I can't overemphasize that these are my own personal PROJECTIONS of what group everyone will be in. They won't be official until after all the entries are in, and several of these may turn out to be wrong.
Bold indicates the top ranked team in each section
BOYS GROUP I
1. St. Rose (C)
2. Hudson Catholic (N1B)
3. Manasquan
4. Middlesex
5. Matawan
6. North Arlington (N1A)
7. Roselle (Abraham Clark) (N2)
8. Bishop Eustace (S)
9. Johnson
10. Wallkill Valley
11. Butler
12. Hasbrouck Heights
BOYS GROUP II
1. South Plainfield (C)
2. St. Joseph-Metuchen
3. Sussex Tech (N1B)
4. Seneca (S)
5. Ocean Township
6. Manchester Township
7. Iselin Kennedy
8. Montville (N2)
9. Colonia
10. Mahwah (N1A)
11. Wall Township
12. Lacey Township
BOYS GROUP III
1. Toms River South (S)
2. Woodbridge (C)
3. Wayne Hills (N1B)
4. Brick Township
5. Pascack Valley (N1A)
6. Morris Knolls (N2)
7. North Brunswick
8. Demarest
9. Linden
10. Edison
11. West Milford
12. Indian Hills
BOYS GROUP IV
1. East Brunswick (C)
2. Brick Memorial (S)
3. Monroe
4. South Brunswick
5. Union (N2)
6. Clifton (N1B)
7. Fair Lawn (N1A)
8. Lenape
9. JP Stevens
10. Southern
11. Toms River North
12. St. Peter's Prep
GIRLS GROUP I
1. Ramsey (N)
2. Carteret (C)
3. Matawan
4. Manasquan
5. South River
6. Collingswood (S)
7. New Egypt
8. Bishop Eustace
9. Maple Shade
10. St. John Vianney
11. South Hunterdon
12. Mother Seton
GIRLS GROUP II
1. Lacey Township (S)
2. Manchester Township
3. Mahwah (N)
4. Colts Neck (C)
5. Holy Angels
6. Colonia
7. Ewing
8. Ocean Township
9. Pemberton
10. South Plainfield
11. Demarest
12. Barnegat
GIRLS GROUP III
1. Brick Township (S)
2. Warren Hills (N)
3. Toms River South
4. Teaneck
5. Edison (C)
6. Woodbridge
7. Wayne Valley
8. Freehold Township
9. Ridgewood
10. Paramus Catholic
11. Central Regional
12. Sayreville
GIRLS GROUP IV
1. Toms River North (S)
2. Brick Memorial
3. East Brunswick (C)
4. Monroe
5. South Brunswick
6. Washington Township
7. Eastern
8. Old Bridge
9. Hackensack (N)
10. Southern
11. Bergen Tech
12. Hunterdon Central
Friday, December 29, 2017
Thursday, December 28, 2017
Girls Rankings at the Break
THE TOP TWENTY GIRLS BOWLING TEAMS IN NEW JERSEY
1. Toms River North
Shore-South-A GA: 182.1
No real separation between the top 3, so I'll keep going back to the numbers. TRN is far from just the Peters & Peters show (Kamerin at 218, Paige at 195), with Cassidy Syrdale and Livia Spalluto both over 170. 2774 on Thursday was the highest Shore set of the week.
2. Brick Township
Shore-South-A GA: 180.5
Took two of three from TRN last week. Caylin Ryan (203), Julianna Forbes (192), Cristy Sharkey (185) and Christina Gonzalez (173) are getting it done every match for the Dragons.
3. Brick Memorial
Shore-South-A GA: 178.0
There's a legitimate argument for #1 here, with the highest set (2873), leading the division at 18-6, and winning the RWTI playoff. Amanda Shelters (205) is a star, and Rachel Katz (182), Veronica Lewis (184) and Maggie Neafsey (174) are putting up strong numbers.
4. Warren Hills
Skyland GA: 175.9
Fired 2789 on Thursday behind Katie Winch (637) and Kelcie Mannon (628), and getting big contributions from Olivia Ostrander (175). Blue Streaks are definitely still in the championship mix.
5. Lacey Township
Shore-South-B GA: 170.4
Outscored rivals Manchester at the RWI, in separate dual matches Monday, and then in a 2-1 dual match victory to earn a tie at the top of SSB. Autumn Laird, Julia Muro and Liz Schreier, all over 180, have this team firing on all cylinders.
6. Manchester Township
Shore-South-B GA: 172.9
Still unquestionably the deepest team in New Jersey, with every starter at 169+ (MacKenzie Weber, Victoria Shaw, Vicki Smith & Kim Wolf), headed by SJS runnerup Theresa Bedaro's 191.
7. Toms River South
Shore-South-A GA: 170.1
Putting up scores just as big as the top teams lately, including 2676 in a tight match with TRN. Ciani Sanchez and Hannah Dalton are comfortably above 170, and Natalie Swindell is averaging 192 and won the South Jersey Singles title.
8. Teaneck
Big North GA: 167.4
Looking like the dominant team up in the northeast again, fairly untested in 5 conference matchups. Margaux Lesser leads the way at 183, and freshman Shayna Jimenez has kept this a dangerous 5-deep, no weak spots lineup.
9. East Brunswick
GMC GA: 162.1
9-0 / 33-3 in GMC play, including dropping multiple 2600+ sets and wins over Monroe, Carteret and Woodbridge. Madison Steinbeck has the #3 average in the conference at 193.
10. Monroe
GMC GA: 158.6
Flying up the rankings after a slow start; last match was a strong 2555 in a win over Sayreville. Victoria Stasicky (197) and Bridget Bolan (189) are one of the very best top-twos in the state.
11. Edison
GMC GA: 157.9
Never underestimate a Tracie Smith-coached Edison girls team. They'll find a way to get better and challenge for a title. Sitting at 24.5-7.5, with a season-high 2625 set last week, and Tori Johnson (188) and Sam Osiadacz (177) bowling like stars.
12. South Brunswick
GMC GA: 156.8
Quite a glut of GMC squads here. SB's numbers are just a tick lighter, but they're also rounding into shape behind incredibly consistent seasons by Kristen Thorne and Jillian Kwock.
13. Mahwah
Big North GA: 159.6
28-0 in Big North matches, including a 2004 4-man set last week. Allie Adamski and Michaella Raab lead the way with averages just a tiny bit below 170, and this team just might go 5-deep at tournament time.
14. Woodbridge
GMC GA: 157.5
Impressive 2nd at the Baker Challenge, as well as 7-1 in GMC matches. Eliza Abreu leads the Barrons with a 170 average.
15. Wayne Valley
Big North GA: 159.5
Sophomore Marissa Cosentini has been nothing short of spectacular, averaging 209 in-conference. The team dropped a match to AHA, but has gone as high as 2052 in a 4-man set.
16. Freehold Township
Shore-Central-B GA: 154.8
One point behind Colts Neck in the division, but better overall numbers on the season and lately, with a 2400 last week and 3rd at the Baker Challenge. And top bowler Sarah Orensky (188 overall) is heating up as well.
17. Colts Neck
Shore-Central-B GA: 152.8
Shaping up to be a heck of a fight in SCB: Morgan Gitlitz has looked great in leading the Cougars to the division lead and 7th at RWTI.
18. Holy Angels
Big North GA: 156.7
Victory over Wayne Valley (and a 2034 4-man set) shows they're still a huge factor in the Big North. Alexa Hernandez and Amelia Brunda are both over 176. If the depth develops a little, could be a state finals factor yet again.
19. Colonia
GMC GA: 152.6
Tough, tough schedule, but the team is looking good with a season-high 2438 last week and a fantastic top bowler in senior Laryssa Fiore, who's averaging 188.
20. Ewing
Olympic? GA: 150.3
They bowled in the Olympic tournament, but somehow I don't think that's really their conference? Anyway, averaging over 150 without any bowler even in the high 160s is some pretty impressive depth.
FIVE THAT JUST MISSED
Carteret
Ocean Township
Paramus Catholic
Ramsey
Ridgewood
Nothing bad to say about anyone here; they all just have GA's slightly below the ranked teams. Ridgewood, Ramsey and PC have each been competitive with the top Big North teams, Carteret followed up the Baker title with 2292 & 2252 sets. OT took Manasquan with a 2396 set and leads the Shore-Central-A.
FIVE MORE TO KEEP AN EYE ON
Eastern
Matawan
Old Bridge
Sayreville
Washington Township
Eastern and Washington Twp were 1-2 in the Olympic tournament and I wouldn't be surprised to see them move up when more results come in. Old Bridge and Sayreville have been hanging with some of the best in the GMC, and Matawan has the Shore-North-A pretty well dominated.
1. Toms River North
Shore-South-A GA: 182.1
No real separation between the top 3, so I'll keep going back to the numbers. TRN is far from just the Peters & Peters show (Kamerin at 218, Paige at 195), with Cassidy Syrdale and Livia Spalluto both over 170. 2774 on Thursday was the highest Shore set of the week.
2. Brick Township
Shore-South-A GA: 180.5
Took two of three from TRN last week. Caylin Ryan (203), Julianna Forbes (192), Cristy Sharkey (185) and Christina Gonzalez (173) are getting it done every match for the Dragons.
3. Brick Memorial
Shore-South-A GA: 178.0
There's a legitimate argument for #1 here, with the highest set (2873), leading the division at 18-6, and winning the RWTI playoff. Amanda Shelters (205) is a star, and Rachel Katz (182), Veronica Lewis (184) and Maggie Neafsey (174) are putting up strong numbers.
4. Warren Hills
Skyland GA: 175.9
Fired 2789 on Thursday behind Katie Winch (637) and Kelcie Mannon (628), and getting big contributions from Olivia Ostrander (175). Blue Streaks are definitely still in the championship mix.
5. Lacey Township
Shore-South-B GA: 170.4
Outscored rivals Manchester at the RWI, in separate dual matches Monday, and then in a 2-1 dual match victory to earn a tie at the top of SSB. Autumn Laird, Julia Muro and Liz Schreier, all over 180, have this team firing on all cylinders.
6. Manchester Township
Shore-South-B GA: 172.9
Still unquestionably the deepest team in New Jersey, with every starter at 169+ (MacKenzie Weber, Victoria Shaw, Vicki Smith & Kim Wolf), headed by SJS runnerup Theresa Bedaro's 191.
7. Toms River South
Shore-South-A GA: 170.1
Putting up scores just as big as the top teams lately, including 2676 in a tight match with TRN. Ciani Sanchez and Hannah Dalton are comfortably above 170, and Natalie Swindell is averaging 192 and won the South Jersey Singles title.
8. Teaneck
Big North GA: 167.4
Looking like the dominant team up in the northeast again, fairly untested in 5 conference matchups. Margaux Lesser leads the way at 183, and freshman Shayna Jimenez has kept this a dangerous 5-deep, no weak spots lineup.
9. East Brunswick
GMC GA: 162.1
9-0 / 33-3 in GMC play, including dropping multiple 2600+ sets and wins over Monroe, Carteret and Woodbridge. Madison Steinbeck has the #3 average in the conference at 193.
10. Monroe
GMC GA: 158.6
Flying up the rankings after a slow start; last match was a strong 2555 in a win over Sayreville. Victoria Stasicky (197) and Bridget Bolan (189) are one of the very best top-twos in the state.
11. Edison
GMC GA: 157.9
Never underestimate a Tracie Smith-coached Edison girls team. They'll find a way to get better and challenge for a title. Sitting at 24.5-7.5, with a season-high 2625 set last week, and Tori Johnson (188) and Sam Osiadacz (177) bowling like stars.
12. South Brunswick
GMC GA: 156.8
Quite a glut of GMC squads here. SB's numbers are just a tick lighter, but they're also rounding into shape behind incredibly consistent seasons by Kristen Thorne and Jillian Kwock.
13. Mahwah
Big North GA: 159.6
28-0 in Big North matches, including a 2004 4-man set last week. Allie Adamski and Michaella Raab lead the way with averages just a tiny bit below 170, and this team just might go 5-deep at tournament time.
14. Woodbridge
GMC GA: 157.5
Impressive 2nd at the Baker Challenge, as well as 7-1 in GMC matches. Eliza Abreu leads the Barrons with a 170 average.
15. Wayne Valley
Big North GA: 159.5
Sophomore Marissa Cosentini has been nothing short of spectacular, averaging 209 in-conference. The team dropped a match to AHA, but has gone as high as 2052 in a 4-man set.
16. Freehold Township
Shore-Central-B GA: 154.8
One point behind Colts Neck in the division, but better overall numbers on the season and lately, with a 2400 last week and 3rd at the Baker Challenge. And top bowler Sarah Orensky (188 overall) is heating up as well.
17. Colts Neck
Shore-Central-B GA: 152.8
Shaping up to be a heck of a fight in SCB: Morgan Gitlitz has looked great in leading the Cougars to the division lead and 7th at RWTI.
18. Holy Angels
Big North GA: 156.7
Victory over Wayne Valley (and a 2034 4-man set) shows they're still a huge factor in the Big North. Alexa Hernandez and Amelia Brunda are both over 176. If the depth develops a little, could be a state finals factor yet again.
