A ustin Emery had an in- ternal debate that lasted all of five seconds. Should he say it? Should he not? It didn’t take him long to make the decision. The Gilbert boys’ bowling head coach decided to go for it. “It’s state or bust this year,” Emery said. “There’s no doubt about it with these kids. If we lose a meet this (regular season) or don’t make it to state, the kids will be disappointed.” Those are some lofty expecta- tions to live up to for any program, and yet with the experience and talent the Tigers return, Emery doesn’t shy away from them. Gilbert is good. It was good last year — hello 9-0 dual-meet record and Two Rivers Conference tour- nament champions — and with the entire puzzle returning intact, it’s safe to say the 2023-24 cam- paign should be equally successful. “The kids keep saying we’re not going to just make it to state, we’re
going to win state, so I love their attitudes,” Emery said. “Jackson (Johnson) just keeps saying we’re going to win state and I hope we do.” The bitter taste from the end of the 2022-23 season still lingers too. Gilbert arguably had one of the most talented teams in the state a season ago, yet the Tigers were shipped to Council Bluffs for districts with St. Albert and only the team champion advanced to state. It was St. Albert on that day, which went on to place third at state. “I feel like that’s only going to make us stronger this year,” Emery said. “We’re focused on our goals.” So who makes up those pieces that has Emery so excited about the next few months? Start with Johnson and Chase Klatt, two vet- erans who have both qualified for state as individuals. Johnson punched his ticket during the 2021-22 season, while Klatt earned his bid last winter.
well working. It’s great to see them doing it, and they know it’s their last year at it.” The intrasquad competition can be exhausting though, Emery ad- mits. Not only do his players want to topple the opposition, they also want to beat each other. Can prac- tices get heated sometimes? They sure can. Yet that competitive spirit is what drives the Tigers when it comes time for meet situ- ations. “I’ve coached a lot of sports and this is the most intense that I’ve seen,” Emery said. “I think it’s great for meets, but it can be ter- rible for practice. These kids kind of push it sometimes, but when it’s baker time, it’s 100 percent team time.”
Coal Myers (191.46 average in 2022-23), Nash Hanson (171.13) and Luke Jorgensen (154.50) are all back too. And it was Myers who was the team leader with a 215 average in the Tigers’ season- opening win over Knoxville last week. “These kids have grown so much, and they should all increase their averages by about five to 10 pins this year,” Emery said. “Their men- Emery credits the work all of his players put in during the offseason as a key to the surge he expects to see. “Chase worked all summer and is constantly working on his game,” Emery said. “Cole does a lot of tournaments in the offseason, and Jackson and Toby were in here as tal state of mind has gotten stronger and that’s huge.”
Next comes Toby Ruba, who posted a team-best 201.75 aver- age a season ago. His magical season in- cluded a perfect 300 game at the confer- ence tournament. Don’t forget about Cole Pflughaupt, who has qualified for nu- merous national tour- naments and posted a 196.13 average a sea- son ago, third on the team behind Ruba and Johnson (198.79).
WANT MORE INFORMATION ON GILBERT BOYS BOWLING? Use the QR Code to go to the team site on Bound. Results will be updated throughout the season.
Emery and girls’ head coach
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