BEAVER TOWNSHIP – The Curbstone Coaches used Monday’s weekly meeting to honor the area’s recent OHSAA winter state champions.

Three individual titlists and one team that reigned supreme were honored at Avion Banquet Center, including the Boardman Spartans’ Division I girls bowling team, along with individual titlists Kaitlyn Greenaway of Boardman High, Makyah Newlin, girls wrestling champion from East Liverpool High School and United Local bowler Ethan Hively, who captured the Division II bowling title.

In addition to Greenaway, a junior, other members of the Spartans’ bowling squad include senior Audrey Anderson, juniors Marissa Funk, Gabby Vennetti, Emily Leonard and Lilly Haase, and sophomore Jasmine Kortes.

The title was Boardman’s second state championship and first since 2012, defeating Troy, 3-1 (184-158-171-179 to 142-144-203-168) in the championship match.

It was the sixth consecutive trip to state for the Spartans and head coach Justine Cullen, who just completed her 10th year at the helm and 12th overall with the program.

“This was such a special team, just the way they gelled and the chemistry they developed over the course of the season,” Cullen said. “Three teams advanced from sectionals and we were second, the top six teams at district moved on and we were the sixth and final team.

“We knew that we needed to play better if we expected to win it all so we went to state with a ‘we can win’ mindset and it really paid off. Once we practiced on their oil pattern, we felt that it played to our strength. Picking up our spares was the key.”

Greenaway (653, 218-190-245) finished sixth overall as a freshman in 2022, placed fourth last season and won her individual title – it was the second individual title in program history and first since Julie Neiman won her championship in 2003 – by a pin over Wilmington’s Kylie Fisher, who shot 652 (215-193-244).

“It was definitely something special to win it all as a team and to be overall champion as well,” Greenaway added. “We are all best friends and like a family, but this was something we all worked tirelessly toward. I knew that I had to pick up my spares but the key was not having any opens in any of my games.”

United Local senior Ethan Hively captured the Division II individual bowling championship by 24 pins (726, 244-239-243) over Coldwater junior Caleb Wendel (702, 262-192-248), never throwing less than eight strikes in any of his three games.

It was the first state bowling title for Columbiana County

“When I first started to bowl as a freshman, I watched my teammates and took good notes,” said Hively, who will attend Akron in the fall, study computer engineering and become a member of the Zips’ bowling team. “I switched from the one-handed to two-handed approach because it fit my style better, but never envisioned becoming a state champion. This was for my school and all of Columbiana County.”

Hively’s coach, Gary Herold, has served as the team’s head coach the last five years and has been with the program all six varsity seasons.

“Ethan is coachable, a student-athlete who takes constructive criticism quite well,” Herold noted. “When he first started, he could barely bowl 100 but he worked hard and had huge growth so this state championship was not by accident.”

East Liverpool senior Makyah Newlun went 27-1 this past season, authoring a perfect 4-0 at state – it was her fourth straight trip to the post-season and second consecutive to state with girl’s wrestling sanctioned as a sport by the OHSAA – to capture the 155-pound championship.

An all-around athlete who is also a powerlifter and national record holder in the bench, deadlift and squat, Newlun became the Potters’ first individual state champion since Lindsay Baker won the Division II shot put event in 2017.

Her coach all four years was Jeremy Shaw.

“I learned my mindset from coach Shaw,” Newlun said. “He taught me to always focus on the goal and persevere. Winning the title was incredibly special to me because I know how hard I worked and how the younger girls look up to me.”

Newlun won her first match by takedown to a pin and her final three matches by pin.

Next week, Nate Miklos, YSU women’s golf coach, will serve as guest speaker.

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