19. Colonia
GMC GA: 152.6
Tough, tough schedule, but the team is looking good with a season-high 2438 last week and a fantastic top bowler in senior Laryssa Fiore, who's averaging 188.
20. Ewing
Olympic? GA: 150.3
They bowled in the Olympic tournament, but somehow I don't think that's really their conference? Anyway, averaging over 150 without any bowler even in the high 160s is some pretty impressive depth.
FIVE THAT JUST MISSED
Carteret
Ocean Township
Paramus Catholic
Ramsey
Ridgewood
Nothing bad to say about anyone here; they all just have GA's slightly below the ranked teams. Ridgewood, Ramsey and PC have each been competitive with the top Big North teams, Carteret followed up the Baker title with 2292 & 2252 sets. OT took Manasquan with a 2396 set and leads the Shore-Central-A.
FIVE MORE TO KEEP AN EYE ON
Eastern
Matawan
Old Bridge
Sayreville
Washington Township
Eastern and Washington Twp were 1-2 in the Olympic tournament and I wouldn't be surprised to see them move up when more results come in. Old Bridge and Sayreville have been hanging with some of the best in the GMC, and Matawan has the Shore-North-A pretty well dominated.
Wednesday, December 27, 2017
Boys Rankings at the Break
I think I have the vast majority of data current, a handful of stragglers aside, so let's try this again.
THE TOP 20 BOYS BOWLING TEAMS IN NEW JERSEY
1. East Brunswick
GMC GA: 217.4
Not a whole lot of debate here: Daniel Lenk, Sam Bortnick, Armen Shamim, Andrew Mai and Jack Deruvo are all still bowling great. Last match before the break was a huge 3259 in a win over a very good St. Joseph's team.
2. Toms River South
Shore-South-A GA: 206.1
Plenty of debate here, though. 23-1 in SSA and a sweep of Brick Memorial on Monday. Five guys over 200 in conference: Kevin DiBernardo, Kyle Oliveri, Nick Brescia, Andrew Xiques and Jim Breslin.
3. Woodbridge
GMC GA: 207.9
32-4 with the only loss coming to East Brunswick. Put up 3320 & 3321 in matches last week: the Barrons are definitely on the upswing and their depth is asserting itself, with Alex Silva joining James Stoveken, John Drost and Jason Bilawsky as constant threats to post a big number.
4. Brick Memorial
Shore-South-A GA: 207.1
Took the RWTI title after excelling in the Baker playoffs and put up a season-high 3271 in a sweep of Brick Township on Friday. Another team with all 200+ starters: Alec Hehir, Michael Guzman, John Boughton, Cameron Waldheim and Andrew Varela.
5. Monroe
GMC GA: 204.4
Another pair of 3000 sets last week, on the heels of a strong 2nd in the Baker challenge. Ryley McKiernan put up a monster set of 780 and has his average up to 215, while Louis Folgore remains in the stratosphere at 226 and Zac Waynor is right at 200 as well.
6. South Plainfield
GMC GA: 205.0
Still sitting with an excellent 29-3 GMC record and featuring an awesome top three of Angelo Salici, Shaun Boffard and Mike Menkin, these guys are the clear state title favorites in Group II.
7. St. Joseph-Metuchen
GMC GA: 203.1
Finished the calendar year off with very strong sets of 3168 and 3134, this team is basically the same as last year's state title contenders: very deep, very balanced, and capable of giving anyone a match. John Hoban leads the way with a 204 conference average.
8. St. Rose
Shore-Central-A GA: 194.8
Leading the very tough SCA at 14-4, put up 3000 sets seemingly at will. Jarrett Toth and David Schuld are over 200 in-conference, and Joey Chiusano has broken out in a big way, currently sitting at 222.
9. Wayne Hills
Big North GA: 200.2
At this point, the clear choice for top team in the Big North, despite a 4-3 loss to West Milford in which WH shot a 4-man 2425. Dylan Heinold, Nick Kent and Tom Luchetta are all over 200 on the young season, and this is that rare Big North team that looks like it goes a legit 5-deep.
10. Brick Township
Shore-South-A GA: 198.5
A click behind the top two in SSA, there's still a world of talent here, led by 3 200+ bowlers in Chris Shymanski, Andrew Masi and Nick Gross.
11. South Brunswick
GMC GA: 197.4
Season-high 3221 in a big win over South Plainfield last week. Anthony Fama is sailing along at 208, with a bunch of guys that can shoot 600 on any given day behind him.
12. Pascack Valley
Big North GA: 199.3
Only question mark here might be 5-man depth: the top four are just fantastic, with the all-junior quartet of Scott Morris, Brian Biml, Henry Tipping and Trevor Lauber going as high as a 4-man 2608.
13. Hudson Cathollic
HCIAL GA: 197.3
Some really good bowling happening up in the HCIAL, and while St. Peter's has the best record by a bit, HC has put up the best numbers, led by a high-quality top two: Geoffrey Origenes and Jivan Persaud.
14. Manasquan
Shore-Central-A GA: 195.6
3rd at RWTI, 2nd in conference standings and a huge high set of 3196. Juniors Kyle Bauter and Dylan Wolfe are keeping Manasquan right near the top with averages over 215.
15. Sussex Tech
NJAC-North GA: 192.5
Facing arguably their toughest conference competition, they put up a season-high 3048. I'm convinced we won't know just how good these guys are until tournament time, but for now they are very, very good, led by Joey Steele's 219 average, with Matt Grey and Pat Danielson just a hair below 200.
16. Morris Knolls
NJAC-South GA: 195.8
The class of the conference, chugging along at 40-2, and led by what at this point we must say is the best top-two in the state this side of Bortnick/Lenk: Rob Murray and Joey Lamont are each over 220 in conference matches.
17. Seneca
Olympic GA: 194.5
Olympic tournament champs put up 3032 in a sweep of Lenape, probably their toughest conference competitor. Zachary Malcolm has emerged as their top gun, averaging 208 in-conference.
18. North Brunswick
GMC GA: 198.8
Just a little slippage the last week or two, but the season-long numbers are still strong enough to easily justify a top-20 ranking, and David Burrows' 209 average remains one of the best in the GMC.
19. Demarest
Big North GA: 196.6
Daniel Lenk has maybe two competitors in the "hottest start" category, and one of them is Jordan Tse of Demarest, who has two 300 games and a 238 average. Nick Allegro leads a group of quality bowlers behind Tse, making this team a very viable contender.
20. Linden
Union-Watchung GA: 192.6
This spot could have gone to any of a half-dozen, but Linden leads their conference, won the Baker Challenge, and has an emerging star I've never written about in James Fitz, who's averaging 205.
FIVE THAT JUST MISSED
Clifton
Edison
Fair Lawn
Ocean Township
Union
This is just impossible; harder than last year, it seems. Generally, what separates the top 10 and these teams fighting for spots between like 15 & 25, is depth. There is obviously, plenty of top-line talent on every one of the squads, from Johann Gamo and Joe Paolillo at Clifton, to Jason Smith & Wyatt Buchany at Edison, Nick Greco and Tyler Nappi at Fair Lawn, Matt Redbord and Mark Butler at Ocean Township, and Kiara Powell at Union.
KEEP AN EYE ON
Indian Hills
Lenape
Montville
St. Peter's
West Milford
Usually, I restrict "keep an eye" teams to those not mentioned the previous week, but Lenape dropped from #20 all the way past "just missed" through zero fault of their own and deserve a mention. West Milford put up a monster 4-man 2610 on Thursday. St. Peter's is ahead of Hudson Catholic in their league, and the reports of the demise of last year's dominant teams in Indian Hills and Montville were certainly premature, with IH's Ryan McGuire lighting things up and Montville's Jamie Paddock putting up the sixth-highest girls set in the state at 713.
THE TOP 20 BOYS BOWLING TEAMS IN NEW JERSEY
1. East Brunswick
GMC GA: 217.4
Not a whole lot of debate here: Daniel Lenk, Sam Bortnick, Armen Shamim, Andrew Mai and Jack Deruvo are all still bowling great. Last match before the break was a huge 3259 in a win over a very good St. Joseph's team.
2. Toms River South
Shore-South-A GA: 206.1
Plenty of debate here, though. 23-1 in SSA and a sweep of Brick Memorial on Monday. Five guys over 200 in conference: Kevin DiBernardo, Kyle Oliveri, Nick Brescia, Andrew Xiques and Jim Breslin.
3. Woodbridge
GMC GA: 207.9
32-4 with the only loss coming to East Brunswick. Put up 3320 & 3321 in matches last week: the Barrons are definitely on the upswing and their depth is asserting itself, with Alex Silva joining James Stoveken, John Drost and Jason Bilawsky as constant threats to post a big number.
4. Brick Memorial
Shore-South-A GA: 207.1
Took the RWTI title after excelling in the Baker playoffs and put up a season-high 3271 in a sweep of Brick Township on Friday. Another team with all 200+ starters: Alec Hehir, Michael Guzman, John Boughton, Cameron Waldheim and Andrew Varela.
5. Monroe
GMC GA: 204.4
Another pair of 3000 sets last week, on the heels of a strong 2nd in the Baker challenge. Ryley McKiernan put up a monster set of 780 and has his average up to 215, while Louis Folgore remains in the stratosphere at 226 and Zac Waynor is right at 200 as well.
6. South Plainfield
GMC GA: 205.0
Still sitting with an excellent 29-3 GMC record and featuring an awesome top three of Angelo Salici, Shaun Boffard and Mike Menkin, these guys are the clear state title favorites in Group II.
7. St. Joseph-Metuchen
GMC GA: 203.1
Finished the calendar year off with very strong sets of 3168 and 3134, this team is basically the same as last year's state title contenders: very deep, very balanced, and capable of giving anyone a match. John Hoban leads the way with a 204 conference average.
8. St. Rose
Shore-Central-A GA: 194.8
Leading the very tough SCA at 14-4, put up 3000 sets seemingly at will. Jarrett Toth and David Schuld are over 200 in-conference, and Joey Chiusano has broken out in a big way, currently sitting at 222.
9. Wayne Hills
Big North GA: 200.2
At this point, the clear choice for top team in the Big North, despite a 4-3 loss to West Milford in which WH shot a 4-man 2425. Dylan Heinold, Nick Kent and Tom Luchetta are all over 200 on the young season, and this is that rare Big North team that looks like it goes a legit 5-deep.
10. Brick Township
Shore-South-A GA: 198.5
A click behind the top two in SSA, there's still a world of talent here, led by 3 200+ bowlers in Chris Shymanski, Andrew Masi and Nick Gross.
11. South Brunswick
GMC GA: 197.4
Season-high 3221 in a big win over South Plainfield last week. Anthony Fama is sailing along at 208, with a bunch of guys that can shoot 600 on any given day behind him.
12. Pascack Valley
Big North GA: 199.3
Only question mark here might be 5-man depth: the top four are just fantastic, with the all-junior quartet of Scott Morris, Brian Biml, Henry Tipping and Trevor Lauber going as high as a 4-man 2608.
13. Hudson Cathollic
HCIAL GA: 197.3
Some really good bowling happening up in the HCIAL, and while St. Peter's has the best record by a bit, HC has put up the best numbers, led by a high-quality top two: Geoffrey Origenes and Jivan Persaud.
14. Manasquan
Shore-Central-A GA: 195.6
3rd at RWTI, 2nd in conference standings and a huge high set of 3196. Juniors Kyle Bauter and Dylan Wolfe are keeping Manasquan right near the top with averages over 215.
15. Sussex Tech
NJAC-North GA: 192.5
Facing arguably their toughest conference competition, they put up a season-high 3048. I'm convinced we won't know just how good these guys are until tournament time, but for now they are very, very good, led by Joey Steele's 219 average, with Matt Grey and Pat Danielson just a hair below 200.
16. Morris Knolls
NJAC-South GA: 195.8
The class of the conference, chugging along at 40-2, and led by what at this point we must say is the best top-two in the state this side of Bortnick/Lenk: Rob Murray and Joey Lamont are each over 220 in conference matches.
17. Seneca
Olympic GA: 194.5
Olympic tournament champs put up 3032 in a sweep of Lenape, probably their toughest conference competitor. Zachary Malcolm has emerged as their top gun, averaging 208 in-conference.
18. North Brunswick
GMC GA: 198.8
Just a little slippage the last week or two, but the season-long numbers are still strong enough to easily justify a top-20 ranking, and David Burrows' 209 average remains one of the best in the GMC.
19. Demarest
Big North GA: 196.6
Daniel Lenk has maybe two competitors in the "hottest start" category, and one of them is Jordan Tse of Demarest, who has two 300 games and a 238 average. Nick Allegro leads a group of quality bowlers behind Tse, making this team a very viable contender.
20. Linden
Union-Watchung GA: 192.6
This spot could have gone to any of a half-dozen, but Linden leads their conference, won the Baker Challenge, and has an emerging star I've never written about in James Fitz, who's averaging 205.
