Looking for scholarship money? Pick up a bowling ball.

That method has already worked for a number of Butler County high school bowlers.

“Those scholarships are available, definitely out there ... especially for female bowlers,” Butler High School coach Bob Cupp said. “We tell our kids about that all the time.”

Four Butler graduates are currently bowling in college on scholarships. They are Abby Kile and Mercedes Belch at Saint Vincent (off to a 28-1 start), Nicole Nebel at Mount Aloysius and Jordyn Graham at Pitt-Bradford.

Seneca Valley graduate Maddie Ferringer received $4,000 in scholarship aid to bowl at Robert Morris University.

“Few kids realize those opportunities exist,” SV coach Josh Sullivan said. “We try to get the word out because I'm sure youth bowlers are interested.”

Cupp is vice president of the Western Pa. Interscholastic Bowling League (WPIBL), which has 53 teams this season.

Here is a look at the four county high school bowling programs, who open their 2019-20 seasons Wednesday:

Butler

The Golden Tornado have 14 boys and nine girls on their roster — and plenty of work to do.

“Last year was the first time our girls team didn't make it to states,” Cupp said. “There is a lot of tradition in this program and our bowlers know that.

“We bring it up to them all the time — the fact we didn't get there last year — and they embrace the challenge. We only lost one bowler (Graham) from last season and these girls want to redeem themselves.”

Top bowlers on the girls side include juniors Reegan Malis (169 average), Lauren Bash (162) and Rachael Blose (133), sophomores Madison Weiland (142), Harley Kriess (132) and Natalie Coughenour.

“Natalie didn't bowl with us last year, but she's a polished bowler and will definitely be in our starting lineup,” Cupp said.

Butler's boys and girls teams both finished 6-1 last season and were co-North Section champions.

Chris Huff (188), a senior, and sophomore Brock Hepler (163) are the top returnees for the Tornado boys. Two starters will come from freshmen Luke Keene, Rocco Rice, Eric Devore and Marty Imhof. Blaine Hooks, a senior, will start as well.

“Blaine's average was 136 last year, but he's spent so much time and effort into his game that his average has jumped 25 or 30 pins,” Cupp said. “He's an example of how hard work and desire can pay off for a young person. I'm proud of him.”

Butler hosts Shaler at Family Bowlaway Wednesday to open the season.

“Shaler has everybody coming back on the girls side, North Allegheny has a strong team ... For the first time, we're looking up at other teams. We're not favored to win the section. We have a lot of work to do.”

Freeport

The Yellowjackets have 13 boys and 13 girls on their roster. Coach Tom Livingston's boys team is led by his son, junior Mark Livingston, who averaged 201 last season. His average was third-highest in the league.

Senior Seth Change (155), juniors Issaic Spencer (155), Blake Olson (168) and Ashton Guay (155) are other top Freeport bowlers.

“We expect our averages will spring up and we'll see where they take us,” Coach Livingston said.

The Yellowjacket girls are led by senior Jackie Clark (164), junior Amber Cepec (155), seniors Jordan Fisher (135) and Sarah Fisher (125). Julia Cummings, a freshman, should impact the lineup as well.

“Julia's been bowling a lot in junior leagues and she's well-seasoned,” Livingston said. “She's jumped right into things with us.”

Freeport bowls in the Northeast Section and opens the season against Apollo-Ridge. The Yellowjackets will bowl their home matches at Wildlife Lanes.

Mars

Chuck Batykefer is in his first year as head coach of the Planets, though he's helped the team as an assistant in past years.

Mars has seven boys and two girls on its roster. The girls — senior Anastasia Starr and junior Aspen Wilson — are newcomers to the sport.

“We're trying to get the word circulated around the school district that we have a bowling team and we want to increase our numbers,” Batykefer said.

Alex Ola, a senior, leads the boys with a 134 average. Thomas Spreng, a junior, averages in the 120's while senior Christian Tumminello and sophomore Cameron Lambert are around 100.

“We have an extremely young and inexperienced team,” Batykefer said. “We're looking for growth and improvement as the season goes on.”

The Planets will bowl their home matches at Mars Lanes.

Seneca Valley

Sullivan, also a first-year head coach, has nine boys and two girls on the roster. The girls are junior Kayla Nelson (averages between 150-160) and sophomore Kayla Noon (120-130).

“While bowling is a team sport, it's also an individual sport,” Sullivan said. “We stress to these girls that they can qualify for regionals and states. I believe they can get there.”

Ryan Thoma, a senior, averages in the 180's for the Raider boys and junior Jason Hartenstein averages in the 170's.

“Again, those guys can have big years as individuals,” Sullivan said. “We have a bunch of guys on this team who listen to coaching, work hard and want to learn.

“Our goal is to be competitive in the section and sneak up and beat a team like Butler or North Allegheny in a match. I believe we're capable.”

Seneca Valley has switched its home lanes to Belmont in Butler. The Raiders will host Mars in Wednesday's opener.