“I expected to have a good year, but I didn’t expect to be undefeated at this point in the season,” Cougars coach Kevin Duncan said. “But it’s a great position to be in.”
After winning the Division II state title in 2024, the Kenton Ridge girls bowed out of the post-season in the district tournament last season. With four seniors on the squad, a return to the state tournament is definitely the goal.
“You can tell by the work they are putting in, they want this,” Duncan said.
The Cougars set the tone with a win over Bellefontaine in early December.
“The Bellefontaine girls have been the ones to beat in the conference in recent years,” Duncan said.
Kenton Ridge leads the Central Buckeye Conference with an 857 team average with Bellefontaine close behind with 842. The Chieftains Gracie Hood leads the conference individually with a 221 average while Cougars junior Addie Duncan is second with 200.9.
While personal accolades are appreciated, team success is the priority.
“The years of being together and working as a team are paying off,” Duncan said. “These girls grew up together and they are friends on and off the lanes.”
The girls team, however, is not the only Kenton Ridge squad that is off to a perfect start as the boys have also opened the season 9-0. The Cougars Cooper Stacy and Kebeck Wells lead the CBC individual standings with a 226.5 and 219.9 average, respectively.
“A lot of these guys work really hard on their game, and they are all really competitive,” Duncan said.
Both squads will kick off the new year with a battle for countywide bragging rights at the Clark County High School Tournament on Jan. 2 before returning to conference play.
In the meantime, Duncan and his bowlers are enjoying their early-season success.
“You always want to be on the winning side, but you never expect to be undefeated,” Duncan said. “I’m definitely very proud of all of these kids and their hard work.”
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