Baton Rouge - A total of 38 teams were at All Star Lanes in Baton Rouge on Saturday for the annual High School Invitational, which this year in a twist, kicked off the 2026 high school bowling season.

The Invitational has a little bit of a different format which as many of you know that have followed our coverage, is a part of a format change I have begged to happen for many years. It’s the Baker format used by many college events both on the NCAA and USBC level.

The 24 boys’ teams and 14 girls’ teams bowled 10 games of Baker qualifying with five member teams bowling two frames of a game to get one team score per game. Teams were able to drop the lowest two scores to give them a final eight game total.

In the boys/coed division, defending 5A champ Brother Martin averaged just over 220 to get the No. 1 seed for the semifinals with Catholic of Baton Rouge just forty pins back. Division II champ Archbishop Shaw finished third with East Ascension qualifying fourth.

The Crusaders had to go five games to defeat EA, 3-2, in the best-of-five matches, while Shaw dispatched Catholic, 3-0.

The final was something special. Brother Martin won the first game by three with Shaw winning the second game by one pin to even the match. The Crusaders were one game from the title after taking game three, 214-193. But Shaw evened the match in game four with a 213-203 decision.

In the final game, Brother Martin finished with 213, setting up the 10th frame for Shaw’s Brady Barrilleaux. He needed all three strikes in the 10th frame and he delivered to give Shaw a 214-213 game five win.

EA won the third-place match with Catholic, 3-1.

Defending girls champion Archbishop Chapelle averaged 173 to get the top qualifying spot over Denham Springs with Patrick Taylor and St. Amant also advancing.

Chapelle defeated St. Amant, 3-1 and then Denham Springs in the championship match, 3-0. Patrick Taylor won 3-1 over St. Amant in the third-place match. That’s a good sign for Denham Springs to get to the championship match for the Baton Rouge area girls.

Now Play Begins For Keeps

Play in the Baton Rouge region begins on Tuesday at both All Star Lanes and Premier in Gonzales. Two matches are set for All Star with Madison Prep and Belaire along with Lutcher and Episcopal meeting in boys matches. This will mark the debut of Episcopal head coach Gregory Snee, one of the top bowlers in this part of the state, and word is that his team may be one to keep an eye on as they maneuver through this first season.

At Premier, four matches are slated with Baton Rouge High boys and St. Joseph’s Academy girls meeting St. Amant and Woodlawn boys and girls bowling Dutchtown.

All matches will start promptly at 3:25 p.m.

There are also matches Wednesday and Thursday this week with Dutchtown at home for boys and girls matches Wednesday and Denham Springs will open at All Star as well. Thursday Catholic High will get its season underway.

New Orleans play won’t begin until Thursday at Bowlero, Colonial Lanes and Westside and all three state champions from 2025 will bowl on Thursday.

A reminder we will have results and top scores every Monday in our weekly Spare Notes. If you want to know who is doing well in high school bowling, this is your place.

PBA Regional On The Schedule

We said last Monday we knew that planning was being finalized for a PBA Regional at All Star in Baton Rouge this summer and late last week the dates for the Southwest Regional event were posted on the PBA Southwest Regional Facebook page.

The dates will be Father’s Day weekend as we reported, June 19-21. Right now it listed as the sixth event on the Southwest Regional schedule but there is space to put more tournaments in. We’ll have more details as we move forward.

Can’t wait to see how this high school bowling season plays out. Until next Monday, good luck and good bowling.