Major surge powers VH

Vernon Hills' boys bowling team needed someone to take charge on the opening day of the boys bowling state tournament Friday at St. Clair Bowl in downstate O'Fallon.

They called upon Jason Major, a senior, and he responded with a couple of huge games of 254 in his last two games.

Vernon Hills ended the day posting a 6,162 which was good for ninth place behind leaders Salem (6,592), Freeport (6,468( and Minooka (6,445).

It also carried the Cougars into today's second day of competition. They roll 6 more games starting at 8:30 a.m.

Lake Zurich's Josh Zange and Deerfield's Alex Siedband advanced to today's finals as individuals.

"Major came back after a game of 173 (game 4)," Vernon Hills coach Ron Long said. "He came back real strong for us. That's a big reason for where we are now."

Major had a consistent day overall, rolling games of 227, 232 and 233 for a 692 series in the morning and then delivering a 681.

Major is in sixth place behind tournament leader Alex Henseler of Salem, who rolled a 1,575 and tossed a 300 game along with 257 and 265 for an 822 series in the afternoon.

As a team, Vernon Hills threw a 3,085 for its first three games and a 3,077 for the last three. But after a Game 4 of 979, the Cougars responded with a high-rolling 1,076 and a 1,022.

"After the fourth game, I was thinking of making a possible switch," Long said. "I'm glad I didn't. Nothing builds confidence better to see them bowl to another level."

The Cougars also had support from sophomore Erik Hencier (1,264), juniors Brandon Knopoff (1,239) and Aaron Rose (1,164) and sophomore Alex Wong (1,122).

Zange advanced to the finals by throwing a 1,243. He made the cut by just 8 pins, and the Warriors' Alex Sieband was right behind him at 1,237.

Zange threw a 630 for his first three games and followed it up with a 613. His high game was 224.

"He bowled well all day," Lake Zurich coach Peter Kupfer said. "The oil pattern was a little different than he's used to. He responded a lot better once he found the right angle entry into the pocket."