Lower Great Lakes brings home U12 title at 2025 USA Bowling National Championships
July 16, 2025
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The team representing the Lower Great Lakes region earned the title in the 12-and-under division at the 2025 USA Bowling National Championships. The best-of-five match finals were taped in an arena setting on specially installed lanes at the Resch Center and aired on CBS Sports Network Tuesday night.
BowlTV provided live coverage of the qualifying and match play rounds leading up to the finals. For the second consecutive year, scholarship money was made available with more than $120,000 awarded in the U12 and U15 division of this year’s event.
Bowling out of the Lower Great Lakes region in U12, the team named Dem Midwest Boyz defeated the Atlantic East region’s Lane Damage team, 3-1.
The championship round featured a four-person Baker format with the lead-off bowler bowling the first, fifth and ninth frames, the second bowler bowling the second, sixth and 10th frames, the third bowler bowling frames three and seven, and the fourth bowler bowling frames four and eight.
Bowling for the Lower Great Lakes region’s Dem Midwest Boyz in the U12 finals were Caleb Boykin, Aaron “Bam Bam” Cabiness, Nehemiah Keefer, Emmett Larson and Asa Wilson-Perry. In charge of the team was head coach Anton Collins.
Comprising the Atlantic East region’s Lane Damage team were head coach Douglas Ausderau and team members Noah Ausderau, Ellie Kate Murray (the lone female in the U12 and U15 finals), Chase Rudy and Bauer Wokasch.
Atlantic East got off to a good start in the match by taking Game 1, 213-183. Atlantic East managed to put together a clean game, while Lower Great Lakes suffered an open frame in the fourth and never had consecutive strikes.
Fortunes began to change for Lower Great Lakes in Game 2. After an open frame in the first, they stayed clean the rest of the way, including three consecutive strikes in Frames 5-7, for a 204 game. That was enough to collect the win as Atlantic East had five open frames and struggled to a 124 result.
Things didn’t improve much for Atlantic East in Game 3 as five more open frames led to a 141 game. Lower Great Lakes overcame open frames in the second and third frames by throwing strikes in Frames 4 and 5. Four consecutive strikes beginning in Frame 8 put the game away as Lower Great Lakes ended with 206, leaving them one win away from a national championship.
Lower Great Lakes put things to rest with an impressive performance in Game 4. They started with four consecutive strikes, converted a pair of single-pin spares in Frames 5 and 6, then finished with six more strikes for 268, while Atlantic East finished with a 154 game.
Despite not being able to come away with the victory, Atlantic East had plenty to be proud of.
“For this team to go on the run that it did just based on the character of the individuals involved was amazing,” said coach Ausderau. “This is the first year that we’ve participated in this event and it’s been a tremendous experience. We absolutely earned our chance to be here today, and I think our kids feel pretty proud of themselves.”
For Lower Great Lakes, it was an outstanding team effort, with all five players contributing to the team’s strong finish.
“We were a little nervous that first game, but we shook it off,” said coach Collins. “We got into Game 2 and then we just took off.”
The team was probably justified for being a little nervous bowling under the TV lights and in an arena setting – a fairly dauting experience for a team of 12-and-under bowlers.
“It was really nerve-wracking at the start,” said Larson. “But as we went on, we got more used to it. We forgot about the nerves, and we locked in and did really good.”
According to Keefer, the chemistry of the team was a key part of their victory.
“The guys that I bowl with are very good,” he said. “Every time that I mess up, they always cheer for me. When we strike, we hype each other up. It’s my first time being with these guys and winning with them feels really good.”
Coach Collins summed the entire experience up by saying, “No matter where these kids go, no matter how far they go, whether it’s with school or a job or with bowling, they will always be national champions. That can never be taken away from them.”
The finals of the U15 division will be televised by CBS Sports Network on Tuesday, July 22, at 7 p.m. Eastern.
The 2025 USA Bowling National Championships featured 15 regions that competed in U12 and 16 in U15 with qualifying and match play taking place at Revs Bowl Bar and Grill in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, before the TV finals were moved to the Resch Cemter. Each team that competed in this year’s event earned their spot by winning their regional event.
