WICHITA – Loud, boisterous celebrations are commonplace when a bowling tournament – especially a state tournament – hits the Baker series.
 
Seemingly every strike elicits a scream from its executor and a cheer from their teammates. Dance moves or signature poses often come into play. Even spares, or the possibility of one, brings on a catch phrase chant.
 
But not for the Seaman girls. That’s just not who they are.
 
“We don’t cheer really loud like the other teams,” Viking sophomore Leah Crawford said. “We just don’t see the point as cheering as loud as they do. We still cheer for each other, but just not to that extent.”
 
Perhaps that’s why Seaman coach Bob Benoit refers to his team as the “Silent Assassins.”
 
Instead of putting forth pre-fabricated celebrations, Seaman simply let its bowling do all the talking and boy did it speak louder than any celebration inside Bowlero Northrock on Thursday at the Class 5A state tournament. Going into the tournament as the heavy favorite for the Class 5A state title, Seaman went out and backed that up in a big way.
 
The Vikings took a commanding 290-pin lead into the Baker format and merely added to it, finishing with a final total of 3,297 to win by a whopping 358 pins over runner-up Emporia. Seaman’s total was the second-best in 5A state tournament history, falling just 50 pins shy of Bishop Carroll’s record total of 3,347 in 2021.
 
“It was my senior year, I had to do something,” Seaman’s Claire LaDuke said. “I wanted to go out with a bang.”
 

 
The tears that were flowing on Thursday were much different than the ones the Vikings shed a year ago.
 
Last year, Seaman also went into the state tournament as a big-time favorite for the title. The Vikings had won every tournament in which they competed leading up to the state meet and had posted a regional-winning score that was nearly 140 pins better than any other regional champion.
 
But during the American Tenpins games, Seaman floundered. Only one Viking managed a game in the 200s, a 214 opening game from LaDuke, and the Vikings sat fourth going into Baker, 131 pins behind leader Bishop Carroll.
 
Though they showed well in the Baker, they only moved up to a third-place finish – the third straight third-place finish for the program after winning the 2022 state championship.
 
Not every Viking made the trip home with Benoit in the school van. But those that did got a message from their coach that was poignant.
 
“Last year, we were projected to win and they really fell apart,” Benoit said. “They really put so much pressure on themselves and when they didn’t win, I really think that was a bonus. On the way home, we had three or four girls that rode with me and they were crying and talking about it. I said, ‘Girls, I think this is good for you because that’ll be a pain in your gut all year long. We’ve got the same team, not losing anybody and you’re going to be older and better. If we can go duplicate what we did last year, I don’t think you’ll let that pain happen again.’ And I really think that’s what happened.
 
“They were in a great mood today and nobody got down. They just bowled their butts off.”
 
The shortcoming a year ago was a huge motivator.
 
“We’d gotten struck in third all three years I’d bowled,” LaDuke said. “I wanted to do something more, something better, something different. Like I said, I wanted to go out with a bang.”
 

 
Without a senior on last year’s roster, Seaman returned its entire state team and the Vikings did go out and duplicate last year’s success. They once again went undefeated in the regular season and had the highest three-game score in 5A by more than 200 pins.
 
Emporia pushed the Vikings at their 5A regional, but Seaman still won by 54 pins.
 
“Last year we had a lot of pressure and I don’t think we were ready to handle it,” Viking junior Paige Snyder said. “This year, I feel like we grew a lot and were just more consistent.”
 
And perhaps more balanced. A year ago, LaDuke’s 201 average was tops on the team by 19 pins. This year, her team-high 197 average was only one ahead of Crawford’s 196 and four better than Snyder’s 193. The three other Vikings on the state team – senior Laci Cole, junior Ava Carlson and sophomore Kayla Duncan – all carried averages between 166 and 175.
 
Four of the six Vikings posted a season-best series of 640 or higher and all six had high games of at least 206.
 
“Every one of us is capable so if someone isn’t having their best day, another will pick them up,” said Cole, a senior. “I personally didn’t have my best day out there today and I’m glad I had these girls there to have my back and help move this team forward to get where we are today.”
 

 
LaDuke helped Seaman get off to a hot start, rolling a 234 opening game that not only helped the Vikings to an 808 team score but also put her third in the standings for the individual state title behind Lansing’s Emma Lourentzos (268) and Andover Central’s Addison Crumley (248).
 
Snyder also was in the 200s with a 203 and in the second game both Vikings also went over 200 again – LaDuke a 247 and Snyder a 204 – with Crawford joining them with a 226 as Seaman jumped to an 859 game that opened up a 154-pin lead on Emporia.
 
Crawford jumped to a 254 final game that put her at 655 for the day, good enough for a fifth-place individual finish. LaDuke had a 207 final game and finished with a 688 series to place third as Crumley flirted with a perfect game in her second game and rode the 288 game to the individual title with a 718 series. Lourentzos closed with games of 233 and 214 to take second with a 705 series.
 

Snyder also landed in the top 10, finishing with a 588 series that placed her eighth. Seaman got a fourth state medalist in Carlson, who was consistent throughout with games of 189, 182 and 181 for a 552 series that put her 16th.
 

 
“It was a big thing for me,” Carlson said. “This year, I really wanted to work on my attitude and try to stay positive and one of my big goals was to place at state and I got to with my favorite team I’ve ever bowled with.”
 

 
Seaman opened the Baker series with a 245 game to end any hopes their challengers had of them leaving the door slightly open. The Vikings then went about their business in the final three Baker games, mixing spares and strikes, which were met with merely a smile, clap of the hands and a few high fives here and there.
 
“Bob is always giving us a hard time, telling us to smile and stuff like that,” Snyder said. “But we’re truly having fun. We’re more of a joking type group, not chants. We don’t want to come off as braggy or be the loudest team out there. We want to be heard by how we bowl.”
 
Seaman’s winning score eclipse the total turned in by the 2022 championship team, which won its title by only 29 pins over Bishop Carroll with a 3,173 total. The performance led Benoit to throw out his thoughts about where this year’s team ranked.
 
“They all get along great and there’s not any kind of animosity, jealousy or drama with this team,” he said. “They are by far the best girls team Seaman’s ever had.”
 

Emporia's runner-up finish was led by a pair of individual placers as Sophia Hill finished ninth with a 582 series and Amelia Lowery took 17th with a 541.
 
CLASS 5A GIRLS TEAM SCORES
 
1. Seaman 3,297; 2. Emporia 2,939; 3. Bishop Carroll 2,847; 4. Eisenhower 2,810; 5. Shawnee Heights 2,794; 6. Maize South 2,679; 7. St. James Academy 2,654; 8.. Lansing 2,502; 9. Leavenworth 2,367.