The Manhattan High School bowling team is off to a fast start this January, proving early that they have the depth to be a problem for the rest of the Centennial League. After just two weeks of competition, the Indians aren’t just meeting expectations, they’re going right past them.

On Jan. 23, Manhattan swept the competition at the Topeka High meet. The Indians showed off the full range of their depth as all four teams — Boys Varsity, Girls Varsity, Boys Junior Varsity, and Girls J.V. — secured first place finishes. On the individual scoreboards, the top three players in the tournament all came from Manhattan for all four divisions. 

“I think together, we work as a team pretty well,” senior Alec Ogorzolka said. “Every single one of us has at least contributed to the end goal in almost every meet.”

Success has not been new for the Indians this season. They opened with a statement performance as the varsity girls, J.V. boys and J.V. girls all secured first-place finishes in their first tournament. On Jan. 15, the momentum continued into a massive 20-team field at Lawrence Free State. The girls Varsity fought for an eighth place finish and the boys Varsity took ninth.

While the team totals were solid, Ogorzolka provided the individual highlight of the early season in Lawrence, earning a fourth place individual finish out of hundreds of other bowlers.

“It was a respectable showing [in Lawrence] and we had a nice surprise with Alec taking fourth,” assistant coach Chris George said.

One of the biggest storylines for Manhattan this year is the internal competition for spots. On the boys’ side, the roster is so deep that a lot of players have been shifting from J.V. to Varsity or vice versa. Having bowlers move between the J.V. and Varsity levels has created a very competitive environment at practice, which could simulate the pressure that is put on them in games.

“On the boys side we have a lot of depth, and we’ve had a different lineup for each of the tournaments,” George said. “So there have been some on Varsity that were on J.V. the week before, and it’s always good to have that kind of competition.”

The Indians have also been leaning on a core of experienced state level talent. Sophomore Cortlynn Millington, last year’s Regional Champion and All-state selection, is already off to a fiery start just like the rest of the Manhattan squad. Millington and Ogorzolka are two of the leading bowlers on the boys’ and girls’ sides of the table.

With a mix of battle tested stars and a J.V. program that is already winning tournaments, the Indians are positioned to be a major factor as the road to the State tournament begins to creep up.

“We have some quality bowlers coming back and a lot of people that are stepping up, so we should be competitive in League,” George said.