Tina L. Scott
EDITOR
On Sunday, Dec. 20, Merill High School (MHS) senior, Piper Plautz, signed a letter of intent to bowl for Calumet College of St. Joseph in Whiting, Ind. Piper is the daughter of Beaver Plautz and Heather Plautz, both of Merrill.
Dale Lehman, Head Women’s Bowling Coach for Calument, was on-hand for the signing at Les & Jim’s Lincoln Lanes in Merrill. “We’re really excited to have her,” Lehman said. “I’ve been watching her today, and she is a very strong spare shooter and rolls a very strong strike ball. We’re looking forward to her contributions to our team, the Crimson Way.”
Plautz’s two current Bluejay Varsity Bowling Team Coaches, Tyler Catlin and Scott Smith, were also on-hand for the signing, along with Plautz’s family members and Mark Bares, co-owner of Les & Jim’s. Bares said it has been exciting to watch Plautz become the amazing bowler she is today. “It’s neat to see somebody who has worked so hard, accomplish so much, and to see the fruit of that in a scholarship,” Bares said. “She has a true dedication to the sport, and for her, there is no off-season.” Bares said Plautz started bowling at the Lanes “as soon as she could throw a blowling ball,” and added that she and her younger sister, Paige, could be found at the lanes all year long, challenging each other and pushing each other to become even better bowlers.
The Plautz family has certainly been a huge support system for Piper, and they are celebrating their daughter’s success right along with her. This letter of intent and this scholarship is huge, they say. “I’m very proud of her,” Beaver Plautz, said. “She worked at it a long time, and she’s very good at what she does.”
“We’re so excited!” said Heather Plautz. “She started bowling when she was age seven in the youth league. She’s worked her butt off. And she’s the first girl to ever come out of Merrill [High School] and get a bowling scholarship.”
“Merrill High School has only recognized bowling as a lettered sport for three years,” Beaver Plautz explained.
Even prior to competing at the high school level, Plautz has been recognized for her bowling excellence. At the age of 12, Plautz broke the Merrill record for the youngest female bowler to complete a 600 series after bowling a 628 series. In fall 2019, at age 16, she was recognized as the youngest female bowler in Merrill to roll a 700 series. Then, a week later, she broke another Merrill bowling record, becoming the youngest bowler, girl or boy, to bowl a 300 game. She has also competed with excellent results at both the state and national level in recent years, most recently in March 2020 at the High School Bowling Club State Championship where she placed in the top 15 out of 162 bowlers for singles. She then went on to take first place out of 48 girls teams in the state in the Storm Scholarship Doubles tournament along with her sister, Paige.