This means that, in order to win the Mighty Apple, Todd is forced to co-exist and work with Alex, Elisa, Delia, and Ken, people he views as losers. Todd is flabbergasted by this news, as he never signed up for bowling club (he finds out a short time later that Leo and Flip signed him up as a joke).

To his relief, he finds that, in addition to Alex, Elisa, Delia, and Ken, Todd McLemore's name is also on the sign-up sheet for the Bowling Club, which makes him eligible to compete (Alex, Elisa, Delia, and Ken are stunned and amused to hear that 'Golden Boy' is part of their Bowling Club, since they are the only people who ever show up to Bowling Club). High's principal (Principal Morris) is also very worried by this and frantically searches for the list of members of his schools bowling club with Ms. At this time, it is implied that Todd and Alex's fathers have had a major falling out in the past related to baseball, but none of the children know what they're talking about. This worries Mayor McLemore further, as this means winning the Mighty Apple is dependent on Kevin Thompson's kid. Additionally, the rules of the tiebreaker state that only students who signed up for the Bowling Club at the beginning of the school year are eligible to compete (to prevent the schools from stacking the teams with ringers at the last minute). The next day, it is revealed that the tiebreaker athletic event will be bowling, as this is the only sport in the acceptable tiebreaker sports that both schools have teams in. This concerns Mayor McLemore, mayor of West Appleton and Todd's dad. Since the schools compete in an even number of athletic events, the special 'tiebreaker' clause has to be invoked for the first (and last) time ever. Todd wins the game for the Wildcats by swishing a last second shot, which ties up the race for the Mighty Apple. Only Alex's dad, Kevin, has any interest in the outcome of the basketball game, as he listens to Sweet Lou's broadcast of the game on the radio. Alex is shown to be quite adept at fixing the mechanical problems that crop up, which his father appreciates since there is no money in the budget to pay for repairs.

The alley is shown to be somewhat rundown, due to bowling's lack of popularity, and there is talk that Alex's family may have to sell the alley. That night, Alex, Elisa, Delia, and (later) Ken are shown bowling at Big Apple Lanes, with Alex's dad watching over them and running the alley. After Todd, Leo, and Flip leave, the others ask Delia if she has ever played basketball before, to which she smugly replies 'Wouldn't you like to know?' Delia responds by telling him he'd lose to 'a little girl' because of her superior understanding of physics, which causes Todd, Leo, and Flip to back off. Their question is met with derision and Flip challenges any of them to a 1-on-1 basketball game. Ken informs the others that he will be late to arriving at the bowling alley (which Alex's dad owns) tonight, because his dad, who is crazy about the Mighty Apple rivalry, is forcing him to attend the basketball game.Īfter the pep rally, Todd, Leo, and Flip (two other popular kids and members of the basketball team) ask Alex, Elisa, Delia, and Ken if they'll be attending the game tonight to show them support. Alex, Elisa, Delia, and Ken, who are seen as outsiders because of their love of bowling and propensity for wearing retro clothing, greet this proclamation with sarcasm, indifference, and annoyance. A pep rally takes place at the West Appleton school, where Todd, the star of the basketball team and the most popular kid in the school, promises he won't let the school down and will tie up the race for the Mighty Apple. At the beginning of the movie, the West is trailing in the race for the Mighty Apple by one, with the big basketball game about to take place that night. High Schools (the Wolfpack and the Wildcats, respectively) compete yearly for the Mighty Apple trophy.

Alley cats strike