The Collinsville High School boys bowling team waited until the final three frames of the final game to snag their first lead of the of the Regionals Saturday, Jan. 18.

Image by Roger Starkey

The Kahoks went on to win, beating two Southwestern Conference rivals, and advancing to the Sectionals Saturday at Bel-Air Bowl in Belleville. Granite City surged to a second-place finish and Alton, ranked 13th in the state, finished third.

Collinsville has had trouble starting well throughout the season, Head Coach Sean Hay said. His team was in third place after the first game, before making their run to victory.

Triad finished fourth, to secure a spot in the Sectionals with Collinsville, Granite City and Alton as the top four qualifiers from the regional.

Justin Vishy paced the Kahoks with a 1280 series, good for third place. Freshman Clay Hartman rolled a 1267 series to place fourth.

The state championship will be held in O’Fallon on Super Bowl weekend. Collinsville qualified for the state tournament in the 2007-2008 season, finishing fourth.