At the start of the girls bowling season, the Morris Redskins are still looking to find their way. As the lanes get oiled up and the balls start rolling, veteran bowling coach Harry Banks says that fans of his team are going to need to be patient at the onset.
"I think we're going to have a team that is better at the end of the year than it is now," Morris veteran coach Harry Banks said. "We have five or six girls who are bowling very good. If I can get the girls to improve at the rate they are now, then by the end of the year we should have a pretty good team."
Spearheading the attack this year for Morris should be junior Savannah Strange and sophomore Taylor Warwick.
I'd like to see them improve from last year," Banks said. "Both are young but had good seasons last year. They are going to have to anchor the team."
"Coach is always trying to make us better and to improve," Strange said. "He takes it step by step and works with us and then while we improve, he puts all the steps together."
One of the things often associated with being a returning starter is being a leader at the same time — something Strange and Warwick are figuring out on the fly.
"I'm still learning how to be a leader. The biggest thing is that for me not to get down on myself and learn to keep my spirits up," Warwick said. " Savannah, myself and Brea know we have to step up this year with last year's seniors gone."
The other players on the varsity this year are expected to be Alexis Meadors (Fr.), Jerika Kiss (Sr.), Skylar Eason (Jr), Jessica Winter (So.), Imelda Garcia (Jr.) and Amber Benson (Jr.).
"We have eight girls on the varsity. We have those two (Warwick and Strange) and the rest we are going to have to flip-flop the rest based on who is bowling the best. Hopefully after the first month, we'll know where we are at," Banks said.
As far as the Northern Illinois Big 12 Conference is concerned, Banks says that Sterling is at the top.
'Sterling has a pretty good team. They have a lot of girls out and the coach is good there," he said. "L-P may also be pretty strong, too. I know they have a state qualifier coming back and she had a pretty good season last year."
"There is one team on the schedule this year that stands out," Warwick said. "I'm not afraid of them, but Sterling will be one of our biggest competitions in the conference."
Those on the team rounding out the JV positions include: Ann Marie Hayes, Madison Colasanti, Ally Jones, Erin Clauson, Amber Wise, Megan Klemple, Hayleigh Knot and Essence Budach,
"It's going to take time for the new girls on the team to get to know each other," Strange said. "We're not used to bowling with each other yet. But probably after our second match, we'll be fine."
