Staff report

WAPAKONETA — Both Sidney High teams lost to Wapakoneta in high school bowling action Thursday.

The Sidney boys lost 2692 to 2456 to drop to 5-3 overall.

The Jackets lost despite an outstanding effort from sophomore Austin Simon. He rolled games of 256 and 269 for a 525 series.

Teammate Jamie Wallis added a 406 series on games of 186 and 220. Lucas Finke added a 194 game.

“Wapak boys came in third in the state meet last season, so we knew it was going to be a difficult match,” said Sidney coach Trent Knoop. “We couldn’t get five guys scoring well at the same time. Austin (Simon) stood out tonight with his 525 series. In both individual games I had to pull two kids for subs. Whenever you do that, you know the team as a whole is struggling. The first game we had a 160 and a 142 game mixed in. The second game wasn’t any better with a 161 and a 137 game mixed in. Spare shooting was poor again tonight, and that’s what is separating us from the best of the best. Wapak had minimal mistakes tonight, and that’s where we need to be as a program. We will keep working on it, and I think we will get there soon.”

• The Sidney girls also lost to a good Wapak squad, which shot a 2335 to Sidney’s 1900.

Wapak is the defending state girls champion.

Sidney, also 5-3 now, had a pair of 303 series to lead the team. Morgan Carey had games of 151 and 152, and Emily Reid rolled a 141 and a 162.

Heather Gold added a 183 game, Sidney’s best of the day.

“Once again tonight, the girls let their emotions get the best of them,” said Knoop. “They are too worried about being perfect, and you can’t be perfect in bowling. It’s just not possible. Once you get so good at bowling, it turns into nothing but a mental game. We have to do a better job with our mental game. We miss easy spares, bring back bad habits, and do silly stuff when we let our emotions get the best of us.”