advertisement

Boys bowling: Scouting the Fox Valley

Bartlett Hawks2013-2014 finish: 5th Upstate Eight Conference

Coach: Garry Brodersen

Top returning bowlers: Seniors Nick Scumaci (200 avg.), Chris Repa (198 avg.), junior Alex Cariello (213 avg.), sophomore Nigel Pickford (189 avg.)

Key newcomers: Juniors Dan Lech, Allen Johanson, sophomores Nick O'Brien, Frank Betevis, Jacob Heiderscheidt

Outlook: The Hawks have fared well thus far. At the U-46 tournament, Bartlett was third with Scumaci rolling a 635 with a 263 high game. Bartlett also took 4 of 5 points from Elgin with Repa rolling 235 and 221 games, and 4 of 5 from St. Charles North with Scumaci rolling a 628 series and Pickford having 265 high game. The Hawks were in the top third of the 48-school Plainfield North invitational. Scumaci, Repa and Cariello lead the way for the Hawks. "Our top four bowlers have been very consistent since the beginning of the year and work together to help each other improve," said Brodersen. "What I like most is the unity. They act like a small family. It's a nice atmosphere." Brodersen noted the team has some high goals this season. "We want to challenge for the top spot in the conference," he said. "Our goal would be to reach state as a team. We've had three individual qualifiers in the last four years and we would like to improve on that."

Elgin MaroonsCoach: Jon Miquelon

2013-2014 finish: Upstate Eight Conference champions

Top returning bowlers: Senior Lowell Lynde IV (213 avg.), sophomore Joseph Meyer (186 avg.)

Key newcomers: Freshman Chris Conway

Outlook: Elgin started the year with UEC losses to Bartlett and Larkin. However, the Maroons do return veteran senior Lynde IV, who averages a 213."Lowell is our team captain and brings a wealth of bowling IQ with him," said Miquelon. "He is a huge help bringing the newer bowlers up in their games." Sophomore Meyer averages nearly 190 a game. "Joseph has been throwing consistently high numbers and brings a great attitude to the team," said Miquelon. "He has been essential in keeping our bowlers' spirits high when things aren't going our way. Lowell has a great shot at sectionals and is throwing one of the most consistently good balls in the conference. Joseph has a good chance at hitting all-conference and will continue to get better over the next couple years. They both are great kids." Miquelon likes the depth on the team this year. "We have a huge team this year with almost 30 bowlers, but the team still seems as tight-knit as every other year," said Miquelon. "They are good supportive kids who bring a great attitude to the sport. I have the privilege to coach the nicest and most supportive kids at Elgin High." Gaining varsity experience will be key. "We are very young in terms of bowling," the coach noted. "This is the first year on the lanes for the majority of our team so basic skills and consistency are an issue. In order for us to get back to a strong competitive position, we need to continue to work on technique and understanding of the sport. This is a year where we focus on building our team, learning the game and enjoying our time on the lanes."

Huntley Red RaidersCoach: Dylan Rehner

Top returning bowlers: Seniors Beau Rehner, Grant Gardner, Brad Szekeres

Key newcomers: Freshmen Jesse Alcasid, Kevin Sieb, Michael Corsaro

Outlook: Gardner is a returning sectional qualifier for the Red Raiders, who started the season 3-2 in dual meets. "Our outlook for the season is bright with our new additions and our returning bowlers being even better than they were last year," said Rehner, in his first season with the team. "From what I saw from our first match, I would say there is a lot of potential in this team that can be realized with the proper environment. My goal for the season is to improve from last year's record as well as improving the bowlers on an individual level."

Larkin RoyalsCoach: Gail Johnson

Top returning bowlers: Seniors Bryan Sheridan, Adrian Kyles, junior Aaron Golden

Key newcomers: Freshman Aaron Lazovick

Outlook: Sheridan is a three-year returning all-conference bowler. "Our guys try to pick each other up and have worked hard to pull out awesome games when their teammates are struggling," said Johnson of what she likes most about this year's team. Golden, Sheridan and Kyles have made progress of late. "Aaron has improved tremendously throwing more strikes consistently and picking up more spares," said Johnson, who noted the team's focus is on spare pickups this season. "He has improved his average by about 25 pins so far and is thus an integral tool to our success. Bryan has been a great anchor to our team and has been the most consistent over the past three years. He continues to improve his delivery and has goals to achieve all-conference again. Adrian has been doing great this year. He already has thrown two 279 games and three 700 series and the season isn't even half over. He has been a great contributor to our wins. He continues to throw consistent 200 games." Johnson also likes the potential Lazovick brings to the team. "Aaron has played in junior leagues and already has brought his average up by 20 pins. Better spare pickup consistently will pick up his game and will keep him super-competitive." Larkin took second in the U-46 invitational and took 5 points from Elgin and 4 from South Elgin in conference play. "If we can keep it up, we should finish higher than last season," said Johnson. Larkin also defeated Huntley (5-0), Westminster Christian (5-0) and McHenry (3-2) in early-season matchups.

