By: Willie Theis
Diane Marget’s top-notch bowling mechanics checks all the boxes, and along with a fist-rate cerebral game helped pave the way in her becoming a scoring juggernaut and one of the marquee woman bowlers in Minneapolis and the state of Minnesota. And as the honor scores and titles won began piling up she was building such a glowing resume that with the beginning of each new season it turned into a 30-week dose of wow!

Diane Marget

But before we chat about that and a bowling resume that will blow you away, let’s take a look at her latest bowling feat at the Virgin River Bowling Center which began when she changed her zip code to Mesquite in 2022. Specifically, she began City High Rollers league play with a clean 226 game, followed with a 195, and fueled by a 5-bagger, finished with a 233 for a season-high 654 series with 20 total strikes and marks on 9-of-10 spare shots.
Now let’s pivot back to her truly eye-popping resume from her bowling heyday back in the Land of 10,000 Taxes. For starters, her career-high average is 216, her two career-high series scores of 786 and 768 are just two of over a hundred 700s.
And what she’s most proud about her ten 300 games is the fact she’s bowled at least one in four consecutive decades, and a goal is to make it five right here in Mesquite. Interestingly, after her third 300, she was featured on a popular Randy Shaver Sports Show on KARE 11, an NBC affiliate TV station in Minneapolis for being only the second woman in the state with three 300 games at that time. She’s also rolled a 299 and multiple 279 games with 11 strikes.
And in 2019 she was inducted into the Minneapolis Bowling Hall of Fame, and in 2004 was inducted into the Minnesota State Bowling Hall of Fame.
Not surprisingly, in 1995, she bowled a 258 game as a member of a five-person woman’s team who set both a national and state record for a 1,258 scratch team game. And she’s won a mind-boggling number of events and titles over the years including the Minneapolis All Events Title in 1996 with a scratch 1,934 score. She is also a USBC certified silver coach, and was a high school bowling coach for five years in The Gopher State
Away from bowling, Marget is learning to play golf, sews covers for bowling shoes, and as an avid Minnesota Twins baseball fan has never missed a game to open the season since she’s been married to another heckuva good bowler, her husband, Bob.
In other women’s pin action, Autumn Telford tossed a 598 set with a 248 game in Monday’s Scratch League play, Vickie Martinsen who hails from Overton is back bowling in Mesquite and chucked a 590 with a 234 game, and Laurie Dillree snares her first ink in this column after pounding out a season-high 572 series on games of 205, 201 and 166 in Friday’s Ladies Trio League action.
Lee Ann Harmes raised her Kings & Queens League average a pin to 172 after throwing a 567 set and 239 game, and Lynae Page, fueled by 14 strikes and a clean 202 raised her K&Q League average to 161 with a 563 count.
Meanwhile, southpaw MaryAnn Davis cruised in from her home in Scenic and peppered the lanes with a nice 556, Ashley Yokoyama-Kesl mowed down 554 pins including those in a 207 in one of her best outings since an earlier 607 series, and Mary Posey’s 548 raised her Early Risers League average to 159 and look for her to blow away an earlier season-high 579 before the clock runs out on the 2023-24 season.
Jane Burgoyne’s work on her game is reaping dividends as she tossed a clean 189 and had marks on an impressive 13-of-15 spare shots in a 543 effort, Anita Sorensen’s season-high 547 outing was highlighted by a 201 and 189 games with a good hook ball she’s been throwing, and Evelyn Hooley was a pillar of consistency with a 544 set on games of 187, 181, 171, and Georgia “GG” Godfrey 529-191  had another solid outing.
Dodie Melendez put up a good outing with 11 total strikes in a 534 with only one open and a four-bagger in a 205, and it is good seeing Molly Gomes (524-180) generate some nice scoring production, Debbie Hansen’s 512 included a 196, and Krista Kilpatrick toppled 501 sticks. Finally, in Early Risers League action, Tracey Park received a 300 Series Award for a 317, and Kate Gott received a 300 Award for a 313.
In single game action, Reiko Schultz (552) popped a 214, Carol Mulholland who originally hailed from North Dakota rolled her first deuce this season, a 210 with five strikes and only one open, Judy Clark merits ink for her first deuce this season, a 204, Cheryl Rogers popped a 202, and Gayle Parison who is probably the best woman poker player in Mesquite also bagged a 202.
