VH rolls to second place, LZ finishes third
Vernon Hills brought its “O” to O’Fallon.
The boys bowling teams from both Vernon Hills and Lake Zurich had great shots at securing a state trophy going into the state tournament this weekend, and neither disappointed.
By knocking down pins at a premium at St. Clair Bowl in O’Fallon on Saturday, Lake Zurich and Vernon Hills helped make history for Lake County.
“It all came down to numbers,” Vernon Hills coach Ron Long said. “The kids put up great numbers over the weekend. I thought we were pretty consistent all day. But there was a team that was a little better.”
Rockford Guilford stormed to the top, taking the state championship with a 12,696 total, a margin of 309 pins over runner-up Vernon Hills (12,387). Lake Zurich took home a trophy for third.
Vernon Hills also won a state trophy in 2005 by virtue of its third-place finish.
“We’ve had the two best finishes in our brief school history,” Long said. “Second is no slouch. We’re in good company with the best teams in the state.”
The Cougars didn’t have a day like Friday, but maintained their stance and didn’t let up. They shot 2,957 for the first three games and dropped a spot to second place. But over its last three games, Vernon Hills put together a 966, 1082 and 932 for a 2,987.
Vernon Hills’ Nick Garpow finished in 18th place with a 12-game total of 2,987 and had a high game of 258 on Saturday.
Vernon Hills’ other contributors were Eric Swanson (2,492), Mason Madej (2,459), Steven Linda (2,224,) Jeremy Steininger (2,161), Jimmy Tyrcha (333) and David Goldberg (169).
Lake Zurich (12, 357) made its way back from 10th starting the day to pick up third place, 30 pins behind Vernon Hills.
The Bears finished out strong with a 3,287 series over their final three games (1,148, 1,012 and 1.127).
“I never thought we were out of it,” said Bears coach Peter Kupfer, whose team moved up the leaderboard to secure the program’s first state trophy. “The kids responded and wanted it. Everything all came together. We expected to be here all season.”
Individually for Lake Zurich, sophomore Mike Schmitt finished second, providing the best finish ever for a boys bowler from Lake County.
Schmitt produced a 6-game total of 2,772, finishing behind Lockport’s Kyle Anderson (2,817), who successfully defended his state title.
“I definitely did not expect to finish this high,” Schmitt said. “I was trying to keep my mind clear, knowing the importance of the situation. I was just hoping things would work out.”
Schmitt had a great day, throwing 700 in the morning set with games of 223, 231 and 246. He then bowled a 734 in the afternoon thanks to games of 264, 223 and 247.
“I had a lot of momentum,” Schmitt said. “If you throw a couple of bad shots, it’s easy to let down. I just tried to keep the adrenaline going and my emotions in check.”
Lake Zurich’s other contributors included Kyle Hunter (2,475), Steve Garcia (2,408), Tony Giannecchini (2,117), Mike Adamczyk (1,024), Mike Wormley (749), Quinn Nelson (683) and Jeremy Krause (129).
Deerfield’s Zach Cole ended up in seventh place (2,634) and had 661 for the first three games.