Five meets into the season, the Norwalk bowling teams have combined to win half of their duals, and have high hopes for even more success in January and February.

Two of the highlights so far have come from sophomores Julia Palen and Andrew Winfrey. Palen has a 200 game to her credit while Winfrey’s 278 rolled December 3 is the highest single-game score in school history.

The Warrior girls bowlers entered Christmas break with a 3-2 overall record and a 1-2 mark in the Little Hawkeye Conference, capped by a win over Pella on December 17. They have steadily increased their team scores in four home meets at Air Lanes Bowling Center in Des Moines, posting a 2,049 in their last meet.

Palen leads the girls with a 147 average in meets and a high two-game series of 337. Another sophomore, Elivia Stout, has a game average of 134.5. With four sophomores and two seniors on the girls varsity squad, Coach Russell Greenwood says that the main goal for the season is consistent and steady improvement from meet to meet and practice to practice.

“One of the goals that I set for the team early on is to be competitive in every meet that we have, [and] not give up in any meet,” Greenwood said.

The Norwalk boys are a veteran team with six seniors, one sophomore and a freshmen having competed at the varsity level so far. The Warriors are 2-3 overall and 0-3 in conference duals, but have eclipsed 2,500 total pins in all but one meet, including a high of 2,819 at Oskaloosa.

Winfrey leads the team with a 192.6 average, his high game of 278 and a high two-game series of 459. Seniors Jaxson Swift, Emerson Fels and Michael Wetzel are also posting consistent scores and Swift has a 253 to his credit. Coach Greenwood says that depth is a team strength of the boys as five different bowlers have rolled at least one 200 game this season.

“We’ve got a good group where we can pretty much put anybody in at the varsity level, so we can rotate in really well,” said Greenwood, adding that both Norwalk teams have a chance to be very good by the time state qualifying meets are held in mid-February.

The Norwalk bowlers return to competition on Tuesday, January 3 at Pleasant Hill’s Great Escape, taking on Bondurant-Farrar.