Bowling: Brother Martin, Dutchtown claim state titles

GONZALES – Two streaks of dominance culminated in state titles Thursday at Premier Lanes Entertainment Center.
For the Dutchtown girls, it was a season-long run that ended with a 23-4 victory over Denham Springs, the Griffins’ first title in school history.

For the Brother Martin boys, their decade-long run produced an unprecedented fifth consecutive title and a record seventh overall, with a 20-7 victory over H.L. Bourgeois in the final.

Both finals were broadcast live by Crescent City Sports.

Seniors Ashtyn Yoches of Dutchtown and Ashton Catalinotto of Brother Martin were named outstanding bowler in their respective championships.

Yoches, a Nebraska signee, had a 659 series in the semifinals and a 568 in the final, while Catalinotto had a semifinal 625 series, including a 264 final game, and a team-high 640 in the title match.

In the girls title match, the top-seeded Griffins (16-0) led 7-1 after one game and 13-3 after two, but the match was much tighter than the score indicated. Dutchtown led by 44 pins after the first game and 96 pins after the second.
Gracie Dawson led Denham Springs, the 2022 champion, with a 606 series.

No. 2 seed Brother Martin (16-1) jumped out quickly in the boys championship match against H.L. Bourgeois, taking a 7-1 lead and a 179-pin edge after the opening game.

The Braves threatened to put a dent in the lead in game two, but the Crusaders rallied late to forge a 4-4 tie in points in the second game.

Jacob Vangilder had a 637 series and Kade Chatelain a 619 to back up Catalinotto’s performance.

Brother Martin reached the final after dispatching of previously unbeaten East Ascension 21-6.

Beau Bufkin’s opening-game 258 lifted the Crusaders to a 6-2 lead that became 12-4 after two games. Bufkin had a team-best 635 series, followed by Chatelain’s 627 and Catalinotto’s 625.

H.L. Bourgeois took out its third top-five seed in the playoffs as it avenged an earlier loss to top-seeded Central Lafourche with a 17-10 semifinal victory. The Braves defeated No. 4 seed Hammond and fifth-seeded Archbishop Shaw in the early rounds last week.

Dutchtown reached the final after a 21-6 semifinal victory over the lone New Orleans-area entry in the girls semifinals, Archbishop Chapelle, while Denham Springs defeated H.L. Bourgeois 22-5 in the other semifinal.

The fifth-seeded Chipmunks (14-2), whose only two losses of the season were to Dutchtown, shot 3,039 in the semis, but simply couldn’t match Dutchtown’s depth, which produced a state record 2,253 series for the first two games and a 3,349 overall series.

Chapelle got a 640 series and two points from Olivia Bares and a 608 set from Elizabeth Hamilton.

Chapelle took 16 points off Dutchtown in the two matches, five fewer than the other 14 opponents combined (21).
The good news for the Chipmunks? The entire roster returns.

Brother Martin will have to replace three seniors – Catalinotto, Chatelain and Jack Nunes – as it chases a sixth straight title in 2024.

The state champions will be well represented in Friday’s singles event at All Star Lanes in Baton Rouge. Dutchtown has a record 10 bowlers competing, while Brother Martin has three. CCS will live stream the modified stepladder beginning at 1:20 p.m.