Harlem bowling returns home following National Championship victories

MACHESNEY PARK, Ill. (WIFR) - Harlem bowling made their triumphant return back to Machesney Park via police escort Tuesday after claiming both the boys and girls team titles at the USHSBF Nationals over the weekend. Harlem becomes the first school to win both titles in the same year

The two titles come after a pair of runner-up team finishes at state for both teams this past season.

“Even though that we’ve been to state and we came in second I think that Nationals is totally way better than state, I mean it’s nationals, you get to travel and be with your team and just enjoy your family that you have that’s basically your second family,” Harlem girls bowler Paige Carpenter said.

Both teams had to make comebacks in the competition in order to win their respective titles.

“We started in tenth place, we were out of the tournament,” Harlem boys bowler Jermarrion Simmons said, “but a small group talk and some fired up guys I mean we made the comeback, we knew that we could still win this thing and we weren’t out of it yet and that if we just stuck to the gameplan and executed shots and just making the best shots that we could and control what we can, we’d win, and that’s what we did.”

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