FIVE THAT JUST MISSED
Clifton
Edison
Fair Lawn
Ocean Township
Union
This is just impossible; harder than last year, it seems. Generally, what separates the top 10 and these teams fighting for spots between like 15 & 25, is depth. There is obviously, plenty of top-line talent on every one of the squads, from Johann Gamo and Joe Paolillo at Clifton, to Jason Smith & Wyatt Buchany at Edison, Nick Greco and Tyler Nappi at Fair Lawn, Matt Redbord and Mark Butler at Ocean Township, and Kiara Powell at Union.
KEEP AN EYE ON
Indian Hills
Lenape
Montville
St. Peter's
West Milford
Usually, I restrict "keep an eye" teams to those not mentioned the previous week, but Lenape dropped from #20 all the way past "just missed" through zero fault of their own and deserve a mention. West Milford put up a monster 4-man 2610 on Thursday. St. Peter's is ahead of Hudson Catholic in their league, and the reports of the demise of last year's dominant teams in Indian Hills and Montville were certainly premature, with IH's Ryan McGuire lighting things up and Montville's Jamie Paddock putting up the sixth-highest girls set in the state at 713.
Tuesday, December 26, 2017
Last Action Before the Break
SOUTH JERSEY SINGLES CLASSIC
Possibly the greatest annual collection of high school talent at an individual tournament, aside from the NJSIAA singles finals, took place on Saturday at the South Jersey Singles Classic. While the scores may not have been as lights out as in some past years, the competition was just as fierce and the winners just as deserving.
The opening qualifying set on the boys cut the field down to the top 36, with a cutline score of 562 (Andrew Xiques of TRS). The top 4 received elimination round byes: Brandon Byrnes of Brick Memorial (657), Sam Bortnick of East Brunswick (671), Ridgefield Park's Derek Lewandowski (678) Absegami/Independent bowler Eddie Ross III (678).
The girls' side cutline at 24th place was 505 (Theresa Bedaro of Manchester), while byes went to Caylei Hoffman of St.John Vianney (599), TRN's Kamerin Peters (602), Freehold's Sarah Orensky (636) and North Jersey Singles champ Rhianna Smith of Hopatcong/Mt. Olive, who was attempting an incredibly difficult double title and got off to a tremendous start with a 278 single and the day's highest official set of 685.
The boys were then cut down to 16, where a single game score of 211 was necessary to survive, and the girls cut to 14 required a 182 single.
With the byes added back in, the quarterfinals were intense. Bortnick was the only boy to cash in his bye, advancing with a 227 game, along with Rob Murray of Morris Knolls (234), Shaun Boffard of South Plainfield (234), Kevin DiBernardo & cutline survivor Andrew Xiques of TRS (248 each), and David MacGillivray of Barnegat, who tied for the final spot with Dylan Wolfe of Manasquan at 225 each and then survived a one-ball rolloff.
The girls' side was just as tough, and again only one bye-holder managed to survive: Sarah Orensky, with a clutch 213. Also advancing to the semifinals were Natalie Swindell of TRS (204), Julia Muro of Lacey (205), TRN's Paige Peters (206), Alexa Tieto of Ocean Township (226), and a blistering 249 from cutline-survivor Bedaro.
Xiques and Boffard each shot 223 in the semis, the only boys over 203, and completed unofficial sets of 686 and 682 respectively to set up the finals. Swindell (232-650) and Bedaro (233-675) similarly emerged on the girls side with impressive numbers.
In the finals, Andrew Xiques of Toms River South stayed just as hot, finishing off his amazing cutline-to-trophy championship run with a 235-201 victory over Boffard
The girls' final was incredibly tight, with Toms River South's Natalie Swindell denying Bedardo her own cutline-to-champ story by just a single pin, 189-188, and giving TRS both champions this year.
OFFICIAL RESULTS COURTESY OF SHORE CONFERENCE SITE
OTHER TOP SCORES BEFORE THE BREAK
780 Ryley McKiernan, Monroe
770 Evan Weinberg, Dayton
750 Joey Chiusano, St. Rose
739 Matt Redbord, Ocean Township
725 Nick Striffler, Lacey
718 Andrew Varela, Brick Memorial
717 Matt Nilan, Bayonne
714 Devan Patel, Lenape
711 Dylan Wolfe, Manasquan
705 Jake Walters, Seneca
705 Marissa Cosentini, Wayne Valley
656 Victoria Stasicky, Monroe
648 Paige Peters, Toms River North
639 Kamerin Peters, Toms River North
637 Katie Winch, Warren Hills
628 Kelcie Mannon, Warren Hills
626 Lanasia Neal, South Plainfield
625 Bridget Bolan, Monroe
625 Amanda Shelters, Brick Memorial
615 Goldera Surles, Union Catholic
613 Julia Muro, Lacey
613 Lacey Beall, Union
604 Sarah Orensky, Freehold Township
603 Alexa Tieto, Ocean Township
603 Liz Schreier, Lacey
Possibly the greatest annual collection of high school talent at an individual tournament, aside from the NJSIAA singles finals, took place on Saturday at the South Jersey Singles Classic. While the scores may not have been as lights out as in some past years, the competition was just as fierce and the winners just as deserving.
The opening qualifying set on the boys cut the field down to the top 36, with a cutline score of 562 (Andrew Xiques of TRS). The top 4 received elimination round byes: Brandon Byrnes of Brick Memorial (657), Sam Bortnick of East Brunswick (671), Ridgefield Park's Derek Lewandowski (678) Absegami/Independent bowler Eddie Ross III (678).
The girls' side cutline at 24th place was 505 (Theresa Bedaro of Manchester), while byes went to Caylei Hoffman of St.John Vianney (599), TRN's Kamerin Peters (602), Freehold's Sarah Orensky (636) and North Jersey Singles champ Rhianna Smith of Hopatcong/Mt. Olive, who was attempting an incredibly difficult double title and got off to a tremendous start with a 278 single and the day's highest official set of 685.
The boys were then cut down to 16, where a single game score of 211 was necessary to survive, and the girls cut to 14 required a 182 single.
With the byes added back in, the quarterfinals were intense. Bortnick was the only boy to cash in his bye, advancing with a 227 game, along with Rob Murray of Morris Knolls (234), Shaun Boffard of South Plainfield (234), Kevin DiBernardo & cutline survivor Andrew Xiques of TRS (248 each), and David MacGillivray of Barnegat, who tied for the final spot with Dylan Wolfe of Manasquan at 225 each and then survived a one-ball rolloff.
The girls' side was just as tough, and again only one bye-holder managed to survive: Sarah Orensky, with a clutch 213. Also advancing to the semifinals were Natalie Swindell of TRS (204), Julia Muro of Lacey (205), TRN's Paige Peters (206), Alexa Tieto of Ocean Township (226), and a blistering 249 from cutline-survivor Bedaro.
Xiques and Boffard each shot 223 in the semis, the only boys over 203, and completed unofficial sets of 686 and 682 respectively to set up the finals. Swindell (232-650) and Bedaro (233-675) similarly emerged on the girls side with impressive numbers.
In the finals, Andrew Xiques of Toms River South stayed just as hot, finishing off his amazing cutline-to-trophy championship run with a 235-201 victory over Boffard
The girls' final was incredibly tight, with Toms River South's Natalie Swindell denying Bedardo her own cutline-to-champ story by just a single pin, 189-188, and giving TRS both champions this year.
OFFICIAL RESULTS COURTESY OF SHORE CONFERENCE SITE
OTHER TOP SCORES BEFORE THE BREAK
780 Ryley McKiernan, Monroe
770 Evan Weinberg, Dayton
750 Joey Chiusano, St. Rose
739 Matt Redbord, Ocean Township
725 Nick Striffler, Lacey
718 Andrew Varela, Brick Memorial
717 Matt Nilan, Bayonne
714 Devan Patel, Lenape
711 Dylan Wolfe, Manasquan
705 Jake Walters, Seneca
705 Marissa Cosentini, Wayne Valley
656 Victoria Stasicky, Monroe
648 Paige Peters, Toms River North
639 Kamerin Peters, Toms River North
637 Katie Winch, Warren Hills
628 Kelcie Mannon, Warren Hills
626 Lanasia Neal, South Plainfield
625 Bridget Bolan, Monroe
625 Amanda Shelters, Brick Memorial
615 Goldera Surles, Union Catholic
613 Julia Muro, Lacey
613 Lacey Beall, Union
604 Sarah Orensky, Freehold Township
603 Alexa Tieto, Ocean Township
603 Liz Schreier, Lacey
Thursday, December 21, 2017
Top Twenty Series
Anyone who read last year may have noticed that I haven't done any regular match recaps, running down recent significant or interesting results. Two reasons for this: first, they are incredibly time-consuming to research and write; and second: they were, without fail, my least popular posts all last season. When deciding what I had to do differently to save some time, it was a relatively easy decision, though I enjoyed writing them.
I do, however, recommend you take a close look at this boxscore of the early contender for match of the year:
LINK TO BOXSCORE
Woodbridge and East Brunswick really put on a show, with #1 taking the match 3-1 and Daniel Lenk serving up the season's first 800.
Speaking of which...
THE TOP TWENTY SERIES IN NEW JERSEY (so far)
BOYS
815 Daniel Lenk, East Brunswick
783 Shaun Boffard, South Plainfield
777 Jason Bilawsky, Woodbridge
766 Daniel Lenk, East Brunswick
764 Evan Weinberg, Dayton
759 Louis Folgore, Monroe
757 Cameron LaPlant, JP Stevens
753 Matthew Marletta, Morris Tech
748 Sam Bortnick, East Brunswick
747 Daniel Lenk, East Brunswick
747 Daniel Lenk, East Brunswick
747 Kyle Bauter, Manasquan
747 Terek Alston, Snyder
745 Brandon Crawford, Snyder
745 Francis Vitelli, North Hunterdon
744 Jordan Tse, Demarest
743 Matthew Marletta, Morris Tech
740 John Drost, Woodbridge
738 Cameron LaPlant, JP Stevens
737 Daniel Lenk, East Brunswick
note: Johann Gamo of Clifton shot an unofficial 770 in North Jersey Singles elimination games
GIRLS
767 Paige Peters, Toms River North
754 Lanasia Neal, South Plainfield
739 Lanasia Neal, South Plainfield
728 Kamerin Peters, Toms River North
728 Amanda Shelters, Brick Memorial
713 Jamie Paddock, Montville
712 Alexa Tieto, Ocean Township
707 Victoria Stasicky, Monroe
707 Katie Robb, Kingsway
705 Katie Robb, Kingsway
696 Kamerin Peters, Toms River North
695 Goldera Surles, Union Catholic
694 Kiara Powell, Union
690 Kamerin Peters, Toms River North
686 Kamerin Peters, Toms River North
685 Rhianna Smith, Hopatcong
679 Kaitlyn Lowey, Union Catholic
676 Eleni Feggulis, South River
672 Amanda Shelters, Brick Memorial
672 Rhianna Smith, Hopatcong
If I'm missing somebody, please let me know.
RECENT BIG SCORES (INCLUDING SOME ALREADY LISTED ABOVE)
815 Daniel Lenk, East Brunswick
764 Evan Weinberg, Jonathan Dayton
743 Matthew Marletta, Morris Tech
740 John Drost, Woodbridge (included a 300 game)
733 Jordan Tse, Demarest (included his 2nd 300 in like a week)
732 Joey Steele, Sussex Tech
725 Jason Smith, Edison
716 Nick Greco, Fair Lawn (included a 300 game)
713 Mike Menkin, South Plainfield
712 Nick Thies, Jefferson
711 James Bolish, Toms River North
709 Rob Murray, Morris Knolls
700 Scott Morris, Pascack Valley
713 Jamie Paddock, Montville
695 Goldera Surles, Union Catholic
694 Kiara Powell, Union
679 Kaitlyn Lowey, Union Catholic
648 Laryssa Fiore, Colonia
631 Marie Neiswender, Lenape
615 Tori Johnson, Edison
615 Samantha Valle, Union
609 Fabriane Jean-Denis, Edison
607 Caylin Ryan, Brick Township
606 Madison Steinbeck, East Brunswick
603 Rhianna Smith, Hopatcong
601 Paige Peters, Toms River North
601 Julianna Forbes, Brick Township
601 Margaux Lesser, Teaneck
also, I somehow missed that Alexa Tieto's 712 series a few days back included a 300 game
I do, however, recommend you take a close look at this boxscore of the early contender for match of the year:
LINK TO BOXSCORE
Woodbridge and East Brunswick really put on a show, with #1 taking the match 3-1 and Daniel Lenk serving up the season's first 800.
Speaking of which...
