Warren Central's Makayla Hampton is officially state-bound for bowling.
Overall, the bowling team did an amazing job this go-around. They had an exceptional regular season, with 12 wins and only 8 losses. Two of Warren Central's Warriors placed second in the top ten for their regular season point average – Hampton for the girls, with an average of 216 pins, and Bobby Stephenson for the boys, with an average of 174 pins.
The Warriors walked through the regular season, and now Hampton is running through the postseason.
According to the Indiana Bowling Centers Association, Hampton scored sixth in girls singles during sectionals with a score of 492, second in girls singles during regionals with a score of 554, and eighth in girls singles during semi-state with a score of 527.
The forward progress in her postseason is not surprising for Hampton, though. She has been bowling competitively her whole life after her family introduced her to the sport, and she said she expects nothing less from herself.
Not only is she excited for this opportunity, but her teammates and coaches are as well. Her teammate Bobby Stephenson believes that she can win the whole thing and is encouraging her to do just that.
“She is a hard-working student and person in general,” Stephenson said. “She is a great human and I don’t know anyone who deserves it more than her.”
Along with her teammates, her coaches are also very proud of what she has done this season. They have been thrilled to see how she has grown into a leader for the bowling team. But it is not only her growth as a leader that impresses them. It is her growth in every aspect of the game.
“She did a great job of helping the other kids stay positive and offered advice to help the newer bowlers improve their bowling,” head coach Paul Willis said. “Makayla has also improved in her ability to stay focused during matches and avoid letting little mistakes get in her head as well as continuing to improve her own skills which has led to consistently higher scores at matches.”
Ultimately this is the experience of a lifetime for this young student athlete, and she is going to make the most of it. She is excited to be in the position she is in and expects not only to perform well, but make good memories as well.
“These are girls that I bowl with other than just high school bowling, so it’s just bowling with my friends honestly,” Hampton said.