For the Oak Harbor High School bowling team, last year’s state tournament was a bit of a gutter ball.

Oak Harbor placed fifth. While most squads would be elated with a top-10 finish, Oak Harbor wasn’t. It broke a string of four consecutive state crowns.

In fact, Oak Harbor’s streak of four straight bowling titles is the longest ever by any school in any state, according to former coach Jason Youngsman.

Oak Harbor hopes to reclaim the top prize when it competes in the 51st Annual Washington State Bowling Proprietors’ Association High School Varsity Championships this Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 20 and 21, at Big Al’s in Vancouver.

The Washington finals will feature 28 five-person teams in two divisions and 40 individuals.

Oak Harbor’s slip last year can be attributed to its youth; the majority of the team was freshmen. Still young (two juniors and three sophomores) but hardened by last year’s experience, Oak Harbor is primed to climb back into the top spot.

Oak Harbor, based out of Oak Bowl, enters the tournament as the No. 2 seed behind Moses Lake.

Moses Lake averages 964 pins per match, 24 more than Oak Harbor. Eastmont is a distant third at 894.

Oak Harbor’s DJ Rutter, a veteran of two state tournaments, isn’t concerned with Moses Lake’s tally.

“Our scores don’t show the potential we have,” he said. “We didn’t have a lot of competition (during the regular season), and we didn’t always bowl with a competitive attitude.”

Rutter said Oak Harbor’s scores dipped late in the season when the team had the conference title wrapped up.

As usual, Oak Harbor dominated league competition, taking first with 39 games won to 24 for second-place Mount Vernon. Oak Harbor posted a season pin total to 32,189 to Mount Vernon’s 27,742.

Rutter said his teammates will be more focused at state, and, as a result, their scores will rise.

Rutter and Daniel Johnson topped Oak Harbor with 195 averages. They are joined on the varsity by Earl Angeles (189), Devin McCardle (188) and Niko Hawkins (173).

Rutter was first-team all-state last year after earning second-team honors in 2014.

He finished this regular season with the league’s highest scratch game (268) and series (700). Johnson recorded the third-best game (258) and second-best series (670) in league play.

Coaching the club are Oak Harbor bowling veterans John Youngsman and Tom Cockrell.

John Youngsman started the team in the 1970s, led the first team to a state title and added another in 1991 when his son and future coach, Jason, was on the squad.

In the 40-plus-year history of the team, John Youngsman has been the head coach or an assistant in about 30, he said.

He assisted his son during the four-year title streak. Jason stepped down after last year to spend more time with his family, Cockrell said.

Jason Youngsman was inducted into the WSBAA Hall of Fame in 2013.

John Youngsman said this year’s team is “more balanced” and should be in title contention.

“We’re young, so we should be pretty strong for a while,” he added.

Strong enough to start another championship streak.