Boys bowling: Scouting Lake County

GRANT

Coach: Tim Viscioni (first year)

House: Raymond's Bowl, Johnsburg

Top bowlers lost: Nathaniel Abernathy (College of Lake County), Tanner Wendt (UW-Oshkosh)

Top returning bowlers: Noah Abernathy (Sr.), Cory Dobson (Sr.), Steven Palacios (Sr.), Eric Tellez-Fiore (Sr.), Nick Bresen (So.)

Newcomers: Jason Patel (Jr.)

Outlook: The Bulldogs boast a veteran squad. "All the kids know that no roster is set in stone and the ones that can execute are the ones that will bowl," coach Tim Viscioni said. "We're still knocking the dust off some of the boys and expect the scores to materialize as we move forward. Going into our fifth season, it would be nice to get the kids a taste of what it's like at the state tournament. We are trying to change the mentality and get the kids to bowl outside of the school season."

GRAYSLAKE CENTRAL

Coach: Bryan Dovichi (second year)

House: Brunswick Zone-Vernon Hills

Top bowlers lost: Javyn Stubbs, Jeff Wojociechowski, Justin Wojociechowski

Top returning bowlers: Logan Enerson (Sr.), Ben Gurchak (Sr.), Austin Kowalski (Sr.), Zack Reese (Jr.), Greg Silverman (Jr.), Devin Coxon (So.)

Newcomers: Miles Pletcher (Fr.)

Outlook: The Rams have a veteran group. "My expectations for the season are to make it through the regionals as a team, compete for sectionals and either make it through the sectionals as a team or have a few (bowlers) compete for state," coach Bryan Dovichi said. "As long as our team works together and feeds off each other's energy, we will continue to bowl well. We also need to focus on the little things in bowling and build consistency in our game. As long as they make this their focus, the sky's the limit."

GRAYSLAKE NORTH

Coach: Greg Geiger (third year)

House: Fair Haven Bowl, Mundelein

Top bowlers lost: JD Pelegrino, Tommy Sadowski

Top returning bowlers: Anthony Dorsey (Sr.), Cole Pelegrino (Sr.), Danny Yates (Sr.)

Other bowlers: Erik Cournoyer (Sr.), Josh Welsh (Sr.), Kyle Pryzbylski (Jr.)

Outlook: The Knights are trying to take the next step. "Every year we've grown a little bit," coach Greg Geiger said. "I think we'll do well in tournaments. We're trying to work five guys in all the time that will make us an established program."

LAKE ZURICH

Coach: Michael Sutton (second year)

House: Brunswick Deer Park-Deer Park

Top bowlers lost: Gary Boege, Tommy Keefe, Connor Kovanda, Rob Wacker, PJ Waul

Top returning bowlers: Connor Kottke (Sr.), Eric Reusch (Jr.), Trevor Madura (So.), Billy Schroeder (So.)

Newcomers: Brett Schnur (So.), Colin Davern

Outlook: The Bears graduated some good bowlers and have an inexperienced team. "We approach each day with a growth mindset," coach Mike Sutton said. "We want to improve not only individually but as a team. We take a total team approach whether it's in practice, a dual match, or a big tournament. To be successful is to have focus and trust - trust in the coaches and what we're instructing, trust in teammates that they will live in the moment and take everything one shot at a time and, finally, trust in themselves that they are capable of succeeding on the lanes."

LIBERTYVILLE

Coach: Robert Sweno (fourth year)

House: Lakeside Lanes, Mundelein

Top bowlers lost: none

Top returning bowlers: Spencer Baumruk (Sr.), Nathan Campbell (Sr.), Jason Giza (Sr.)

Newcomers: Danny Chumra (So.), Cardell Dawson (So.), Henry Kolterman (So.), Jason Lenz (So.), Bryce Pinsel (So.)

Other bowlers: Jack Kosowski (Sr.), Tyler Starr (Sr.), Dante Vicini (Sr.), Daniel Kaputa (Jr.), Charlie Morris (Jr.)

Outlook: The Wildcats have everyone back from last season. "We're looking forward to a big season," coach Robert Sweno said. "It's really amazing to see the level of progression and see how far the program and the boys have come. We have a lot (6 seniors) that have put in a lot of hard work over the last four years to get to this point. The team is highly competitive and enjoys helping each other improve. It's going to take a lot of hard work in practices to stay competitive within the regional and sectional. There are a lot of really great programs out there, and we are looking to stay right with them."

STEVENSON

Coach: Cody Mathias (second year)

House: Lakeside Lanes, Mundelein

Top bowlers lost: Eddy Mendralla, Peyton Russell, Ted Tapas (Mount Mercy-Iowa) Richy Zenner

Top returning bowlers: Gabe Gordon (Sr.), Josh Singer (Sr.), Zach Singer (Sr.), Lukas Pinkus (Jr.)

Other bowlers: William Jacob (Sr.), Jake Kozak (Sr.)

Outlook: The Patriots won their first state championship last season and return state individual champion Zach Singer. But Richy Zenner, who was the state runner-up, will miss this season. Zenner is focusing on his studies, coach Cody Mathias said. The team still boasts experience. "Our (expectations) are high coming off the state championship," Mathias said. "We obviously want to defend our state title this season, but in doing so we will have a few new faces added to our lineup. We will be a very senior-heavy team, which has a lot of experience in the pressure-packed moments. I believe what it will take to be successful this season is hard work and dedication. The players will have to have a strong work ethic in practice and embrace the target they have on their backs."

VERNON HILLS

Coach: Ron Long (16th year)

House: Brunswick Zone-Vernon Hills

Top bowlers lost: Jimmy Cervantes, Bradley Fisher, Evan Harris, Jacob Hollis, Alec Munro, Andrew Solens, Jacob Stern, Chris Winter

Top returning bowlers: Adam Gates (Sr.), Mac Vincent (Sr.)

Other bowlers: Sam Wolff (Jr.), Owen Christensen (So.), Juan Fernandez (So.), Tyler Gonzalez (So.), John Moore (So.), Jacob Olive (So.), Brandon Cervantes (Fr.), Raffaelo Cianfaglione (Fr.), Jacob Gates (Fr.), Cooper Guilaume (Fr.), Max Himmel (Fr.), Troy Jordan (Fr.), Alex Kouvelas (Fr.), James Ruiz (Fr.), Asron Solens (Fr.)

Outlook: The Cougars lost a number of bowlers to graduation but have some young talent. "I'm looking forward to the season being in a new league (Central Suburban)," coach Ron Long said. "We have a very strong young group."

WARREN

Coach: Jim Voutiritsas (first year)

House: Bertrand Bowling Lanes, Waukegan

Top bowlers: Nathaniel Bratzke, Daniel Lauer, Charlie Kirk, Patrick Faje

Other bowlers: Andrew Lauer, Sean Mitchell, Nathan Garay, Gavin Yepsin

Outlook: The Blue Devils are a first-year program, but coach Jim Voutiritsas is no stranger to the sport. He has worked with the girls program for a number of years. The Blue Devils could be a darkhorse. "We need to focus on one match at a time and see where we are," said Voutiritsas. "We have the defending state champions (Stevenson) in our conference, so it won't be difficult to see where we need to go."