Staff photo / Brian Yauger Boardman’s Alexus Petrich rolls during the Division I district meet last month at Freeway Lanes in Warren. Petrich and her teammates will compete in the state meet on Friday in Columbus.

After pushing through a chaotic regular season, the Boardman girls bowling team is right back to where it wanted to be, as the team sets up to compete in its second straight Division I state tournament.

Boardman returns its entire lineup from last season’s team, which Spartans coach Justine Cullen thinks will provide an advantage. With all five bowlers returning, nerves won’t play as much of a factor this time around.

“I think that’s really gonna set us apart,” Cullen said about the team’s experience. “Like a lot of the teams seem to be, I don’t remember them all being there last year, there’s like some kind of new blood in there.

“So I think that is definitely what’s going to give us the edge a little bit. We’re used to that environment and feeling that pressure a little bit more, and that means we can make a shot when it matters.”

Boardman was led in the district round by Josalyn Hibbard who bowled a 584. Lexus Petrich bowled one of her weakest matches this season with a 518, but Cullen said that’s only lit a fire under the senior as they head into the state round.

“Nothing fuels these girls more than having bad sets like that,” Cullen said. “Especially my senior. My senior is trying to bowl in college, and she’s talented enough to do so. She’s really been shooting really good all year. That’s probably one of her worst sets on the year, so that’s going to fuel her big time.”

Junior Grace Oklota followed Hibbard close behind with a 570 and Fatima Rehman bowled a 533.

Now that the team is headed back to Columbus, there’s a different mentality. While last season the Spartans were just happy to be there, this time around the team is on a mission

“I think last year when we qualified, we were excited and we were happy to be there,” Cullen said. “Not that we didn’t think that we could do well and potentially win, but I think it was just more like that first time excitement of being there. This year, the mentality has shifted to more so ‘We’re not only here, we really believe that we could win this thing.’

“I think that’s going to play a much more important role. Not that we didn’t believe last year, but this is just different. Like, this is real. We belong here, we’re supposed to be here. Let’s go out there and get this done kind of thing.”

The Boardman girls hit the lanes for the championship qualifying round Friday at 10:45 a.m. at Wayne Webb’s Columbus Bowl. With the talent they have, Cullen thinks this team has the potential to bring home a trophy for the first time since the 2010 Spartans team.

“I really think this group can do exactly what they did,” she said. “I fully believe that we have a chance to win the whole thing. We’ve just got to go out there and make shots. No matter what happens, though, it has been the most successful season of my coaching career. I have nothing but pride and joy for them.”