THE TOP TWENTY SERIES IN NEW JERSEY (so far)
BOYS
815 Daniel Lenk, East Brunswick
783 Shaun Boffard, South Plainfield
777 Jason Bilawsky, Woodbridge
766 Daniel Lenk, East Brunswick
764 Evan Weinberg, Dayton
759 Louis Folgore, Monroe
757 Cameron LaPlant, JP Stevens
753 Matthew Marletta, Morris Tech
748 Sam Bortnick, East Brunswick
747 Daniel Lenk, East Brunswick
747 Daniel Lenk, East Brunswick
747 Kyle Bauter, Manasquan
747 Terek Alston, Snyder
745 Brandon Crawford, Snyder
745 Francis Vitelli, North Hunterdon
744 Jordan Tse, Demarest
743 Matthew Marletta, Morris Tech
740 John Drost, Woodbridge
738 Cameron LaPlant, JP Stevens
737 Daniel Lenk, East Brunswick
note: Johann Gamo of Clifton shot an unofficial 770 in North Jersey Singles elimination games
GIRLS
767 Paige Peters, Toms River North
754 Lanasia Neal, South Plainfield
739 Lanasia Neal, South Plainfield
728 Kamerin Peters, Toms River North
728 Amanda Shelters, Brick Memorial
713 Jamie Paddock, Montville
712 Alexa Tieto, Ocean Township
707 Victoria Stasicky, Monroe
707 Katie Robb, Kingsway
705 Katie Robb, Kingsway
696 Kamerin Peters, Toms River North
695 Goldera Surles, Union Catholic
694 Kiara Powell, Union
690 Kamerin Peters, Toms River North
686 Kamerin Peters, Toms River North
685 Rhianna Smith, Hopatcong
679 Kaitlyn Lowey, Union Catholic
676 Eleni Feggulis, South River
672 Amanda Shelters, Brick Memorial
672 Rhianna Smith, Hopatcong
If I'm missing somebody, please let me know.
RECENT BIG SCORES (INCLUDING SOME ALREADY LISTED ABOVE)
815 Daniel Lenk, East Brunswick
764 Evan Weinberg, Jonathan Dayton
743 Matthew Marletta, Morris Tech
740 John Drost, Woodbridge (included a 300 game)
733 Jordan Tse, Demarest (included his 2nd 300 in like a week)
732 Joey Steele, Sussex Tech
725 Jason Smith, Edison
716 Nick Greco, Fair Lawn (included a 300 game)
713 Mike Menkin, South Plainfield
712 Nick Thies, Jefferson
711 James Bolish, Toms River North
709 Rob Murray, Morris Knolls
700 Scott Morris, Pascack Valley
713 Jamie Paddock, Montville
695 Goldera Surles, Union Catholic
694 Kiara Powell, Union
679 Kaitlyn Lowey, Union Catholic
648 Laryssa Fiore, Colonia
631 Marie Neiswender, Lenape
615 Tori Johnson, Edison
615 Samantha Valle, Union
609 Fabriane Jean-Denis, Edison
607 Caylin Ryan, Brick Township
606 Madison Steinbeck, East Brunswick
603 Rhianna Smith, Hopatcong
601 Paige Peters, Toms River North
601 Julianna Forbes, Brick Township
601 Margaux Lesser, Teaneck
also, I somehow missed that Alexa Tieto's 712 series a few days back included a 300 game
Wednesday, December 20, 2017
Girls Rankings for 12-20-17
All rankings, yesterday and today, were compiled before any results from the current week. I have an old post about how rankings are determined HERE. Most of it still applies, although I haven't calculated T5 ratings yet for the current season.
It's early, and a lot of the numbers aren't.... mature, shall we say? A few teams only have two or three performances to judge. We'll do what we can with what we have.
THE TOP 20 GIRLS BOWLING TEAMS IN NEW JERSEY
1. Toms River North
preseason #1; game average 182.2
Crazy but true: the #1 team is currently in 3rd place in their conference. The margins are razor thin, but I think this is right: TRN won the Mustang, had the high qualifying score at RWTI, and has the best GA. Kamerin Peters is still brilliant (225 conference average), Paige Peters is over 200 overall, and Livia Spalluto and Cassidy Syrdale are over 170.
2. Brick Township
preseason #2; game average 181.7
Could easily be #1, as they lead the SSA and took a 2-1 decision from TRN in a dual match. 2nd at the Mustang, 3rd in RWTI qualifying, top score of 2847. Caylin Ryan has been outstanding, with an overall average over 208, while Julianna Forbes and Cristy Sharkey are in the mid-190s. There will be no runaway in this year's rankings, it seems.
3. Brick Memorial
preseason #3; game average 178.0
Amanda Shelters and her 209+ overall average has helped the Mustangs stay right near the top, just a tiny step below, but with the highest series (2873) so far and a head-to-head win over TRN. Veronica Lewis and Rachel Katz are each solidly over 184.
4. Manchester Township
preseason #4; game average 172.7
Just as balanced as I thought, but Theresa Bedaro has taken a step forward and is averaging 192 in Shore-South-B competition. The Hawks are the clear favorites - not just in the conference but in Group 2 at the state level. Zero weak links in that lineup.
5. Warren Hills
preseason #5; game average 172.4
Just three matches and no tournament results yet, but Warren Hills appears to remain a strong Group 3 contender. Katie Winch is off to a nice start, averaging over 190, with Kelcie Mannon and Olivia Ostrander not far behind.
6. Lacey Township
preseason #8; game average 167.8
The senior triumvirate of Autumn Laird, Julia Muro and Liz Schreier have Lacey just as competitive in SSB as last year. Qualifying score of 2639 at RWTI was their highest of the season.
7. Toms River South
preseason #6; game average of 168.5
Natalie Swindell is off to a great start for TRS, with a 193 conference average. Hannah Dalton has made a nice jump up to 178 herself. Look to have a very good chance to compete for a state title at the end of the year.
8. Teaneck
preseason #7; game average 165.5
After opening with a close 2nd at the Irwin, Teaneck has been lights out in 4-man matches. Margaux Lesser has had the best start of this deep squad, averaging over 186 overall, but there are no weak links in the Teaneck chain.
9. Mahwah
preseason unranked; game average 159.8
Don't hand Teaneck the Big North trophy just yet. Mahwah beat them straight up at the Irwin, and have a strong group in Justina Kender, Allie Adamski and Michaella Raab.
10. East Brunswick
preseason unranked; game average 159.7
Madison Steinbeck's strong and consistent 193 average has helped the Bears to 7-0/26-2 atop the GMC, including a sweep of Monroe, and an outstanding top set of 2636, which can compete with anyone.
11. Woodbridge
preseason unranked; game average 157.7
Another surprise GMC team, this one is getting it done with depth, as well as the improvement of junior Eliza Abreu. 3rd at the James and 2nd at the Baker Challenge - strong tournament team.
12. Colts Neck
preseason #13; game average 154.8
Colts Neck and Freehold Township are going to battle for the Shore-Central-B all season long, and it's going to be close all the way. For now, the Cougars have the edge due to a narrow head-to-head win and Morgan Gitlitz's excellent 192 average.
13. Freehold Township
preseason #16; game average 154.0
Every bit as good as Colts Neck, with an incredible talent at the top in sophomore Sarah Orensky. Finished 2nd at the Baker Challenge, so this is going to be a dangerous tournament team as well.
14. Monroe
preseason #11; game average 155.3
Despite a few surprise teams up above, this may still be the best in the GMC before years' end. Bridget Bolan (186) and Victoria Stasicky (194) are one of the very best 1-2 punches anywhere.
15. Wayne Valley
preseason #9; game average 157.1
Subpar start at the Irwin, but they've looked great in Big North matches so far, led by Marissa Cosentini's excellent 207 average.
16. Holy Angels
preseason #10; game average 153.5
Last year, AHA had a slow start, built depth and momentum all season, and won a state title. Don't bet against them. Amelia Brunda is the early-season average leader (180), while Alexa Hernandez made the North Jersey Singles semifinals.
17. Edison
preseason #15; game average 153.8
No surprise to see Edison survive heavy graduation losses; they came out hot, finishing 2nd at the James, and continue to churn out solid matches, led by Tori Johnson and Samantha Osiadacz.
18. Colonia
preseason #19; game average 151.8
Strong stars from Laryssa Fiore and Rebecca Hoff have Colonia right in the mix, including a 4th place finish at the James.
19. Ewing
preseason unranked; game average 150.7
3rd at the Olympic, but Ewing's overall numbers are too good to ignore. Strong depth and a quality newcomer in Jazmyn Willis.
20. South Brunswick
preseason unranked; game average 151.9
Yet another really good GMC team. Drew 2-2 with Monroe and defeated Edison with a very solid 2486 series.
FIVE THAT JUST MISSED
Ramsey
Carteret
Central
Ocean Township
Washington Township
Need a little more data on Ramsey and Washington Township; don't doubt their talent. Carteret's Baker Challenge win puts them in the mix. Central is just off the pace in a brutal league. Ocean Township may ride Alexa Tieto right back into the top 20 soon.
FIVE TO KEEP AN EYE ON
Eastern
Hackensack
Paramus Catholic
Pemberton
South Plainfield
Eastern (2nd at Olympic), PC (3rd at Irwin) could easily move up with a quality match or two. Lanasia Neal keeps SP from ever being irrelevant. Hackensack is better than their numbers and I think will be moving up very quickly. Pemberton is my favorite type of team, coming out of nowhere, with no earth-shattering averages, but putting up very solid numbers nonetheless.
It's early, and a lot of the numbers aren't.... mature, shall we say? A few teams only have two or three performances to judge. We'll do what we can with what we have.
THE TOP 20 GIRLS BOWLING TEAMS IN NEW JERSEY
1. Toms River North
preseason #1; game average 182.2
Crazy but true: the #1 team is currently in 3rd place in their conference. The margins are razor thin, but I think this is right: TRN won the Mustang, had the high qualifying score at RWTI, and has the best GA. Kamerin Peters is still brilliant (225 conference average), Paige Peters is over 200 overall, and Livia Spalluto and Cassidy Syrdale are over 170.
2. Brick Township
preseason #2; game average 181.7
Could easily be #1, as they lead the SSA and took a 2-1 decision from TRN in a dual match. 2nd at the Mustang, 3rd in RWTI qualifying, top score of 2847. Caylin Ryan has been outstanding, with an overall average over 208, while Julianna Forbes and Cristy Sharkey are in the mid-190s. There will be no runaway in this year's rankings, it seems.
3. Brick Memorial
preseason #3; game average 178.0
Amanda Shelters and her 209+ overall average has helped the Mustangs stay right near the top, just a tiny step below, but with the highest series (2873) so far and a head-to-head win over TRN. Veronica Lewis and Rachel Katz are each solidly over 184.
4. Manchester Township
preseason #4; game average 172.7
Just as balanced as I thought, but Theresa Bedaro has taken a step forward and is averaging 192 in Shore-South-B competition. The Hawks are the clear favorites - not just in the conference but in Group 2 at the state level. Zero weak links in that lineup.
5. Warren Hills
preseason #5; game average 172.4
Just three matches and no tournament results yet, but Warren Hills appears to remain a strong Group 3 contender. Katie Winch is off to a nice start, averaging over 190, with Kelcie Mannon and Olivia Ostrander not far behind.
6. Lacey Township
preseason #8; game average 167.8
The senior triumvirate of Autumn Laird, Julia Muro and Liz Schreier have Lacey just as competitive in SSB as last year. Qualifying score of 2639 at RWTI was their highest of the season.
7. Toms River South
preseason #6; game average of 168.5
Natalie Swindell is off to a great start for TRS, with a 193 conference average. Hannah Dalton has made a nice jump up to 178 herself. Look to have a very good chance to compete for a state title at the end of the year.
8. Teaneck
preseason #7; game average 165.5
After opening with a close 2nd at the Irwin, Teaneck has been lights out in 4-man matches. Margaux Lesser has had the best start of this deep squad, averaging over 186 overall, but there are no weak links in the Teaneck chain.
9. Mahwah
preseason unranked; game average 159.8
Don't hand Teaneck the Big North trophy just yet. Mahwah beat them straight up at the Irwin, and have a strong group in Justina Kender, Allie Adamski and Michaella Raab.
10. East Brunswick
preseason unranked; game average 159.7
Madison Steinbeck's strong and consistent 193 average has helped the Bears to 7-0/26-2 atop the GMC, including a sweep of Monroe, and an outstanding top set of 2636, which can compete with anyone.
11. Woodbridge
preseason unranked; game average 157.7
Another surprise GMC team, this one is getting it done with depth, as well as the improvement of junior Eliza Abreu. 3rd at the James and 2nd at the Baker Challenge - strong tournament team.
12. Colts Neck
preseason #13; game average 154.8
Colts Neck and Freehold Township are going to battle for the Shore-Central-B all season long, and it's going to be close all the way. For now, the Cougars have the edge due to a narrow head-to-head win and Morgan Gitlitz's excellent 192 average.
13. Freehold Township
preseason #16; game average 154.0
Every bit as good as Colts Neck, with an incredible talent at the top in sophomore Sarah Orensky. Finished 2nd at the Baker Challenge, so this is going to be a dangerous tournament team as well.
14. Monroe
preseason #11; game average 155.3
Despite a few surprise teams up above, this may still be the best in the GMC before years' end. Bridget Bolan (186) and Victoria Stasicky (194) are one of the very best 1-2 punches anywhere.
15. Wayne Valley
preseason #9; game average 157.1
Subpar start at the Irwin, but they've looked great in Big North matches so far, led by Marissa Cosentini's excellent 207 average.
16. Holy Angels
preseason #10; game average 153.5
Last year, AHA had a slow start, built depth and momentum all season, and won a state title. Don't bet against them. Amelia Brunda is the early-season average leader (180), while Alexa Hernandez made the North Jersey Singles semifinals.