To learn more about the USA Bowling National Championships, visit BOWL.com/youth/usa-bowling.
BowlTV provided live coverage of the qualifying and match play rounds leading up to the finals. For the second consecutive year, scholarship money was made available with more than $120,000 awarded in the U12 and U15 division of this year’s event.
Bowling out of the Lower Great Lakes region in U12, the team named Dem Midwest Boyz defeated the Atlantic East region’s Lane Damage team, 3-1.
The championship round featured a four-person Baker format with the lead-off bowler bowling the first, fifth and ninth frames, the second bowler bowling the second, sixth and 10th frames, the third bowler bowling frames three and seven, and the fourth bowler bowling frames four and eight.
Bowling for the Lower Great Lakes region’s Dem Midwest Boyz in the U12 finals were Caleb Boykin, Aaron “Bam Bam” Cabiness, Nehemiah Keefer, Emmett Larson and Asa Wilson-Perry. In charge of the team was head coach Anton Collins.
Comprising the Atlantic East region’s Lane Damage team were head coach Douglas Ausderau and team members Noah Ausderau, Ellie Kate Murray (the lone female in the U12 and U15 finals), Chase Rudy and Bauer Wokasch.
Atlantic East got off to a good start in the match by taking Game 1, 213-183. Atlantic East managed to put together a clean game, while Lower Great Lakes suffered an open frame in the fourth and never had consecutive strikes.
Fortunes began to change for Lower Great Lakes in Game 2. After an open frame in the first, they stayed clean the rest of the way, including three consecutive strikes in Frames 5-7, for a 204 game. That was enough to collect the win as Atlantic East had five open frames and struggled to a 124 result.
Things didn’t improve much for Atlantic East in Game 3 as five more open frames led to a 141 game. Lower Great Lakes overcame open frames in the second and third frames by throwing strikes in Frames 4 and 5. Four consecutive strikes beginning in Frame 8 put the game away as Lower Great Lakes ended with 206, leaving them one win away from a national championship.
Lower Great Lakes put things to rest with an impressive performance in Game 4. They started with four consecutive strikes, converted a pair of single-pin spares in Frames 5 and 6, then finished with six more strikes for 268, while Atlantic East finished with a 154 game.
Despite not being able to come away with the victory, Atlantic East had plenty to be proud of.
“For this team to go on the run that it did just based on the character of the individuals involved was amazing,” said coach Ausderau. “This is the first year that we’ve participated in this event and it’s been a tremendous experience. We absolutely earned our chance to be here today, and I think our kids feel pretty proud of themselves.”
For Lower Great Lakes, it was an outstanding team effort, with all five players contributing to the team’s strong finish.
“We were a little nervous that first game, but we shook it off,” said coach Collins. “We got into Game 2 and then we just took off.”
The team was probably justified for being a little nervous bowling under the TV lights and in an arena setting – a fairly dauting experience for a team of 12-and-under bowlers.
“It was really nerve-wracking at the start,” said Larson. “But as we went on, we got more used to it. We forgot about the nerves, and we locked in and did really good.”
According to Keefer, the chemistry of the team was a key part of their victory.
“The guys that I bowl with are very good,” he said. “Every time that I mess up, they always cheer for me. When we strike, we hype each other up. It’s my first time being with these guys and winning with them feels really good.”
Coach Collins summed the entire experience up by saying, “No matter where these kids go, no matter how far they go, whether it’s with school or a job or with bowling, they will always be national champions. That can never be taken away from them.”
The finals of the U15 division will be televised by CBS Sports Network on Tuesday, July 22, at 7 p.m. Eastern.
The 2025 USA Bowling National Championships featured 15 regions that competed in U12 and 16 in U15 with qualifying and match play taking place at Revs Bowl Bar and Grill in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, before the TV finals were moved to the Resch Cemter. Each team that competed in this year’s event earned their spot by winning their regional event.
To learn more about the USA Bowling National Championships, visit BOWL.com/youth/usa-bowling.