A day on the lanes is no walk in the park for high school bowlers
The boys bowling state final tournament, this Friday and Saturday in O’Fallon, is a war of attrition.
“You have to be in shape enough to handle the grind of the day, like six hours on the lanes,” said Bill Spigner, head coach at Vernon Hills, one of the best teams in the state and among 24 team qualifiers.
“And there’s a lot of emotional ups and downs,” he said. “You’ve got to be able to handle the emotional ups and downs, which drain you physically, too.”
Spigner would know. He’s in seven bowling halls of fame and competed on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour from 1974-85.
General fatigue and injury can knock a team off kilter. Plus, who hasn’t fallen prey to mid-afternoon sluggishness? Placing lunch between the three-game morning and afternoon sessions at state bowling may have an effect.
Numbers bear out the attrition. In the 2024 boys state finals at St. Clair Bowl, just seven of the 24 qualifying teams had higher scores Friday afternoon than they shot in the morning. Only one of the 12 teams still alive on Saturday bowled better in the afternoon.
Last year’s girls state finals were similar. Eight of 24 teams improved in their Friday afternoon sessions and three on Saturday.
“You just try to finish after lunch, the second half of the day,” said Steve Bair, Glenbard East coach. He also noted the increasing unpredictability of the lanes themselves as the bowling balls redistribute the oil pattern applied to them.
Vernon Hills — No. 3 in the most recent state rankings assembled by Naperville Central coach Brian Dunn — and No. 17 Glenbard East will be joined downstate by No. 19 Huntley, Mundelein and Dunn’s No. 20 Redhawks in the team race.
Eight individuals also advanced to St. Clair Bowl from teams in the Daily Herald coverage area that didn’t qualify out of sectionals. They include Jacobs sophomore Brett Biondo, who tipped 1,353 pins at the Oregon sectional, a 225.6 average.
Naperville Central senior Tommy Kradenpoth is the area’s top returning individual, tied for 15th in 2024.
Perfect game bowlers Justin Kay of Glenbard East and Vernon Hills’ Scott Wolfe and Caleb Gumminger will battle top teams including No. 1 Harrisburg, Glenbrook North, Harlem, Lane Tech, O’Fallon, two-time defending state champion Salem and a Lincoln-Way or three.
Among the elite nothing’s a lock. On Dec. 7 at its own Cougar Classic, Vernon Hills beat Harlem by 82 pins. A week later at Rockford Guilford’s Viking Invitational the Cougars placed fourth, 421 pins behind Harlem.
“On any given day any team can win,” said Spigner, who has led the Cougars downstate 12 times in 22 seasons, with four more seasons of downstate individuals. Vernon Hills has a third-place trophy and three second-place finishes, most recently in 2020.
Bair hopes the Rams can improve on their previous trip downstate as a team, eighth place in 2022.
“Making it down is a big accomplishment, and the next thing is qualifying for the second day. If you qualify for the second day, anything can happen,” Bair said.
Honor roll
Earlier this month the IHSA announced its 2024 NFHS coaches of the year, a program in partnership with the National Federation of State High School Associations. Familiar names were plentiful.
York had two of them, badminton coach Gena Fite and baseball coach Dave Kalal.
As well, alphabetically by school: Amanda Kammes, Benet (girls lacrosse); Tim McDonald, Downers Grove North (girls cross country); Steve Keller, Fremd (girls soccer); Shannon Barrett, Hersey (girls gymnastics); and Courtney Bison, Hinsdale South (girls tennis).
Also: Don Kura, Maine South (boys swimming); Kelly Reif, Naperville North (boys water polo); Jordan Bobbo, Neuqua Valley (boys lacrosse); William Stastny, Prairie Ridge (boys tennis); and Glenn Brown, Rosary (girls swimming).
doberhelman@dailyherald.com