Boys bowling: Stevenson's Pinkus finished on a fifth-place roll
Rolling big games on the final day of the boys bowling season provided plenty of carry for several area competitors and teams on Saturday at St. Clair Lanes in O'Fallon.
Stevenson senior Lucas Pinkus finished with a very respectable fifth-place finish after a 12-game total of 2,660 in the boys bowling state championship finals.
Ian Ridgeway of Metea Valley was sixth (2,657), Lake Zurich's Trevor Madura took ninth (2,541) and Blake Miller of St. Charles North placed 10th (2,636), as all earned individual medals.
Nick Sommer of Hononegah was the state champion with an overall total of 2,715 for average of 226.3. He beat Bolingbrook's Alex Acosta by 2 pins (2,713). Sommer shot an impressive 773 over his last three games with 237, 290 and 246.
In the team championship, Hononegah posted a 12,611 pinfall over the two days and 12 games. The Indian were 420 pins better than runner-up Freeport (12,191); Lincoln-Way Central (12,132) placed third.
Lake Park ended up sixth (11,727), following by Lake Zurich in seventh (11,723) and St. Charles North in eighth (11,443). Stevenson placed 12th (11,251).
Pinkus worked his way up the leaderboard in a manner similar to his sectional championship in DeKalb the previous Saturday. He shot a 648 series in the morning set, with a 246 high game. But he finished up with games of 276, 235 and 225 for a 736 series. Pinkus had started the day in 25th place before surging into the top five.
"After the first day, I had it in me to move up," Pinkus said. "I knew I was bowling against some big bowlers and I would need another 800-plus series to win it."
Madura also made a steady climb in the standings during the afternoon session for Lake Zurich. He was within 7 pins of the leader and in second place until his final two games. Madura rolled 214, 278 and 265 in the morning for a 757 series. Then he tossed 226, 193 and 185 for a 604.
"It was a good day and I was very comfortable," said Madura, a junior. "I didn't have much nerves, and I was bowling with a good group of guys. Where I ended up showed all the hard work I put into it."
Metea Valley's Ridgeway rolled a 682 and 676 during the day with high games of 266, 258 and 243.
St. Charles North's Miller posted a 588 and a 650 and had individual games of 246 and 243. Miller had a great first day and was in the second spot after the first 6 games before managing to hang on to a top-10 spot and a state medal.
"I think it's very cool and a great accomplishment," Miller said. "I thought I had a good shot (after Friday). The shot was a little different, but I was able to finish very well."
Lake Park's sixth-place team run was keyed by consistent efforts of 2,864 and 2,860.
Leading the Lancers were Jordan Fischer (2,550), Shaan Patel (2,540), Jason Gutkowski (2,501), Nathan Williams (2,269), Matthew Tumbarello (1,529), David Nygren (291) and Donavan Bond (147).
Lake Zurich started its day in 12th and moved up to sixth place before finishing seventh. The Bears rolled a respectable 3,116 in the morning and 2,785 in the afternoon.
"We made our goals all season long," Lake Zurich coach Michael Sutton said. "These guys were determined to finish on a high note. It's something that these guys will always remember. They just fed off each others' success."
The other bowlers for the Bears were Billy Schroeder (2,476), Brett Schnur (2,254), Eric Reusch (2,154), Jason Morrison (2,010) and Joey Kovanda (158).
St. Charles North made some history with its best boys bowling finish in program history. The North Stars made state just one previous time, taking 12th in 2012.
"Going to state was just incredible," St. Charles North coach Michelle Cook said. "It's been so overwhelming and surreal. I'm proud of these guys. They did their job, kept their composure and did it as a team."
The other St. Charles North bowlers were Joey Rayner (2,369), Mitch Leonard (2,221), Ryan Christman (2,201), Zachary Mundt (1,171), Carson Walters (709) and Brian Belzey (137).
Stevenson's other bowlers were Nicolas Sternes (2,040), Ryan Lerman (1,996), Joey Gluck (1,990), Ben Ries (1,662), Marcus Engstrom (336), Kerry Mueller (331) and Josh Lerner (236).