17. Edison
preseason #15; game average 153.8
No surprise to see Edison survive heavy graduation losses; they came out hot, finishing 2nd at the James, and continue to churn out solid matches, led by Tori Johnson and Samantha Osiadacz.
18. Colonia
preseason #19; game average 151.8
Strong stars from Laryssa Fiore and Rebecca Hoff have Colonia right in the mix, including a 4th place finish at the James.
19. Ewing
preseason unranked; game average 150.7
3rd at the Olympic, but Ewing's overall numbers are too good to ignore. Strong depth and a quality newcomer in Jazmyn Willis.
20. South Brunswick
preseason unranked; game average 151.9
Yet another really good GMC team. Drew 2-2 with Monroe and defeated Edison with a very solid 2486 series.
FIVE THAT JUST MISSED
Ramsey
Carteret
Central
Ocean Township
Washington Township
Need a little more data on Ramsey and Washington Township; don't doubt their talent. Carteret's Baker Challenge win puts them in the mix. Central is just off the pace in a brutal league. Ocean Township may ride Alexa Tieto right back into the top 20 soon.
FIVE TO KEEP AN EYE ON
Eastern
Hackensack
Paramus Catholic
Pemberton
South Plainfield
Eastern (2nd at Olympic), PC (3rd at Irwin) could easily move up with a quality match or two. Lanasia Neal keeps SP from ever being irrelevant. Hackensack is better than their numbers and I think will be moving up very quickly. Pemberton is my favorite type of team, coming out of nowhere, with no earth-shattering averages, but putting up very solid numbers nonetheless.
Tuesday, December 19, 2017
Boys Rankings for 12-19-17
All rankings, today and tomorrow, were compiled before any results from the current week. I have an old post about how rankings are determined HERE. Most of it still applies, although I haven't calculated T5 ratings yet for the current season.
It's early, and a lot of the numbers aren't.... mature, shall we say? A few teams only have two or three performances to judge. We'll do what we can with what we have.
THE TOP 20 BOYS BOWLING TEAMS IN NEW JERSEY
1. East Brunswick
preseason #5; game average 216.3
Upset in the Baker Challenge on Saturday, but it's pretty impossible to find fault with anything the defending champs have done. Jack Deruvo and Andrew Mai are over 200, Armen Shamim is vastly improved with a GMC average of 216, Sam Bortnick has been his always-excellent self at 221 and junior Daniel Lenk has been absolutely scorching, with 5 straight sets of 730+ and a conference average over 240. Add all that up and you get 7-0/27-1 and the CLEAR #1 team in the state.
2. Toms River South
preseason #3; game average 206.5
By an astonishing coincidence, TRS and Brick Memorial, as of this writing, have each knocked down exactly 23,746 pins in 115 games. That's... that's just crazy. TRS gets the nod because they lead the conference and beat Memorial straight up by 100 pins in a dual match, but come on. Excellent lineup features Kevin DiBernardo (217) and Kyle Oliveri (210) at the top but great numbers from Nick Brescia, Jim Breslin and Andrew Xiques as well.
3. Brick Memorial
preseason #1; game average 206.5
As I said, literally nothing separates #2 and #3 statistically. This year's herd of Mustangs is pretty well-balanced: Cameron Waldheim, John Boughton, Michael Guzman and Alec Hehir and all between 216 and 210 in overall average. Only loss is to TRS.
4. Woodbridge
preseason #2; game average 204.9
Some early season scores weren't quite as light-out as we've come to expect from the Barrons, but I don't see anything to worry about long-term. They're 7-0/27-1, won the Wheeler and have shot as high as 3325. James Stoveken (221) and John Drost (2007) haven't lost a step at all, and sophomore Jason Bilawsky has looked incredible at times, firing a slot-machine 777 set and averaging over 208.
5. Monroe
preseason #9; game average 204.8
It's officially time for me to stop thinking of Monroe as "last year's postseason surprise team." They're just plain great, right now, every match. Louis Folgore has grown into a full-fledged superstar, averaging over 230, and Ryley McKiernan has made a huge jump of his own, averaging over 210. The Falcons are sneaking up on exactly no one this year.
6. South Plainfield
preseason "keep an eye"; game average 205.6
Four of the top six spots... the GMC is really good this year, everybody. South Plainfield is 6-0/24-0, won the Irwin tournament and has gotten fantastic numbers from Angelo Salici (217 average), which I expected, and an amazing performance thus far from sophomore Shaun Boffard, which I did not. In my defense, jumping from a 174 average up to 216 isn't, like, normal. Mike Menkin has contributed good numbers to the Tigers' surge as well.
7. Manasquan
preseason "keep an eye"; game average 202.2
Last year's Group 1 champs lost a great deal, including all-stater Austin Devereux, but the guys who came back are firing on all cylinders, with big averages from Ryan Anderson, Dylan Wolfe and Alex Danish, and a dynamite start from Kyle Bauter, who's averaging 225.
8. Brick Township
preseason #4; game average 200.1
Exceptionally consistent: nearly every match scores is right around 3000. Won the Mustang opening weekend, and Chris Shymanski and Andrew Masi are off to good starts, averaging over 210. I really think even bigger scores are coming from this young group (four starters are underclassmen).
9. St. Rose
preseason #20; game average 191.2
True five-man 3000s in wins over both Ocean Township and Manasquan. Game average is a little light because of a wonderful coaching philosophy, so I'm happy to adjust accordingly. Joe Chiusano, Jarrett Toth and David Schuld are the top guns for the Shore-Central-A leaders.
10. North Brunswick
preseason unranked; game average 200.2
Slowed down a bit from red-hot start that included a 3259 set, but still over 200 and 22.5-9.5 in a very tough GMC schedule. Still the biggest surprise team in the state, and a lot of it is on the back of David Burrows' huge 218 average.
11. St. Joseph-Metuchen
preseason "three more"; game average 200.6
Seniors John Hoban and Justin Biancamano lead the most balanced elite team out there.
12. Morris Knolls
preseason unranked; game average 195.5
Robert Murray (223) and Joey Lamont (214) are making their senior year special, taking over as the dominant team in the NJAC-South.
13. Sussex Tech
preseason #8; game average 191.1
Rank outpaces numbers, as they have very little competition in the NJAC-North and can fiddle with lineups to get everybody some action; nine different bowlers have competed in just 6 matches. Joey Steele has been dynamite, averaging 219.
14. Seneca
preseason unranked; game average 192.8
Won the Olympic tournament by over 200 pins; clearly the class of the conference now. Zachary Malcolm leads the way at a 213 clip.
15. South Brunswick
preseason #16; game average 193.1
These great GMC teams just keep coming. Anthony Fama and his 211 average have helped the Vikings to a pair of strong tournament finishes:2nd at the James, 3rd at the Baker Challenge.
16. Wayne Hills
preseason #14; game average 199.8
It's early, and we only have 2 4-man sets to judge, but there's enough talent here to believe that lofty game average, including Nick Kent and Steve Neri.
17. Hudson Catholic
preseason #19; game average 192.9
Geoffrey Origenes and Jivan Persaud are putting up huge early numbers for the HCIAL leaders.
18. Ocean Township
preseason #10; game average 191.7
Lots of talent for the Shore-Central-A contenders, including a big three of Matt Redbord, Mark Butler and Jack Henry.
19. Union
preseason unranked; game average 191.3
Just behind Linden in Union-Watchung, but better numbers overall, including 2nd at the Wheeler. Best co-ed team in NJ by a large margin; best bowler is 200-averaging Kiara Powell.
20. Lenape
preseason unranked; game average 190.8
#2 team in the Olympic has shot a true 5-man 3000. Jayen and Devan Patel are each averaging over 205 so far.
FIVE TEAMS THAT JUST MISSED
Iselin Kennedy
Edison
Clifton
Pascack Valley
Manchester Township
JFK and Edison both shooting strong numbers in rugged GMC, either could break through any time. Clifton and Pascack Valley are both exceptionally talented, but we need some more results to justify inclusion. Manchester has cracked 3000 and looks like the class of the Shore-South-B early on.
FIVE TO KEEP AN EYE ON
Bergenfield
Fair Lawn
JP Stevens
Linden
Southern / Toms River East / Toms River North
Everybody in the Shore-South-A is worth keeping an eye on; couldn't exclude any of them. Bergenfield and Fair Lawn have identical 190 GA's; just need a bit more in 4-man leagues. Linden won a hard-fought title at the Baker Challenge. JP Stevens has fantastic top-end talent.
It's early, and a lot of the numbers aren't.... mature, shall we say? A few teams only have two or three performances to judge. We'll do what we can with what we have.
THE TOP 20 BOYS BOWLING TEAMS IN NEW JERSEY
1. East Brunswick
preseason #5; game average 216.3
Upset in the Baker Challenge on Saturday, but it's pretty impossible to find fault with anything the defending champs have done. Jack Deruvo and Andrew Mai are over 200, Armen Shamim is vastly improved with a GMC average of 216, Sam Bortnick has been his always-excellent self at 221 and junior Daniel Lenk has been absolutely scorching, with 5 straight sets of 730+ and a conference average over 240. Add all that up and you get 7-0/27-1 and the CLEAR #1 team in the state.
2. Toms River South
preseason #3; game average 206.5
By an astonishing coincidence, TRS and Brick Memorial, as of this writing, have each knocked down exactly 23,746 pins in 115 games. That's... that's just crazy. TRS gets the nod because they lead the conference and beat Memorial straight up by 100 pins in a dual match, but come on. Excellent lineup features Kevin DiBernardo (217) and Kyle Oliveri (210) at the top but great numbers from Nick Brescia, Jim Breslin and Andrew Xiques as well.
3. Brick Memorial
preseason #1; game average 206.5
As I said, literally nothing separates #2 and #3 statistically. This year's herd of Mustangs is pretty well-balanced: Cameron Waldheim, John Boughton, Michael Guzman and Alec Hehir and all between 216 and 210 in overall average. Only loss is to TRS.
4. Woodbridge
preseason #2; game average 204.9
Some early season scores weren't quite as light-out as we've come to expect from the Barrons, but I don't see anything to worry about long-term. They're 7-0/27-1, won the Wheeler and have shot as high as 3325. James Stoveken (221) and John Drost (2007) haven't lost a step at all, and sophomore Jason Bilawsky has looked incredible at times, firing a slot-machine 777 set and averaging over 208.
5. Monroe
preseason #9; game average 204.8
It's officially time for me to stop thinking of Monroe as "last year's postseason surprise team." They're just plain great, right now, every match. Louis Folgore has grown into a full-fledged superstar, averaging over 230, and Ryley McKiernan has made a huge jump of his own, averaging over 210. The Falcons are sneaking up on exactly no one this year.
6. South Plainfield
preseason "keep an eye"; game average 205.6
Four of the top six spots... the GMC is really good this year, everybody. South Plainfield is 6-0/24-0, won the Irwin tournament and has gotten fantastic numbers from Angelo Salici (217 average), which I expected, and an amazing performance thus far from sophomore Shaun Boffard, which I did not. In my defense, jumping from a 174 average up to 216 isn't, like, normal. Mike Menkin has contributed good numbers to the Tigers' surge as well.
7. Manasquan
preseason "keep an eye"; game average 202.2
Last year's Group 1 champs lost a great deal, including all-stater Austin Devereux, but the guys who came back are firing on all cylinders, with big averages from Ryan Anderson, Dylan Wolfe and Alex Danish, and a dynamite start from Kyle Bauter, who's averaging 225.
8. Brick Township
preseason #4; game average 200.1
Exceptionally consistent: nearly every match scores is right around 3000. Won the Mustang opening weekend, and Chris Shymanski and Andrew Masi are off to good starts, averaging over 210. I really think even bigger scores are coming from this young group (four starters are underclassmen).
9. St. Rose
preseason #20; game average 191.2
True five-man 3000s in wins over both Ocean Township and Manasquan. Game average is a little light because of a wonderful coaching philosophy, so I'm happy to adjust accordingly. Joe Chiusano, Jarrett Toth and David Schuld are the top guns for the Shore-Central-A leaders.
10. North Brunswick
preseason unranked; game average 200.2
Slowed down a bit from red-hot start that included a 3259 set, but still over 200 and 22.5-9.5 in a very tough GMC schedule. Still the biggest surprise team in the state, and a lot of it is on the back of David Burrows' huge 218 average.
11. St. Joseph-Metuchen
preseason "three more"; game average 200.6
Seniors John Hoban and Justin Biancamano lead the most balanced elite team out there.
12. Morris Knolls
preseason unranked; game average 195.5
Robert Murray (223) and Joey Lamont (214) are making their senior year special, taking over as the dominant team in the NJAC-South.
13. Sussex Tech
preseason #8; game average 191.1
Rank outpaces numbers, as they have very little competition in the NJAC-North and can fiddle with lineups to get everybody some action; nine different bowlers have competed in just 6 matches. Joey Steele has been dynamite, averaging 219.
14. Seneca
preseason unranked; game average 192.8
Won the Olympic tournament by over 200 pins; clearly the class of the conference now. Zachary Malcolm leads the way at a 213 clip.
