This was an unusual season – and a successful one. Cathedral High School bowling in 2025-2026 moved to a co-ed team after years of being separate boys and girls teams – and the result was a deep postseason run as a team and individually. This was good stuff for an improving program. “We had a really good season for the team,” Irish bowling coach Mark Noe said. The Irish as a co-ed team finished 10th at the Terre Haute semi-state in the Indiana High School Bowling boys competition, with junior Grace Zuerner continuing to establish herself as one of the state’s top bowlers – and one of the top bowlers in Cathedral history. “She’s a phenom,” Noe said of Zuerner. Depth issues necessitated the move to a co-ed team this season, with two girls – Zuerner and freshman Sophia Moreno – competing with multiple boys and pushing the program to a second consecutive strong season. The Irish boys finished third in the state in 2024-2025. The co-ed team advanced to semi-state in ‘25-26 with a fourth-place finish at the regional round, with Zuerner and sophomore Sam Jones advancing to semi-state individually. Zuerner, who finished as the state runner-up, won the semi-state singles title with a 640. She also won the sectional title and finished third at the regional competition. The 18 girls who qualify for the state meet all bowl four games to start that competition, with the top four finishers moving onto the state championship “ladder.” Zuerner qualified for the “ladder” round third, then beat Addison Voiles of Frankton 188-178 in Round 1 and Miranda Munoz of Lake Central 171-161 in Round 2 to advance to the title game. She lost there to Morgan Morales of Boone Grove 189-170. “Grace gave her all,” Noe said. “A couple of hits here and there, she could have won the whole thing, but she was probably the favorite or the second seed going in for sure. She takes lessons, has a pro and is with the right people. She has a lot of high-level people looking at her game. She will bowl somewhere in college for sure.” Senior Declan Sweeney led the Irish boys much of the season, with Jones, senior Cole Laniohan and senior Myles Byfield also strong. Moreno averaged in the 160s, with Jones averaging about 208, Laniohan averaging around 170 and Byfield averaging around 150. “That was our varsity, so we had six people that we altered them once in a while,” Noe said. Highlights were an early-season victories over Carmel, Brownsburg, Decatur Central, Bishop Chatard and Brebeuf en route to a second-place regular-season conference finish. “We had a rough day at semi-state, and it's all Baker games,” Noe said. “You have five bowlers all taking one turn in the game, so everyone gets one frame per person. You have to figure out where to put your players.” Also contributing significantly: Assistant coach Cathy Plummer, an Indianapolis and Indiana Hall of Fame bowler. “She brings a lot of knowledge as an assistant,” Noe said. “She was a great addition to the staff, for sure.” The result was a successful, memorable season in which the Irish flourished with camaraderie and set the tone for what should be a solid future. “We have two young men and a young lady coming in next year, and they're very savvy already,” he said. “It was a successful year, and the coed really brought the team together. Who knows if we're going to do a coed team next year? It depends on how many people we've got. The kids will bowl in the offseason, they will bowl their brains out. “It was great chemistry. They had a great time.”