Decorah Girls Stay Unbeaten, Boys Cruise Past Oelwein at Viper Lanes

Our Driftless region deserves more than postcards — it deserves a watchdog. Be that support. OELWEIN, Iowa — The Decorah bowling teams swept away Oelwein on Friday, Jan. 9, at Viper Lanes, continuing a perfect start to the season. The Decorah girls improved to 8-0 with a 2,675–1,633 win over Oelwein. However, the night was not without a few hiccups. Bowling on challenging lanes, the Vikings relied on this season's worth of experience to pull away. "It's a tough place to bowl," Coach Bruening said. "The lanes were a challenge, and oil patterns change all over the place. Some of the girls struggled tonight, but we'll get back to work and figure it out." Senior Karlie Einck led the way with games of 215 and 230, while senior Marri Feuerhelm added 207 and 214. Junior Kayley Baker also contributed with 197 and 154. Decorah's Baker lineup rolled games of 174, 166, 178, 146 and 140 to secure the win. "With all of our success this year, we still haven't bowled a complete day," Coach Bruening said. "We want to peak at districts." The girls JV team was led by Ashley Dawley, Harlie Larson and Taylor Sloan-Dahl. JV will travel Tuesday to compete in the Waterloo West Baker Tournament. The Decorah boys moved to 6-0 with a 2,996–2,918 victory over Oelwein, building a sizable advantage during the individual round before closing strong in Baker play. Senior Van Steine paced the Vikings with a meet-high 262 in Game 1 and a 192 in Game 2. Senior Tyler Novak followed with 211 and 225, while senior Jace Buddenberg rolled 173 and 224. Additional scoring came from Cain Monreal-Rice (211, 183), Gavin Luzum (206, 149) and Alexander Maki (180, 178). In Baker games, Decorah stayed consistent with scores of 179, 166, 199, 192 and 221 to hold off Oelwein. The boys JV team also earned a win, defeating Oelwein 2,782–1,973. Dak Sabin led JV with a 376 series, followed by Dominic Christopher at 369, while Chase Vick delivered a strong Baker performance. Decorah returns to action next Friday night on the road against the Waukon Indians. Your weekly dose of local life! Subscribe to the free newsletter and enjoy news, analysis, and stories you'll actually look forward to reading.