The top 10 best sports stories from the 2021-22 academic year continues today with number nine on our list for area schools of Columbus Community, Highland, Lone Tree, Winfield-Mt. Union, WACO, Sigourney, and Keota. The ninth best story from the year takes us to the bowling lanes at Sigourney-Keota when one competitor raised the standard for the program. 

Being the top Cobra bowler all year long, sophomore Brock Alderson saved his best for the right time when he became the second bowler in school history to advance to state after winning a class 1A state qualifier in Muscatine on February 15th. The magical run did not stop there, as he took home some serious hardware by placing runner-up the next week at Maple Lanes Bowling Center in Waterloo for the state competition. The initial three game series saw Alderson tally a 753 that advanced him to the final eight. Each of the eight qualifiers would dual one opponent for a single game with the winner advancing. Alderson defeated seven seeded Cael Bohlen of Charles City in the quarterfinals by a final pin count of 247 to 189. The semifinals could not have been any closer with the sophomore edging three-seeded St. Albert’s Hadyn Piskorski by the slightest of margins 258 to 257. That set up the championship bout with four seeded St. Albert’s Adam Denny where Alderson fell 270-181. The runner-up state finish is the highest ever by a Cobra. 

Our top 10 countdown continues tomorrow with number eight on our list.