Streamwood SabresCoach: Jeff Szukala

Top returning bowlers: Seniors Daniel Weaver, David Perez, Mike Stimek, junior Jimmy Schoenike

Key newcomers: Sophomore Julian Torres, freshmen Nathan Christensen, Nick Christensen

Outlook: Schoenike was 8 pins short of qualifying for the sectional as a 10th grader last year. While Szukala said overall depth is a concern, he's hopeful the team can continue to make strides forward. "We are looking to improve and compete in the conference," he said. "We're excited for a much-improved season." In the early going, Streamwood split four meets with Fenton (win), St. Charles East (loss), St. Edward (win) and Glenbard East (loss). Szukala noted Schoenike, Perez and Weaver are bowlers to keep an eye on in terms of potential state-qualifying possibilities.

St. Edward Green WaveCoach: Dave Wunderlich

Top returning bowlers: Seniors Christian Arboleda, Nick Dalton, Joe Przybylski, junior Mitchell Modlisz

Key newcomers: Freshman Jake Lesh

Outlook: St. Edward split a pair of early-season dual meets with IC Catholic Prep (win) and Streamwood (loss). The Green Wave also competed in the Lake Park and Harlem invitationals. St. Edward also has a full junior-varsity squad this season. "We hope the team continues to grow for upcoming years," said Wunderlich. "The team is working hard to increase its overall pin count. Our strength is our ability to pick up spares and to achieve high-game scores. We also have strong leadership among our varsity bowlers. Our weakness right now is consistency with game scores. An obstacle is that many athletes are new to bowling and will need to perfect their approach and become familiar with their specific positioning to set up for picking up spares. The young JV athletes are learning quickly and have been improving their form."

South Elgin StormCoach: Dan Netzel

2013-2014 finish: 2nd place Upstate Eight Conference

Top returning bowlers: Senior Jake Brown, sophomore Dylan Wells

Key newcomers: Junior Vince Pandola, sophomores Ryan Forsberg, David Forsberg

Outlook: In early-season action, South Elgin placed 25th at the large Plainfield North Invitational where Brown was 17th overall with a 212 average and Wells finished 58th with a 194 average. Brown averaged 197 in conference and 205 overall last year. Wells was third in the conference last year at 203 and missed qualifying for sectionals by 30 pins. "Dylan is a solid player all year and came on strong at the end of the season to raise his conference average," said Netzel. "We have two very solid returning players in Jake and Dylan who come in with something to prove after falling a bit short at regionals last year. The rest of the team is very young with 11 of the 14 squad members being underclassmen. These guys are hungry to learn and improve their games so there is a lot of internal friendly competition as they fight for the shot at the sixth varsity spot." Like many teams, South Elgin is working on spare gathering. "In tournament play, spares are the name of the game. The players who can cover spares until the lane opens up and strikes occur more frequently are the ones who finish consistently in the Top 20. As a young team, our focus is to cover your spares." Netzel is also thrilled with the team's desire to learn and improve. "I like the hunger this year," he said. "With a few exceptions over the years, I have not seen this much drive in underclassmen to want to get better at the game. These guys are like sponges, always asking what they can do to improve their game and then applying it in practice." Netzel noted sophomore Logan Williams shot a 299 during a practice recently. "Hunger is what we have and it will drive results," he said. "We will improve and we will be competitive." Netzel sees St. Charles East, Larkin and Bartlett as some of the top-tier teams in the UEC. "If I can help our guys maintain their consistency, we should finish well," he said. "Given the youth and inexperience, I feel we still can be competitive. I want to see our guys continue to improve. That will pay dividends next year or the year after. For right now, I want them to stay hungry and really hope that the team or at the very lest a couple of our top players can continue to perform at a high level and make it to 'the dance' at the end of January."

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.