Theophilus’ underhanded success leads Black Hills to state bowling tournament

Only two high school sports reward a strong underhand throwing motion. Mackenzie Theophilus excels at both.

A starting pitcher and infielder for the Black Hills softball team, Theophilus hefts a much heavier ball with success during the winter.

Her 188-pin average leads the Wolves’ bowling team into this weekend’s Class 2A/1A state tournament at Narrows Plaza Bowl in University Place.

Theophilus is no stranger to state. The 5-foot-6 senior finished fourth last year, competing as an individual.

This is the first time Black Hills has reached state as a team since first-year coach Nicole Hayes played before graduating in 2012.

“Black Hills has gone as a team before, but we’ve never won,” said Hayes, who bowled for Washington State and now teaches history at Black Hills. “That’s the goal this year.”

The Wolves come in with a 14-1 dual match record, losing only to 3A power Wilson, and a third-place finish at the Southwest District tournament. Hayes says her players’ year-round commitment to the sport accounts for much of their success.

“Six of our seven bowlers who are going to state compete outside of the high school program. They’re constantly bowling in tournaments beyond the high school program,” she said. “They know how to think like bowlers, and sometimes it’s hard to coach that.”

Theophilus, in addition to playing high school and club softball, maintains a busy schedule on the lanes.

She recently finished third in the Greater Seattle Youth Masters tournament. Her season won’t end Saturday. She has three straight weekends of tournaments following the state tournament.

She started bowling to follow in her dad, Darren’s, footsteps and dived in full force after joining the team at Black Hills. Her game kicked into high gear last season, when an adjustment in her approach sparked her to a fourth-place finish at state with 1,097 pins, including a high game of 223.

“Last year, she really blossomed,” Hayes said. “She’s able to figure out her ball is reacting and make adjustments really well. When she gets lined up there’s no stopping her.”

“I focus on form a lot,” Theophilus said. “I used to throw the ball really hard, but I’ve slowed down my motion. I wasn’t hitting the pocket. I was either way right or way left. Slowing down gives my ball time to react.”

Black Hills, which has a squad of 14, has depth behind Theophilus.

Fellow senior Kenzie Nutter averages 164 while four others are above 145 — freshman Hailie Stewart (157), junior Keira Eggert (150), Kenzie Labbs (149) and junior Maranda Hall (147). Freshman Charlotte Niemann will be the Wolves’ seventh player at state.

“Keira was a foundation block at districts, filling her frames, somebody we could rely on,” Hayes said. “A lot of them have really bonded. The seniors have been through through several coaches. They try to create fun events for everybody. So, even if you’re not one of our top bowlers, you still feel really welcomed into our program.”

State presents a different challenge than the regular season, which is played in a format emphasizing matches within the overall match to score points. District and state champions are determined by total pinfall.

“The mental game is the biggest challenge at state,” Hayes said. “When things aren’t going well, people tend to over-think what’s happening. Bowling is 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical. If you start over-thinking, you can mess up your approach, start letting go of the ball all weird.”

Theophilus thinks her experience finishing high in the individual standings last year behind winner Brooklyn Boudreau of Mark Morris — a district rival who is back in 2019 — will help her. She’s thankful her team will be there as well this time.

“The atmosphere will be similar to last year, but this time I’ll be in the team section instead of the individual section,” she said. “I’ll have my team there supporting me.”

Occasionally, state-bound teams worry about different oil patterns they may face at an unfamiliar facility. Black Hills has few such worries about Narrows Plaza.

“We haven’t bowled there as a team, but the girls who bowl outside of high school have in tournaments. The owners of Tumwater Lanes and Narrows Plaza are close, they talk and often have the same oil patterns,” Hayes said.

Theophilus, who plans to bowl next season for Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, takes it a step further.

“Narrows Plaza is my favorite bowling alley outside of Tumwater Lanes,” she said. “The next three weekends after state, all my tournaments are there. It’s really similar to Tumwater Lanes, it’s just bigger.”

This story was originally published January 30, 2019 at 4:49 PM.