in his first year with the varsity team, and quickly improved as the year went on. Emma Kitchens’ 224 in the first game was the day’s high for girls, and her three-game total of 550 won the girls individual championship. Caleb Roybal had the second-highest individual game of the day at 239.
“I was feeling good the whole day,” Roybal said. “I was just doing my job … It’s a cool accomplishment. It’s cool to have that, but I’d much rather have a team championship.”
At the end of the individual games, Pojoaque led with a total of 2,814, while the Sundevils were in sixth place and had work to do. But their first Baker game of 234 was the day’s high across all teams (for the second straight year), putting them in the driver’s seat for the first cutoff, though still well behind the top two. They held onto that spot and were safely in fourth, while Taos fell from fourth after the individual rounds when they struggled in the Baker games.
Pojoaque stayed ahead of Artesia after the first rounds, but after the first cutoff the Bulldogs took the lead by 57 pins, though the scores reset before the final round. The Sundevils were squarely in fourth place by the final Baker game, and so let their younger bowlers finish off the event.
Artesia had the hot hand in the final, and went ahead 191-144 after the first game, and continued their dominance with a 212 in the second. Pojoaque fought hard, but ended up losing by over 100 pins in the championship.
“It’s definitely an eye-opener for me to keep practicing and getting better, keeping improving for next year,” said Kitchens, the only returning player out of the team. “Even though my favorite seniors won’t be here next year, and I’m all alone.”