Butler’s boys bowling team placed sixth out of 54 teams at the recent U.S. High School Bowling National Championship in Beavercreek, Ohio. Team members are, from left, Joe Panian, Luke Keene, Eric DeVore, Alex Ekas, Rocco Rice and Zachary Kniess. Submitted Photo

BUTLER TWP — Finishing second at the Pennsylvania high school state championships wasn’t good enough for this group of bowlers.

Butler’s boys wanted more.

“We wanted to take one more shot at it,” Eric DeVore said.

DeVore, Alex Ekas, Zach Kniess, Luke Keene, Joe Panian and Rocco Rice all graduated from Butler this year. The Golden Tornado lost in the finals of the high school state tournament in Erie, the match coming down to the final frame.

“That didn’t sit well with us,” DeVore said. “We didn’t want to go out that way. We didn’t want to be done bowling together, either.”

Any team that qualifies for its respective state tournament is eligible to enter the United States High School Bowling National Championship, an event that’s existed since 2016. This year’s tourney was held recently at Beaver-Vu Bowl in Beavercreek, Ohio, a suburb of Dayton.