WICHITA – Like a baseball team giving its starting pitcher space in the dugout while he simmers on a no-hitter, Andover’s bowling coaches and sophomore Madden Pumphrey tried their own way of coping with mounting pressure Wednesday at Bowlero Northrock.
Pumphrey had put together a run of strikes in the final game of his series in the Class 5A state tournament, and the Trojan contingent filled the interim periods between Pumphrey’s turns with random chatter about topics like deep dish pizza.
“He was born in Chicago, so that’s how we got on that,” Andover coach Mark Cross said. “He was goofy the whole time, which was fine.”
But as the possibility of a 300 game got closer, Pumphrey was all business on the lanes. Taking advantage of a couple fortunate shots in the early frames, Pumphrey dropped all of the pins with his 12 rolls for a perfect game that helped him finish fifth in the 5A individual competition.
Pumphrey rolled the first perfect game at the KSHSAA state tournaments since Garden City’s Kaden Whitehurst shot a 300 in the second game on his way to the Class 6A individual title in 2020. Pumphrey finished with a career-best 722 series and the first 300 in Andover boys program history.
“It’s surreal,” Pumphrey said in the aftermath of his achievement. “Everything was going through my mind. I’m still shaking. I threw a couple bad shots, a couple went Brooklyn and I got lucky.
“But toward the end there, all my shots were phenomenal. They were coming off well.”
Pumphrey’s performance on Wednesday was the continuation of of a mini-hot streak. A day earlier, Pumphrey rolled a 702 series in practice at Bowlero Wichita.
“My first 700,” Pumphrey said. “And today was obviously my second. It’s pretty unbelievable.”
Pumphrey’s final shot ignited a prolonged cheer from the spectators at Northrock’s north end, where individual state qualifiers competed. At the other end, Andover’s crosstown rival, Andover Central, was in the midst of winning its first boys state title, led by individual champion Paxton McLeod, who rolled a 746 series.
Piper senior Coltyn Bard reacts to a shot during the Class 5A boys bowling tournament on Wednesday.
When Northrock’s public-address announcer read that number during the post-tournament awards presentation, an audible gasp came from several fans of runner-up Piper. The Pirates were led by senior Coltyn Bard, whose season-best 744 series fell two pins shy of a championship.
“It’s still awesome,” said Bard, who finished sixth individually two years ago to help Piper win the Class 5-1A team title. “In the second game, I threw a 5-gutter in the first frame. I’m not going to beat myself up about it because it happened. It’s a tough loss, but nothing’s really wrong with second.”
Bard’s previous best series this season was a 683 in late January. He entered state with a 197 average and looking for a spark to highlight his final year of high school bowling.
“I feel great now. I do,” Bard said. “We actually barely even made it here and to come out here and take second is amazing. We thought it was going to be close, but they bowled amazing, so there’s nothing we could really do about that.”
CLASS 5A BOYS STATE MEDALISTS
1 Paxton McLeod, Andover Central, 746; 2. Coltyn Bard, Piper, 744, 3. Tristan Coffey, Maize South, 739; 4. Dayden Cunningham, Andover Central, 723; 5. Madden Pumphrey, Andover 722; 6. Nathaniel Green, Emporia, 693; 7. Terick Coleman, 688; 8. Cayden Darling-Neer, Lansing, 684; 9. Kaden Evans, Shawnee Heights, 676; 10. Gunnar Whitney, Andover Central, 668; 11. Evan Light, Andover Central, 662; 12. Brody Merrick, Piper, 657; 13. Jacob Kamprath, Emporia, 656; 14. Donovan Davis, Shawnee Heights, 653; 15. Colton Swift, Emporia, 645 (235); 16. Luke Swanson, De Soto, 645 (232); 17. Jackson Casey, Basehor-Linwood, 642; 18. Leighton Daugherty, Bishop Carroll 639 (256); 19. Jesus Lucero, Bishop Carroll, 639 (244); 20. William Winkelbauer, Maize South, 635.
* 300 game – Madden Pumphrey, Andover