The Knoxville bowling teams had a strong showing, while Pella Christian struggled in the first varsity meet of the year this past Saturday at Fairlane Bowl in the Knoxville Invitational. There were a total of five Little Hawkeye Conference teams in action, including Newton, Norwalk, and Oskaloosa. For Knoxville, the boys finished third with a team total of 2,458; the girls were second only to Newton with a total of 2,277. Pella Christian placed last on both sides, and Eagles head coach, Rod Blunck, said that it was a good learning experience for all of his varsity bowlers. Sam Piagantini of Knoxville finished third individually overall with a two-game score of 365, while Mackenzie McCarty was second on the girls’ side with a total of 379 and missing first place by just three pins to Madison Humphry of Newton. Next up for Pella Christian is a trip to Oskaloosa on Saturday.