Bowling teams merge in anticipation of the upcoming season.
“There’s a lot of strong bowlers from Utica, so I think we’re going to make a great team,” senior girls varsity bowler Sofia Matheson said.
Eisenhower and Utica High School merged their bowling teams in preparation for the 2024-2025 season. The merger was caused by dwindling numbers in Utica’s bowling program, and the departure of Eisenhower coaches Craig and Lisa Matheson. After the Mathesons’ departure, John Mazza and Taran Heersma stepped in to replace the duo.
“The camaraderie is different, and [I’m] learning a lot from the kids from Utica,” senior boys varsity bowler Dylan Harnden said. “I think it’s going to help improve us a lot.”
The merger was partially made possible by Utica’s recent promotion to MAC-Red status. High school bowling teams are divided into six ranks: MAC-Red, White, Blue, Gold, Silver and Bronze. Teams are only allowed to merge if they both occupy the same ranking.
“I’m excited to work with the other girls and see what we can do,” Matheson said.
After the departure of their previous coaches, the team is now led by former professional bowler and Utica coach John Mazza. Mazza was a member of the Professional Bowlers Association and collected numerous titles from the PBA Tour and the PBA Regional Tour. This year marks his ninth year of coaching.
“Coach [Mark] Harden has been coaching this team for a while, and there’s no need to shuffle that, and he’s done a great job, and so has Taran Heersma from the Utica side. So when we put this together, it made perfect sense to have them keep doing what they’re doing, and they asked me to kind of help out and oversee wherever I could,” Mazza said.
The merger was executed to promote longevity within both school’s bowling programs, due to dwindling numbers on both sides. Coach Harden is continuing to coach the varsity boys team and Taran Heersma has taken over coaching the varsity girls team. John Mazza acts as program director.
“We’ve got a great coaching staff. So it’s about this thing here is, I guess, if you use one word, it’s about community. This is about community,” Mazza said. “It’s where you’ve got, you know, people from Utica and people from Ike, and we’re coming together as a community, trying to make this thing strong.”
