Vestavia Hills and Etwoah Bowlers Advance to AHSAA State Boys Finals

February 4, 2025

State Bowlers Wrap Up Day 1 Boys’ Competition

MOBILE, AL – The Vestavia Hills Rebels (30-1) and undefeated Etowah Blue Devils (18-0) delivered flawless performances on Monday, securing three wins each to remain unbeaten after Day 1 of the 2024 AHSAA State Bowling Championships at Mobile’s Bowlero Bowling Center.

Both teams advance to Tuesday’s championship matches, with Vestavia Hills competing in Class 6A/7A and Etowah in Class 1A/5A. The title matches begin at noon and will be live-streamed on the NFHS Network, produced by WOTM TV. The girls’ bowling competition continued late into Monday afternoon.

Class 6A/7A Action

The Vestavia Hills Rebels, chasing their first state title since 2019, opened the day with a dominant 208-pin win over Mortimer Jordan, posting a score of 1,522 to 1,314. However, their second-round matchup against Stanhope Elmore was a nail-biter, with the Rebels edging out a narrow 1,627 to 1,615 win in one of the day’s most thrilling contests.

In the third round of the winner’s bracket, Vestavia Hills defeated Thompson 1,547 to 1,368, advancing directly to the finals. Thompson (18-4) will face the winner of Tuesday morning’s consolation matchup between Southside (27-3) and Dothan (17-5) to earn a spot against Vestavia Hills in the finals.

Notable Highlights:

Dothan secured an opening-round victory over top-seeded Southside (North Region) by a razor-thin one-pin margin, 1,406 to 1,405, setting the stage for an exciting Tuesday rematch.

Class 1A/5A Recap

Etowah’s Blue Devils, aiming for their second straight state title following their 2023 championship win, continued their winning streak with victories over Mobile Christian, Beauregard, and Corner. Their first-round triumph over Mobile Christian came with a comfortable 216-pin margin.

A tense second-round match saw Etowah edge Beauregard by just 10 pins, 1,333 to 1,323, before finishing the day strong with a decisive 1,412 to 1,294 victory over Corner in the winner’s bracket semifinals.

Corner, the North Region’s No. 4 seed, upset South Region top seed UMS-Wright 1,514 to 1,453 in the first round and secured a 19-pin win over Elberta before falling to Etowah. On Tuesday, Elberta (18-3) and UMS-Wright (16-1) will clash in the consolation bracket at 8 a.m., with the winner advancing to face Corner at 9:30 a.m. The survivor of those matches will meet Etowah in the finals and must defeat the Blue Devils twice to claim the title.

Key Moments and Performances:

UMS-Wright stayed in the hunt after their first-round loss, earning two decisive consolation victories, including a 72-pin win over defending champions John Carroll Catholic (17-4).

Individual Standouts

Class 6A/7A:

Stanhope Elmore’s Drake Elmore rolled the top single-game traditional round with an impressive 235.
Seth Wilson (227) and Ryan Best (217) also delivered standout rounds for Stanhope Elmore. Best’s 217 was tied by Vestavia Hills’ Grant McEwen and Davidson Smith, as well as Thompson’s Josh Prioleau.

Class 1A/5A:

John Carroll’s Braden Mauro, who led the regional tournaments with a record 287 round last week, continued his brilliance with a sensational 278 on Monday.
UMS-Wright’s Pierce Guy scored 268 and 242 in his top rounds, while teammate Jackson Smith rolled a high of 233.
Etowah’s Jaxson Bush provided consistent leadership, posting a 210 top round to anchor his team.

Up Next

The championship day on Tuesday promises high-stakes action as both Vestavia Hills and Etowah gun for their respective titles. With a single loss potentially forcing additional matches in the double-elimination format, the competition remains wide open.

FULL BREAKDOWN FROM MOBILE:

CLASS 6A/7A

Boys – First-Round Results

Dothan (16-3) 1,406, Southside (25-3) 1,405
Thompson (16-4) 1,556, James Clemens (20-4) 1,451
Vestavia Hills (28-1) 1,522, Mortimer Jordan (16-6) 1,314
Stanhope Elmore (17-2) 1,573, Tuscaloosa County (27-3) 1,431

Winner’s Bracket

Semifinal Matches

Thompson (17-4) 1,507, Dothan (16-4) 1,313
Vestavia Hills (29-1) 1,627, Stanhope Elmore (17-3) 1,615

Championship Bracket – Round 3

Vestavia Hills (30-1) 1,547, Thompson (18-4) 1,368

Championship Finals

Vestavia Hills (30-1) vs. Consolation Round 4 Winner

Date/Time: Tuesday, Feb. 4, Noon

Championship Finals Game 2 (if needed)

Date/Time: Tuesday, Feb. 4, 1:30 p.m.

Consolation Bracket

First-Round Matches

Southside (26-3) 1,514, James Clemens (20-5) 1,254
Tuscaloosa County (28-3) 1,548, Mortimer Jordan (16-7) 1,355

Second-Round Matches

Southside (27-3) 1,487, Stanhope Elmore (17-4) 1,438
Dothan (17-4) 1,404, Tuscaloosa County (29-4) 1,329

Third-Round Match

Southside (27-3) vs. Dothan (17-4)

Date/Time: Tuesday, Feb. 4, 8 a.m.

Fourth-Round Match

Thompson (18-4) vs. Winner of Southside (27-3) vs. Dothan (17-4)

Date/Time: Tuesday, Feb. 4, 9:30 a.m.

(Winner advances to finals)

Individual 6A/7A Boys’ Leaders

Best Traditional Single Games

Drake Abbott, Stanhope Elmore – 235
Seth Wilson, Stanhope Elmore – 227, 215
Ryan Best, Stanhope Elmore – 217, 213
Grant McEwen, Vestavia Hills – 217
Davidson Smith, Vestavia Hills – 217
Josh Prioleau, Thompson – 217
Ayush Patel, Dothan – 215
Dustin Hoskinson, Tuscaloosa County – 214
Josh Howell, Stanhope Elmore – 212
Gavin Hendershott, Dothan – 211
Cooper Myl, Mortimer Jordan – 211
Brady Ellis, Southside – 210, 200
Dalton Suther, Southside – 210, 207
Josh Burgess, Vestavia Hills – 204
Brayden Skinner, Tuscaloosa County – 204
Xander Adelberg, Thompson – 203, 201
Trey Morgan, Southside – 203
John Howell, Stanhope Elmore – 200

CLASS 1A/5A