15. South Brunswick
preseason #16; game average 193.1
These great GMC teams just keep coming. Anthony Fama and his 211 average have helped the Vikings to a pair of strong tournament finishes:2nd at the James, 3rd at the Baker Challenge.
16. Wayne Hills
preseason #14; game average 199.8
It's early, and we only have 2 4-man sets to judge, but there's enough talent here to believe that lofty game average, including Nick Kent and Steve Neri.
17. Hudson Catholic
preseason #19; game average 192.9
Geoffrey Origenes and Jivan Persaud are putting up huge early numbers for the HCIAL leaders.
18. Ocean Township
preseason #10; game average 191.7
Lots of talent for the Shore-Central-A contenders, including a big three of Matt Redbord, Mark Butler and Jack Henry.
19. Union
preseason unranked; game average 191.3
Just behind Linden in Union-Watchung, but better numbers overall, including 2nd at the Wheeler. Best co-ed team in NJ by a large margin; best bowler is 200-averaging Kiara Powell.
20. Lenape
preseason unranked; game average 190.8
#2 team in the Olympic has shot a true 5-man 3000. Jayen and Devan Patel are each averaging over 205 so far.
FIVE TEAMS THAT JUST MISSED
Iselin Kennedy
Edison
Clifton
Pascack Valley
Manchester Township
JFK and Edison both shooting strong numbers in rugged GMC, either could break through any time. Clifton and Pascack Valley are both exceptionally talented, but we need some more results to justify inclusion. Manchester has cracked 3000 and looks like the class of the Shore-South-B early on.
FIVE TO KEEP AN EYE ON
Bergenfield
Fair Lawn
JP Stevens
Linden
Southern / Toms River East / Toms River North
Everybody in the Shore-South-A is worth keeping an eye on; couldn't exclude any of them. Bergenfield and Fair Lawn have identical 190 GA's; just need a bit more in 4-man leagues. Linden won a hard-fought title at the Baker Challenge. JP Stevens has fantastic top-end talent.
Monday, December 18, 2017
Late Last Week
A couple of good tournaments ran on Saturday, the Roll with the Indians hosted by Toms River South, and the Simon Baker Challenge at Majestic Lanes.
I don't have full results from RWTI, but on the boys' side, the hosts led after qualifying with a solid 3116, followed closely by Brick Memorial (3088), an ascending Manasquan team (2984) and a very strong performance by Toms River North (2957). Brick Memorial survived the playoff rounds and emerged as the champion.
Brick Memorial's John Boughton scored the only 700 of the tournament, firing 723, while teammate Alec Hehir (684), David MacGillivray of Barnegat (682) and Toms River East's Dennis Carrino (681) put up impressive series as well.
The qualifying rounds of the girls event was a free-for-all, with six teams in the preseason top 8 all within just 76 pins, featuring leaders Toms River North (2658), followed by an impressive Lacey effort (2639), Brick Township (2624), Brick Memorial (2592), Manchester and Toms River South (2582 each). And just like their male counterparts, the Brick Memorial girls took the playoff rounds and make the event a clean Mustang sweep.
Top girls qualifying series were shot by Brick Memorial's Amanda Shelters (631), Kamerin Peters of TRN (621), and TRS's Ashley Ferrara (614).
Full team qualifying results are available on the Shore Conference site: https://shoreconferencebowling.weebly.com/
Further north at the Baker challenge, there are no individual scores to report in this all-Baker-match tournament, but it looks like it was an incredibly exciting event.
For the boys, the top qualifiers were the usual suspects for the most part, e.g. East Brunswick was the #1 seed. But JP Stevens continues to be on a nice run and took the #2 slot ahead of Woodbridge, followed by Monroe, Howell, Linden, South Brunswick and Iselin Kennedy.
Those top 8 faced off in 2-game Baker matches through 3 rounds of playoffs, with the majority of the matches in the first two rounds staying exceptionally close: East Brunswick defeated JFK by just 12 pins. Linden upset Woodbridge 176-171 in a rolloff after a two-game tie at 390. Monroe took out EB in the semis by just 12, and Linden escaped South Brunswick by just 9. Linden did dominate the finals to take the title, with Monroe 2nd, South Brunswick 3rd and East Brunswick 4th.
The girls side didn't have quite as many tight matches, but instead had a fantastic story, as #8 seed Carteret went out and defeated #1 East Brunswick, #4 South Plainfield and #2 Woodbridge in succession to take a very unlikely (but well-earned) title. Other finalists included Freehold Township (3rd), South Brunswick (5th), Edison (6th), and Monroe (7th).
Other Honor Scores
(some of these may be a week old or even older, as a result of results finally coming online in a few spots)
736-716 Geoffrey Origenes, Hudson Catholic
783 Shaun Boffard, South Plainfield
747 Daniel Lenk, East Brunswick
747 Kyle Bauter, Manasquan
747 Terek Alston, Snyder
745 Brandon Crawford, Snyder
738 Cameron LaPlant, JP Stevens
736 Isacc Russel, Oratory Prep
736 Michael Guzman, Brick Memorial
731 Mark Butler, Ocean Township
728 Thomas McKeon, Keansburg
726 Evan Weinberg, Jonathan Dayton
717 Louis Folgore, Monroe
712 Anthony Fama, South Brunswick
708 Derek Weigl, Bergenfield
705 Luis Torres, Roselle
702 James Stoveken, Woodbridge
plus, a 300 game for Matt Redbord of Ocean Township
728-645 Kamerin Peters, Toms River North
712 Alexa Tieto, Ocean Township
705 Katie Robb, Kingsway
649 Trinity Gray, North Brunswick
628 Kiara Powell, Union
614 Morgan Gitlitz, Colts Neck
605 Alexis Wands, Jackson Memorial
602 Lacey Beall, Union
Ok, rankings coming soon; perhaps as soon as Tuesday.
I don't have full results from RWTI, but on the boys' side, the hosts led after qualifying with a solid 3116, followed closely by Brick Memorial (3088), an ascending Manasquan team (2984) and a very strong performance by Toms River North (2957). Brick Memorial survived the playoff rounds and emerged as the champion.
Brick Memorial's John Boughton scored the only 700 of the tournament, firing 723, while teammate Alec Hehir (684), David MacGillivray of Barnegat (682) and Toms River East's Dennis Carrino (681) put up impressive series as well.
The qualifying rounds of the girls event was a free-for-all, with six teams in the preseason top 8 all within just 76 pins, featuring leaders Toms River North (2658), followed by an impressive Lacey effort (2639), Brick Township (2624), Brick Memorial (2592), Manchester and Toms River South (2582 each). And just like their male counterparts, the Brick Memorial girls took the playoff rounds and make the event a clean Mustang sweep.
Top girls qualifying series were shot by Brick Memorial's Amanda Shelters (631), Kamerin Peters of TRN (621), and TRS's Ashley Ferrara (614).
Full team qualifying results are available on the Shore Conference site: https://shoreconferencebowling.weebly.com/
Further north at the Baker challenge, there are no individual scores to report in this all-Baker-match tournament, but it looks like it was an incredibly exciting event.
For the boys, the top qualifiers were the usual suspects for the most part, e.g. East Brunswick was the #1 seed. But JP Stevens continues to be on a nice run and took the #2 slot ahead of Woodbridge, followed by Monroe, Howell, Linden, South Brunswick and Iselin Kennedy.
Those top 8 faced off in 2-game Baker matches through 3 rounds of playoffs, with the majority of the matches in the first two rounds staying exceptionally close: East Brunswick defeated JFK by just 12 pins. Linden upset Woodbridge 176-171 in a rolloff after a two-game tie at 390. Monroe took out EB in the semis by just 12, and Linden escaped South Brunswick by just 9. Linden did dominate the finals to take the title, with Monroe 2nd, South Brunswick 3rd and East Brunswick 4th.
The girls side didn't have quite as many tight matches, but instead had a fantastic story, as #8 seed Carteret went out and defeated #1 East Brunswick, #4 South Plainfield and #2 Woodbridge in succession to take a very unlikely (but well-earned) title. Other finalists included Freehold Township (3rd), South Brunswick (5th), Edison (6th), and Monroe (7th).
Other Honor Scores
(some of these may be a week old or even older, as a result of results finally coming online in a few spots)
736-716 Geoffrey Origenes, Hudson Catholic
783 Shaun Boffard, South Plainfield
747 Daniel Lenk, East Brunswick
747 Kyle Bauter, Manasquan
747 Terek Alston, Snyder
745 Brandon Crawford, Snyder
738 Cameron LaPlant, JP Stevens
736 Isacc Russel, Oratory Prep
736 Michael Guzman, Brick Memorial
731 Mark Butler, Ocean Township
728 Thomas McKeon, Keansburg
726 Evan Weinberg, Jonathan Dayton
717 Louis Folgore, Monroe
712 Anthony Fama, South Brunswick
708 Derek Weigl, Bergenfield
705 Luis Torres, Roselle
702 James Stoveken, Woodbridge
plus, a 300 game for Matt Redbord of Ocean Township
728-645 Kamerin Peters, Toms River North
712 Alexa Tieto, Ocean Township
705 Katie Robb, Kingsway
649 Trinity Gray, North Brunswick
628 Kiara Powell, Union
614 Morgan Gitlitz, Colts Neck
605 Alexis Wands, Jackson Memorial
602 Lacey Beall, Union
Ok, rankings coming soon; perhaps as soon as Tuesday.
Thursday, December 14, 2017
Hot Starts
Just about two weeks into the season, the Big North is rolling at full force, and after a slow start, most of the results are pouring in at a reasonable clip. There are a few exceptions, in case anyone is in a position to help out, and so I can explain why maybe a deserving team or bowler isn't listed below:
HCIAL has a spot for a public standing sheet, but hasn't updated yet. Trying to secure it in another way.
Shore North A & Shore Central A normally send a copy weekly to be posted on the Shore Conference site but haven't done so yet. Shore Central A is easily the most significant league without posted results (aside from what I've gathered from nj.com).
SEC Colonial has a public sheet, but the other divisions remain a total mystery to me.
So, here are the teams & individuals off to hot starts in 2017-18. These were determined 100% by the raw numbers.
TEN BOYS TEAMS OFF TO HOT STARTS
1. East Brunswick
217.6 Game Average. Not a typo. 23-1 against a rough GMC schedule. all 5 starters over 203, headed by Daniel Lenk's absurd 238 average.
2. Brick Memorial
206.5 Game Average. Four starters averaging over 210, led by John Boughton's 216.
3. Toms River South
206.3 Game Average. Little separates BM & TRS, but they've taken a lead over the rest of their league. Kevin DiBernardo's 217 is tops on the Indians.
4. Monroe
205.7 Game Average. Last year's postseason success story is for real. Louis Folgore is really for real, averaging 228.
5. South Plainfield
204.8 Game Average. One of the biggest surprises in the state. Angelo Salici has been great, firing at a 222 pace.
6. Woodbridge
203.3 Game Average. Perhaps a bit under what we might've expected, but still fantastic, with James Stoveken rolling along at 220.
7. St. Rose
202.8 Game Average. Limited information without a standing sheet or individual stats, but some huge match scores for the Roses.
8. North Brunswick
201.6 Game Average. THE biggest surprise, as these guys were not on my radar preseason. David Burrows has been awesome, averaging 221.
9. Manasquan
201.0 Game Average. Only 2 matches recorded, but one was a huge true-5 3196.
10. Brick Township
200.9 Game Average. Shymanski & Masi are over 210, and this team is young. Watch them get better all season.
also hot: St. Joseph-Metuchen, Morris Knolls, Seneca
TEN GIRLS TEAMS OFF TO HOT STARTS
1. Toms River North
184.0 Game Average. Everything we expected from the Peters sisters, with Kamerin averaging 224 and Paige placing second in North Jersey Singles.
2. Brick Township
182.9 Game Average. Caylin Ryan's 206 average has the Dragons right near the top.
3. Brick Memorial
179.7 Game Average. As always, the Shore-South-A is just dominant. Amanda Shelters' 214 average leads the way.
4. Warren Hills
172.4 Game Average. Katie Winch's 190 pace has helped the defending champs from dropping off too far after massive graduation losses.
5. Manchester Township
172.0 Game Average. This deep and balanced team has been led by Theresa Bedaro and her 193 average.
6. Toms River South
167.9 Game Average. Yet another SSA group, Natalie Swindell has led the Indians with a strong 190 average.
7. Lacey Township
165.3 Game Average. Autumn Laird (183) helps Lacey again challenge Manchester for SSB bragging rights.
7.5. Ramsey
165.1 Game Average. Only one result (hence the half-rank), but it was a good one, with a 637 by Lindsay Pepper.
8. Teaneck
163.3 Game Average. They're back, with another freshman (Shayma Jimenez) added into the mix, trying to dominate the Big North for another year.
