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PLYMOUTH – A day after finishing second in the state, the Jackson High School girls bowling team awoke Saturday morning to find the trailer holding the bulk of its equipment had been broken into and most of the equipment taken.

Jackson coach Dave Rodriguez discovered the lock on the trailer hooked up to the Chevrolet Traverse he drove to Plymouth for the team’s state competition had been removed and thousands of dollars worth of bowling balls, bags, shoes and other equipment was gone.

“What a way to start the morning,” Rodriguez said later Saturday. “We’ve got two girls coming in here to compete for an individual title, and the trailer was broken into.”

Rodriguez estimated that at least 14 bowling balls – which retail between $200 to $250 each – along with three three-ball roller bags, two two-ball bags and two two-ball tote bags were missing from the trailer Saturday morning.

The trailer was parked in the lot for the Comfort Inn, 40455 Ann Arbor Road, in Plymouth, where the team stayed overnight Thursday and Friday to compete in the Division 2 high school team tournament Friday and individual tournament Saturday at Super Bowl in neighboring Canton. Jackson finished second – its highest finish ever – to Flint Kearsley on Friday.

When the team last visited the trailer about 9:30 p.m. Friday, junior Jamie Bleiler removed a bag containing three bowling balls and her shoes that she planned to use in Saturday’s individual competition. Junior Morgan Bradley, the team’s other individual state qualifier, left a three-ball roller bag and three-ball bag in the rear of the trailer. Those, and a second three-ball bag, were among the few items the thieves left behind.

“You figure each bag was $150, the totes are $50, balls are a couple hundred bucks apiece,” Rodriguez said. “I can’t believe it.”

Rodriguez said the Plymouth Township Police are investigating and he is in contact with the hotel to see if the video surveillance system was able to capture any images.

“Hopefully something surfaces,” he said. “My intentions are to prosecute.”

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Plymouth Township Police at 734-354-3232.