The Bowling Team  Keeps it Straight Down the Lane

Interview with Coach Jay McCulley

How many years have you coached at Nolensville High? 

I have coached at Nolensville for three years, and I also coached the bowling team at Sunset Middle School for four years.

What are your expectations of the 2024 Team? 

Aside from making it to the TSSAA State Tournament, I would love for them to continue to be ambassadors for the bowling team at Nolensville. We have returned several members from last year’s team, and due to some heavy recruiting by the current bowlers, we have added several new members to the squad from all grade levels. I expect them to grow as bowlers and continue to contribute to our overall goal of team improvement. With the end goal being becoming a better bowler than when they joined the team.

Who are your key Seniors? 

This year we have five seniors: Eli Phillips, Gabe Rossi,

Blake Barksdale, Jake Hobby, and Emma Ignatin.

Top players to watch? 

Although we have bowlers with varying abilities and averages, we have worked really hard to establish a community where everyone feels like they have a role. Each match has several elements that require a good game by more than just one player. We have had several players that have grown over the past three years and are contributing to this year’s success.

Any new players that will make an impact this year? 

This year has been fun because with a growing program like ours, we have had new players join at every grade level. Each of these players have come into a match and helped lead us to victory.

What should fans know about this year’s team? 

This team is very deep and eager to contribute. They are off to a great start, and the culture of community is evident. In any match, while very competitive, there is a lot of laughter and cheering each other on. 

The team is positioning themselves to make a deep run in the TSSAA Tournament. They are currently tied for first place in the district. The schools in our district (District 11) this year are: Blackman, Oakland, Page, Riverdale, Rockvale, Siegel, and Stewart’s Creek.

Also anything else you want to say about this year’s team? 

The Nolensville Bowling team is a fun one to watch. If you have never been to TSSAA bowling match, you should come out at see us. We have a match each Tuesday at Smyrna Bowling Center. We do not have a match the first week on November but do have a match each week after that through the month. 

There are 27 possible points in each match. Each match consists of two 10- atch gets a point for the team. The 10-pin match total team pinfall is also scored and the team with the highest pinfall is awarded two bonus points. After the 10-pin matches, the team plays two Baker matched where 5 bowlers from each team bowl two frames to make one complete game. 

The winning team in each Baker match gets three points plus two bonus points for highest total pinfall in the Baker matches. Plus three more bonus points for total pinfall in the match.