9. East Brunswick
160.1 Game Average. Big surprise team here, led by a breakthrough season from Madison Steinbeck, who's averaging 193.
10. Mahwah
159.7 Game Average. Only two results, but good numbers; freshman Michaella Raab has not disappointed.
also hot: Woodbridge, Wayne Valley, Monroe
TEN BOYS OFF TO HOT STARTS
(HIGHEST OVERALL AVERAGES, MINIMUM 9 GAMES)
1. 236 Josh Lipko, Cherry Hill West
2. 235 Daniel Lenk, East Brunswick
3. 229 Evan Weinberg, Jonathan Dayton
4. 228 Louis Folgore, Monroe
5. 224 Rob Murray, Morris Knolls
6. 223 Angelo Salici, South Plainfield
7. 221 James Stoveken, Woodbridge
8. 221 Matthew Marletta, Morris Tech
9. 221 David Burrows, North Brunswick
10. 219 Sam Bortnick, East Brunswick
10. 219 Joey Steele, Sussex Tech
TEN GIRLS OFF TO HOT STARTS
(HIGHEST OVERALL AVERAGES, MINIMUM 9 GAMES)
1. 216 Kamerin Peters, Toms River North
2. 216 Amanda Shelters, Brick Memorial
3. 213 Lanasia Neal, South Plainfield
4. 210 Caylin Ryan, Brick Township
5. 209 Paige Peters, Toms River North
6. 206 Kiara Powell, Union
7. 203 Rhianna Smith, Hopatcong/Mt. Olive
8. 201 Katie Robb, Kingsway
9. 197 Eleni Feggulis, South River
10. 196 Victoria Stasicky, Monroe
overall average included conference matches and tournaments.
RECENT HONOR SCORES
759 Louis Folgore, Monroe
744 Jordan Tse, Demarest
730 Daniel Lenk, East Brunswick
726 Evan Weinberg, Dayton
720 David Schuld, St. Rose
715 Kyle Oliveri, Toms River South
704 James Stoveken, Woodbridge
704 David Burrows, North Brunswick
739-611 Lanasia Neal, South Plainfield
707 Victoria Stasicky, Monroe
690 Kamerin Peters, Toms River North
656 Marissa Cosentini, Wayne Valley
630 Katie Winch, Warren Hills
609 Caylin Ryan, Brick Township
605 Cristy Sharkey, Brick Township
601 Margaux Lesser, Teaneck
HCIAL has a spot for a public standing sheet, but hasn't updated yet. Trying to secure it in another way.
Shore North A & Shore Central A normally send a copy weekly to be posted on the Shore Conference site but haven't done so yet. Shore Central A is easily the most significant league without posted results (aside from what I've gathered from nj.com).
SEC Colonial has a public sheet, but the other divisions remain a total mystery to me.
So, here are the teams & individuals off to hot starts in 2017-18. These were determined 100% by the raw numbers.
TEN BOYS TEAMS OFF TO HOT STARTS
1. East Brunswick
217.6 Game Average. Not a typo. 23-1 against a rough GMC schedule. all 5 starters over 203, headed by Daniel Lenk's absurd 238 average.
2. Brick Memorial
206.5 Game Average. Four starters averaging over 210, led by John Boughton's 216.
3. Toms River South
206.3 Game Average. Little separates BM & TRS, but they've taken a lead over the rest of their league. Kevin DiBernardo's 217 is tops on the Indians.
4. Monroe
205.7 Game Average. Last year's postseason success story is for real. Louis Folgore is really for real, averaging 228.
5. South Plainfield
204.8 Game Average. One of the biggest surprises in the state. Angelo Salici has been great, firing at a 222 pace.
6. Woodbridge
203.3 Game Average. Perhaps a bit under what we might've expected, but still fantastic, with James Stoveken rolling along at 220.
7. St. Rose
202.8 Game Average. Limited information without a standing sheet or individual stats, but some huge match scores for the Roses.
8. North Brunswick
201.6 Game Average. THE biggest surprise, as these guys were not on my radar preseason. David Burrows has been awesome, averaging 221.
9. Manasquan
201.0 Game Average. Only 2 matches recorded, but one was a huge true-5 3196.
10. Brick Township
200.9 Game Average. Shymanski & Masi are over 210, and this team is young. Watch them get better all season.
also hot: St. Joseph-Metuchen, Morris Knolls, Seneca
TEN GIRLS TEAMS OFF TO HOT STARTS
1. Toms River North
184.0 Game Average. Everything we expected from the Peters sisters, with Kamerin averaging 224 and Paige placing second in North Jersey Singles.
2. Brick Township
182.9 Game Average. Caylin Ryan's 206 average has the Dragons right near the top.
3. Brick Memorial
179.7 Game Average. As always, the Shore-South-A is just dominant. Amanda Shelters' 214 average leads the way.
4. Warren Hills
172.4 Game Average. Katie Winch's 190 pace has helped the defending champs from dropping off too far after massive graduation losses.
5. Manchester Township
172.0 Game Average. This deep and balanced team has been led by Theresa Bedaro and her 193 average.
6. Toms River South
167.9 Game Average. Yet another SSA group, Natalie Swindell has led the Indians with a strong 190 average.
7. Lacey Township
165.3 Game Average. Autumn Laird (183) helps Lacey again challenge Manchester for SSB bragging rights.
7.5. Ramsey
165.1 Game Average. Only one result (hence the half-rank), but it was a good one, with a 637 by Lindsay Pepper.
8. Teaneck
163.3 Game Average. They're back, with another freshman (Shayma Jimenez) added into the mix, trying to dominate the Big North for another year.
9. East Brunswick
160.1 Game Average. Big surprise team here, led by a breakthrough season from Madison Steinbeck, who's averaging 193.
10. Mahwah
159.7 Game Average. Only two results, but good numbers; freshman Michaella Raab has not disappointed.
also hot: Woodbridge, Wayne Valley, Monroe
TEN BOYS OFF TO HOT STARTS
(HIGHEST OVERALL AVERAGES, MINIMUM 9 GAMES)
1. 236 Josh Lipko, Cherry Hill West
2. 235 Daniel Lenk, East Brunswick
3. 229 Evan Weinberg, Jonathan Dayton
4. 228 Louis Folgore, Monroe
5. 224 Rob Murray, Morris Knolls
6. 223 Angelo Salici, South Plainfield
7. 221 James Stoveken, Woodbridge
8. 221 Matthew Marletta, Morris Tech
9. 221 David Burrows, North Brunswick
10. 219 Sam Bortnick, East Brunswick
10. 219 Joey Steele, Sussex Tech
TEN GIRLS OFF TO HOT STARTS
(HIGHEST OVERALL AVERAGES, MINIMUM 9 GAMES)
1. 216 Kamerin Peters, Toms River North
2. 216 Amanda Shelters, Brick Memorial
3. 213 Lanasia Neal, South Plainfield
4. 210 Caylin Ryan, Brick Township
5. 209 Paige Peters, Toms River North
6. 206 Kiara Powell, Union
7. 203 Rhianna Smith, Hopatcong/Mt. Olive
8. 201 Katie Robb, Kingsway
9. 197 Eleni Feggulis, South River
10. 196 Victoria Stasicky, Monroe
overall average included conference matches and tournaments.
RECENT HONOR SCORES
759 Louis Folgore, Monroe
744 Jordan Tse, Demarest
730 Daniel Lenk, East Brunswick
726 Evan Weinberg, Dayton
720 David Schuld, St. Rose
715 Kyle Oliveri, Toms River South
704 James Stoveken, Woodbridge
704 David Burrows, North Brunswick
739-611 Lanasia Neal, South Plainfield
707 Victoria Stasicky, Monroe
690 Kamerin Peters, Toms River North
656 Marissa Cosentini, Wayne Valley
630 Katie Winch, Warren Hills
609 Caylin Ryan, Brick Township
605 Cristy Sharkey, Brick Township
601 Margaux Lesser, Teaneck
Tuesday, December 12, 2017
Catching Up
Saturday's Tournaments
The South Jersey Singles was rescheduled to December 23, but the other two were far enough north to avoid the worst of the storm and went ahead. The Wheeler (written up by nj.com) had a limited girls' field, and was won by Union Catholic, who doesn't technically have a girls team, since the Union County leagues are boys/co-ed only. That's a shame, because the UC girls look pretty good, led by seniors Goldera Surles and Kaitlyn Lowey (608).
The boys' side was surprisingly competitive, with preseason #2 Woodbridge barely holding off a very strong Union team and their star Kiara Powell (girls high set of 659) by a 2909-2872 count. No boys cracked 700, but Livingston's Michael Liu (699) and Evan Weinberg of Dayton (694) came awfully close.
FDU Coach Mike LoPresti's North Jersey Singles Classic didn't disappoint, with lots of big scores and good stories. Both Vince (right here), and Greg Tartaglia of northjersey.com (right here) did great writeups, so I won't rehash the details, but I will list the top scores:
745 Francis Vitelli, North Hunterdon (#1 qualifier)
770 Johann Gamo, Clifton (unofficial, in 3 elimination rounds)
702 Ryan Monahan, Warren Hills (unofficial, in 3 elimination rounds)
767 Paige Peters, Toms River North (#1 qualifier)
754 Lanasia Neal, South Plainfield (#2 qualifier)
685 Rhianna Smith, Mt. Olive (#3 qualifier)
665 Gabrielle Capalad, Leonia
645 Kamerin Peters, Toms River North
613 Lindsay Pepper, Ramsey
606 Arielle Wallace, Hackensack
601 Kelcie Mannon, Warren Hills (unofficial, in 3 elimination games)
More Big Scores from the last few days
777 Jason Bilawsky, Woodbridge
757 Cameron LaPlant, JP Stevens (included a 300)
753 Matthew Marletta, Morris Tech
747 Daniel Lenk, East Brunswick
734 Spencer Fabe, Carteret
729 Brian McAdams, JP Stevens
727 Angelo Salici, South Plainfield
716 Jason Smith, Edison
715 Ryan McGuire, Indian Hills
714 Joe Banwer, Edison
700 Cameron Waldheim, Brick Memorial
(also a 300/691 from Jordan Tse of Demarest)
728-672 Amanda Shelters, Brick Memorial
707 Katie Robb, Kingsway
668 Lanasia Neal, South Plainfield
640 Caylin Ryan, Brick Township
637 Lindsay Pepper, Ramsey
633 Victoria Stasicky, Monroe
622 Marissa Cosentini, Wayne Valley
622 Theresa Bedaro, Manchester
621 Eleni Feggulis, South River
616 Emma Thies, Jefferson
609 Bridget Bolan, Monroe
604 Julianna Forbes, Brick Township
The South Jersey Singles was rescheduled to December 23, but the other two were far enough north to avoid the worst of the storm and went ahead. The Wheeler (written up by nj.com) had a limited girls' field, and was won by Union Catholic, who doesn't technically have a girls team, since the Union County leagues are boys/co-ed only. That's a shame, because the UC girls look pretty good, led by seniors Goldera Surles and Kaitlyn Lowey (608).
The boys' side was surprisingly competitive, with preseason #2 Woodbridge barely holding off a very strong Union team and their star Kiara Powell (girls high set of 659) by a 2909-2872 count. No boys cracked 700, but Livingston's Michael Liu (699) and Evan Weinberg of Dayton (694) came awfully close.
FDU Coach Mike LoPresti's North Jersey Singles Classic didn't disappoint, with lots of big scores and good stories. Both Vince (right here), and Greg Tartaglia of northjersey.com (right here) did great writeups, so I won't rehash the details, but I will list the top scores:
745 Francis Vitelli, North Hunterdon (#1 qualifier)
770 Johann Gamo, Clifton (unofficial, in 3 elimination rounds)
702 Ryan Monahan, Warren Hills (unofficial, in 3 elimination rounds)
767 Paige Peters, Toms River North (#1 qualifier)
754 Lanasia Neal, South Plainfield (#2 qualifier)
685 Rhianna Smith, Mt. Olive (#3 qualifier)
665 Gabrielle Capalad, Leonia
645 Kamerin Peters, Toms River North
613 Lindsay Pepper, Ramsey
606 Arielle Wallace, Hackensack
601 Kelcie Mannon, Warren Hills (unofficial, in 3 elimination games)
More Big Scores from the last few days
777 Jason Bilawsky, Woodbridge
757 Cameron LaPlant, JP Stevens (included a 300)
753 Matthew Marletta, Morris Tech
747 Daniel Lenk, East Brunswick
734 Spencer Fabe, Carteret
729 Brian McAdams, JP Stevens
727 Angelo Salici, South Plainfield
716 Jason Smith, Edison
715 Ryan McGuire, Indian Hills
714 Joe Banwer, Edison
700 Cameron Waldheim, Brick Memorial
(also a 300/691 from Jordan Tse of Demarest)
728-672 Amanda Shelters, Brick Memorial
707 Katie Robb, Kingsway
668 Lanasia Neal, South Plainfield
640 Caylin Ryan, Brick Township
637 Lindsay Pepper, Ramsey
633 Victoria Stasicky, Monroe
622 Marissa Cosentini, Wayne Valley
622 Theresa Bedaro, Manchester
621 Eleni Feggulis, South River
616 Emma Thies, Jefferson
609 Bridget Bolan, Monroe
604 Julianna Forbes, Brick Township
Thursday, December 7, 2017
Five Days of Honor Scores
Not a lot to write about just yet; the best girls teams are bowling like the best girls teams, East Brunswick boys will probably have to be broken up at some point as they score at an absolutely incredible pace. Anyway, here's all the honor scores I've come across in the first five days of action
Boys 700s
766-737 Daniel Lenk, East Brunswick
735-706 Josh Lipko, Cherry Hill West
715-714 Armen Shamim, East Brunswick
748 Sam Bortnick, East Brunswick (included a 300 game)
733 Jayen Patel, Lenape
732 Steven Masi, Egg Harbor
709 Evan Weinberg, Jonathan Dayton
708 Shaun Boffard, South Plainfield
704 Angelo Salici, South Plainfield
704 Justin Biancamano, St. Joseph-Metuchen
702 Andrew Mai, East Brunswick
701 Mark Butler, Ocean Township
700 Joey Steele, Sussex Tech
Girls 600s
696-686-617 Kamerin Peters, Toms River North
670-645 Lanasia Neal, South Plainfield
649-635 Madison Steinbeck, East Brunswick
659-615 Caylin Ryan, Brick Township
644-603 Paige Peters, Toms River North
676 Eleni Feggulis, South River
672 Rhianna Smith, Hopatcong
643 Veronica Lewis, Brick Memorial
632 Laryssa Fiore, Colonia
623 Victoria Vucak, Paramus Catholic
620 Julia Kreider, South Hunterdon
617 Julianna Forbes, Brick Township
603 Kiara Powell, Union
602 Natalie Swindell, Toms River South
600 Olivia Ostrander, Warren Hills
So, who's missing?