In men’s action, John Hollaway took top-billing with a pair of superb outings beginning with a 751 on games of 267, 258, 226 with 26 strikes and only one open, and two days earlier on Wednesday shot a clean 737 with 22 strikes & 11 spares during games of 264, 256 and 217.
And Mike Rogers is a terrific bowling talent who tossed a 713 on games of 245, 243 and 225 in the Monday Scratch League, and just missing the 700 mark with some outstanding outings were Milan Carr (699-246), Mike Saldivar (697-267), Sal Diaz (697-240) and Chase Evans (691-252).
Todd Mulholland is a legit scoring threat and tossed a 679 series in TGIF League action which included 23 strikes and a 252 game, Randy Brown will definitely raise his 200 average after punching out a 674 with a 263 game, Dennis Craft rolled 22 strikes with a clean 237 in a 668 outing, and it’s great seeing Rob Hartman (658-230) back on the lanes and aiming for his third 300.
Meanwhile, Jeremy Turlington should maintain his 216 average after tossing a 652 with two good games of 257 and 246, David Newman throws darn good ball and merits ink for a 643 set with a 237 game, Ricky Trujillo (640-233) is having his best overall season, and Dave Castro’s  631 with a 244 game included 17 total strikes.
Angel Hernandez has seen his game take flight this 2nd season and is no longer content with just one 600 a week like his 633 with a 256 game, two days later he fired another 600, a 614 with 19 strikes with a 246 game, Nick Paul had another good week with a 626 series which featured 18 total strikes, clean games of 244 and 224, and Bob Robbins fired 15 strikes and clean 213 in a 611 set.
In single game action, Dan Aslin (650) fired a 251, John Gerger booked a 246, Jerry Holloway (606) tallied a 244, Jerry Bundy racked up a 236, and Chicago’s John Windberg popped a darn nice 227.
Dan Johnson (607) registered a 223, Ken Schloman pocketed a 221, Al Gans (606) notched a 215, and Roman Pererz racked up a season-high 215 and also had an impressive 597 series with 14 total strikes and made 14-of-16 spare shots.
Ernie Kala logged a 213, Wade Heileson’s 209 may just start a string of weekly deuce games, Brian Collins posted 206, Josue Mendoza chalked up a 204, and Ron Johnson fired four strikes in a 201 with only one open.
HIGH SCORES
Sandy Sheppard 586-234; Bev Cormani 566-204; Kim Marshall 537-181; Donna Evans 505; Larry Willis 664-237; Darren Simonds 652-243; Mike Yoder 651-234; Austin Finster 645-247; James Hartley 645-244; Gil Niim 639-236; Scott Mattingly 639-227; Bob Marget 632-253; Dean Sheppard 632-253; Bruce Hooley 631-236; Dale Knight 618-224; Bill Funk 609-236; Mike Gentry 609-220; Tom McCall 609-226; Steve Serrano 608-213; Dan Johnson 606-244; Jon Williamson 235; Chance Evans 227; Dave Cirbo 225; George Huston 224; Jim Rappe 224; Britt Kesl 223; Russ Marshall 223; Bruce Hamilton 222; Koa Pake Ned 221; Rob Cormani 221; Shaun Edwards218; Larry Moultrie 217; Randy Kezior216; Dylan Kesl 213; Jack Northover 212; Harold Hendrick 212; Jeff Branche 212; Terrul Benally 211; Juan Morgana 211; Stan Benally 211; Mardon Connely 210; Dean Baum 208; Duane Sullivan 206; Harry Uncles 205; Norm Ritchie 205; Pat Garcia 204; Dale Davidson 203; Ed Hoepfner 203; Mike Foote 203; Steve Cominski 203; Byran Pierce202; Mark Brackelsberg 202; Richard Long 202; Tim McNees 202; Al Legan 201; Brian Rasha 201; Chris Eyre 201; Orlyn Meyer 201; Johnny Harper 200; Louis Dilisio 200; Martin Carillo 200; Michael Donovan 200; Tony Zaccheus.