John Glenn'[s Abby Wozniak celebrates with teammates during the 2012 Bay County Championships for girls bowling. - (Yfat Yossifor | The Bay City Times)

BAY CITY – The battle for Bay County is about to escalate.

Bay County’s six high schools are raising the stakes on their local rivalries, introducing seven new tournaments – including baseball and softball -- to expand the Bay County Championships into a 16-sport extravaganza.

“Rivalries are important,” said Jenni Thunberg, the Pinconning athletic director who sparked the expansion. “The County tournaments ...