The leader of the Adel-DeSoto-Minburn Boys Bowling Team expresses his feelings on how the sport is continuing to excel at the high school level.

The sport of bowling became sanctioned back in 2006 for the girls and 2009 for the boys in the state of Iowa. ADM High School had a long-standing partnership with the Waukee School District to collaborate for the sport until the 2024-25 season, when the Tigers acquired enough players to develop their own team.

In the inaugural year, the ADM Boys finished the season with a 7-4 overall record, as Cole Darling, who was a junior at the time, was named the Individual Class 2A Champion. This season, the Tigers finished the regular season with a record of 9-1, as the lone loss is to the Warriors of Waukee. ADM Head Coach Jason Kilker says it’s been a joy to see the support behind the newest independent program for the Tigers.

“The camaraderie that it brings for different kids. You got your kids that are your more popular kids, and they know everybody and they’re on the bowling team, and then you’ve got the kids that maybe aren’t on that upper, as far as popularity (goes), but they all blend together and talk to one another, and so it’s good to see that.”

Kilker points out that during the Bakers Tournament in Adel on January 8th, the Tiger Boys Basketball Team came out to support. ADM will now be off of competitions until the Heart of the Raccoon Bowling Tournament on February 9th in Ames.