The transition was as slick as a bowling lane.

When Aaron Ohl transferred from Pioneer to Saline High School for his senior year, he was already familiar with - and friends with -many of his new teammates on the Hornets’ boys bowling team. And he was already a regular at Saline’s Maplewood Lanes, to boot.

“A bunch of my friends bowled for Saline, so it was a pretty easy transfer,” said Ohl, who was a co-captain for the Hornets and contributed a 211 average this season.

“He was an instant success. It was a good addition to the boys team,” said Saline coach John McMullen.

And that might be an understatement, as the AnnArbor.com boys bowler of the year helped the Hornets compile a near-perfect regular season record of 11-1 and nab second place to Tecumseh at the Southeastern Conference tournament, where Ohl threw one pin above his average (212).

At the regular season’s end, Ohl and four of his teammates finished as All-SEC Red first team members, filling five of the six available spots. Ohl calls that one of his season highlights.

It was the post-season, however, where Ohl really found his groove. The senior helped the Hornets charge into the MHSAA Division 1 state team tournament and advanced to the state individual championships, as well. He rolled a 1,147 series at regionals to qualify.

“It was a big relief,” Ohl said of qualifying for the state. “The previous year (at Pioneer) we had a really good year and didn’t make it (to states) as a team.

“I knew everything had to fall in to place and we had to work for the common goal. We just had to put our minds to it, I guess. It felt good.”

The Hornets finished tenth as a team and Ohl rolled to a 27th-place finish in the state singles, falling 23 pins shy of advancing out of the qualifying rounds.

“I was expecting to make cut and finish in the top 10,” Ohl admitted. “The pins didn’t fall the way I wanted them to. It happens …”

While competing at state, Ohl said he focused on “making sure I kept my head on straight. I didn’t get too big of a head and stayed positive and tried to have fun.” That was a mindset Ohl brought to Saline all season.

“He was great to have,” said Coach McMullen. “He brought a good attitude and sportsmanship and leadership to the team.”

Kaleb Roedel is a sports writer for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at (734)623-2562 and e-mailed at kalebroedel@annarbor.com. Follow him on Twitter @Kaleb_R.