Boys 700s
766-737 Daniel Lenk, East Brunswick
735-706 Josh Lipko, Cherry Hill West
715-714 Armen Shamim, East Brunswick
748 Sam Bortnick, East Brunswick (included a 300 game)
733 Jayen Patel, Lenape
732 Steven Masi, Egg Harbor
709 Evan Weinberg, Jonathan Dayton
708 Shaun Boffard, South Plainfield
704 Angelo Salici, South Plainfield
704 Justin Biancamano, St. Joseph-Metuchen
702 Andrew Mai, East Brunswick
701 Mark Butler, Ocean Township
700 Joey Steele, Sussex Tech
Girls 600s
696-686-617 Kamerin Peters, Toms River North
670-645 Lanasia Neal, South Plainfield
649-635 Madison Steinbeck, East Brunswick
659-615 Caylin Ryan, Brick Township
644-603 Paige Peters, Toms River North
676 Eleni Feggulis, South River
672 Rhianna Smith, Hopatcong
643 Veronica Lewis, Brick Memorial
632 Laryssa Fiore, Colonia
623 Victoria Vucak, Paramus Catholic
620 Julia Kreider, South Hunterdon
617 Julianna Forbes, Brick Township
603 Kiara Powell, Union
602 Natalie Swindell, Toms River South
600 Olivia Ostrander, Warren Hills
So, who's missing?
Wednesday, December 6, 2017
Early Returns
Four days of action in the books, just a few notes. We're looking at December 18 for the first rankings, I think. Still short a lot of data and a half-dozen standing sheets.
TOURNAMENT ACTION
Three tournaments took place on Saturday, as far as I know. The Tom Irwin Memorial Crusader Classic took place at Bowler City, and dybuk has his customary excellent write up here. The South Plainfield boys more than justified my "keep an eye" designation, winning the event with an outstanding 3126 set. West Milford's boys, who I didn't even cover preseason, were excellent as well, shooting 2907. Pascack Valley & Indian Hills were good as expected (3rd & 5th respectively), and Mahwah was another nice surprise, sneaking into 4th. The champs' Shaun Boffard (708) posted the day's only 700, with Andrew Finke of West Milford (697) and Angelo Salici of SP (696) just missing.
The unranked Mahwah girls were an even bigger surprise, taking out like six teams that I had on my preseason radar and shooting a solid 2381. Perhaps we have this year's Teaneck? The original Teaneck took 2nd, followed by Paramus Catholic, whose Victoria Vucak shot the only girls 600 (623),
Defending TOC champs East Brunswick rolled to a 90-pin victory over GMC-mates South Brunswick in the Bob James tournament at Strarthmore. The big story to me was the impressive (2919) 3rd place finish for Morris Knolls, who is a true contender in the NJAC South. Tom McKeon of Keansburg just missed perfection with a 298, but I don't have full individual results.
On the girls side, Howell, edged Edison by just 13 pins to take the title, 2280-2267.
Preseason #1 Toms River North girls put together a huge 5-game Baker set to put away the Mustang Kickoff Classic at Ocean Lanes, with Brick Township, Manchester and Brick Memorial completing the top 4, all over 2650.
The Brick Township boys made a huge comeback in the Baker session to take their title as well, completing a 3084 set that outdistanced Brick Memorial and Toms River South, all over 3000, and St. Rose at 2896.
PRESEASON WHIFFS
I figured I'd entertain you with what look like my biggest omissions in each category at this early juncture. These are teams not on the preseason ranking page at all, and individuals not mentioned as all-state, returning stars, or up&coming.
BOYS TEAMS
North Brunswick
These guys came out of nowhere to open the GMC season 3-0/11.5-.5, shooting 2828, 3259 and 3043. Senior David Burrows has been outstanding, firing 677-630-673, with junior Gavin Lugo and freshman Zachary Leinwohl doing plenty of damage as well.
Seneca
Really good last year, but I though the graduation losses would hurt them a lot more than they did. 3059 set against Cherokee featured Eddie Cashwell, Cole Ludwikowski and Zachary Malcolm all over 650.
West Milford & Morris Knolls
Mentioned above; don't have any other results yet, but I'm looking forward to them.
Toms River East
It's always the Shore team you don't mention. I had some questions about their depth, but they've looked great so far, led by Dennis Carrino and Ryan McIntire.
other surprises: Iselin Kennedy, Egg Harbor, Mahwah
GIRLS TEAMS
East Brunswick
Holy cow: four full sets in the books already and their game average is over 161, which would've been top 13 last year, despite a rough day at the James tournament. Madison Steinbeck and Sydney Ramos look like they want their senior season to be special.
Mahwah
It's one tournament, and I don't wanna go crazy, but they only averaged 138 last year and they blasted that by quite a bit behind freshman Michaella Raab.
Ewing
Nearly always the best team in their league, and sometimes among the state's elite, this version of Ewing looks much improved including some good scores from Kayla Ricketts and Jazmyn Willis.
Woodbridge
3rd at the James and a strong 2355 in a dual meet on Tuesday. Eliza Abreu started her GMC season off well with a big 579.
BOYS INDIVIDUALS
Josh Lipko, Senior, Cherry Hill West
Opened the season 735-706. You have our attention, sir.
Armen Shamim, Sophomore, East Brunswick
We know how dangerous EB is, but Shamim's huge leap forward puts them on an even higher level. 714-624-715 to start the season.
Zachary Malcolm, Senior, Seneca
Mentioned before; shot a 2-game 438 at the Mustang before a 692 in the dual meet opener.
David MacGillivray, Junior, Barnegat
Strong 2-game 478 followed by a 635 in the first team match.
David Burrows, Senior, North Brunswick
220 average through 9 games.
Kevin DiBernardo, Sophomore, Toms River South
These guys never run out of talented bowlers: this one's averaging 218 through 9 games.
Nick Thies, Senior, Jefferson
632-668 start in the NJAC-North
GIRLS INDIVIDUALS
Julia Kreider, Senior, South Hunterdon
After averaging 141 last year, Kreider opened 2017-18 with 3 200's and a 620 set.
Eleni Feggulis, Junior, South River
A huge 676 on Monday puts her at 205 in the early GMC season.
Madison Steinbeck, Senior, East Brunswick
Rolling at a 190 clips through 9 games for the upstart Bears.
Victoria Johnson, Senior, Edison
Put up the second-high set at the James, and shot 539 in her first team match.
Victoria Smith, Senior, Manchester
Really should have just listed the whole team; put up a 2-game 395 at the Mustang.
There are others, to be sure. As more data trickles in, we'll shout out to more kids and teams.
TOURNAMENT ACTION
Three tournaments took place on Saturday, as far as I know. The Tom Irwin Memorial Crusader Classic took place at Bowler City, and dybuk has his customary excellent write up here. The South Plainfield boys more than justified my "keep an eye" designation, winning the event with an outstanding 3126 set. West Milford's boys, who I didn't even cover preseason, were excellent as well, shooting 2907. Pascack Valley & Indian Hills were good as expected (3rd & 5th respectively), and Mahwah was another nice surprise, sneaking into 4th. The champs' Shaun Boffard (708) posted the day's only 700, with Andrew Finke of West Milford (697) and Angelo Salici of SP (696) just missing.
The unranked Mahwah girls were an even bigger surprise, taking out like six teams that I had on my preseason radar and shooting a solid 2381. Perhaps we have this year's Teaneck? The original Teaneck took 2nd, followed by Paramus Catholic, whose Victoria Vucak shot the only girls 600 (623),
Defending TOC champs East Brunswick rolled to a 90-pin victory over GMC-mates South Brunswick in the Bob James tournament at Strarthmore. The big story to me was the impressive (2919) 3rd place finish for Morris Knolls, who is a true contender in the NJAC South. Tom McKeon of Keansburg just missed perfection with a 298, but I don't have full individual results.
On the girls side, Howell, edged Edison by just 13 pins to take the title, 2280-2267.
Preseason #1 Toms River North girls put together a huge 5-game Baker set to put away the Mustang Kickoff Classic at Ocean Lanes, with Brick Township, Manchester and Brick Memorial completing the top 4, all over 2650.
The Brick Township boys made a huge comeback in the Baker session to take their title as well, completing a 3084 set that outdistanced Brick Memorial and Toms River South, all over 3000, and St. Rose at 2896.
PRESEASON WHIFFS
I figured I'd entertain you with what look like my biggest omissions in each category at this early juncture. These are teams not on the preseason ranking page at all, and individuals not mentioned as all-state, returning stars, or up&coming.
BOYS TEAMS
North Brunswick
These guys came out of nowhere to open the GMC season 3-0/11.5-.5, shooting 2828, 3259 and 3043. Senior David Burrows has been outstanding, firing 677-630-673, with junior Gavin Lugo and freshman Zachary Leinwohl doing plenty of damage as well.
Seneca
Really good last year, but I though the graduation losses would hurt them a lot more than they did. 3059 set against Cherokee featured Eddie Cashwell, Cole Ludwikowski and Zachary Malcolm all over 650.
West Milford & Morris Knolls
Mentioned above; don't have any other results yet, but I'm looking forward to them.
Toms River East
It's always the Shore team you don't mention. I had some questions about their depth, but they've looked great so far, led by Dennis Carrino and Ryan McIntire.
other surprises: Iselin Kennedy, Egg Harbor, Mahwah
GIRLS TEAMS
East Brunswick
Holy cow: four full sets in the books already and their game average is over 161, which would've been top 13 last year, despite a rough day at the James tournament. Madison Steinbeck and Sydney Ramos look like they want their senior season to be special.
Mahwah
It's one tournament, and I don't wanna go crazy, but they only averaged 138 last year and they blasted that by quite a bit behind freshman Michaella Raab.
Ewing
Nearly always the best team in their league, and sometimes among the state's elite, this version of Ewing looks much improved including some good scores from Kayla Ricketts and Jazmyn Willis.
Woodbridge
3rd at the James and a strong 2355 in a dual meet on Tuesday. Eliza Abreu started her GMC season off well with a big 579.
BOYS INDIVIDUALS
Josh Lipko, Senior, Cherry Hill West
Opened the season 735-706. You have our attention, sir.
Armen Shamim, Sophomore, East Brunswick
We know how dangerous EB is, but Shamim's huge leap forward puts them on an even higher level. 714-624-715 to start the season.
Zachary Malcolm, Senior, Seneca
Mentioned before; shot a 2-game 438 at the Mustang before a 692 in the dual meet opener.
David MacGillivray, Junior, Barnegat
Strong 2-game 478 followed by a 635 in the first team match.
David Burrows, Senior, North Brunswick
220 average through 9 games.
Kevin DiBernardo, Sophomore, Toms River South
These guys never run out of talented bowlers: this one's averaging 218 through 9 games.
Nick Thies, Senior, Jefferson
632-668 start in the NJAC-North
GIRLS INDIVIDUALS
Julia Kreider, Senior, South Hunterdon
After averaging 141 last year, Kreider opened 2017-18 with 3 200's and a 620 set.
Eleni Feggulis, Junior, South River
A huge 676 on Monday puts her at 205 in the early GMC season.
Madison Steinbeck, Senior, East Brunswick
Rolling at a 190 clips through 9 games for the upstart Bears.
Victoria Johnson, Senior, Edison
Put up the second-high set at the James, and shot 539 in her first team match.
Victoria Smith, Senior, Manchester
Really should have just listed the whole team; put up a 2-game 395 at the Mustang.
There are others, to be sure. As more data trickles in, we'll shout out to more kids and teams.
Friday, December 1, 2017
17-18 Preview: Girls Preseason Top 20
THE TOP 20 GIRLS BOWLING TEAMS IN NEW JERSEY (preseason)
1. Toms River North
After springing the upset in sectionals last year, the Mariners graduate to favorites. Cassidy Syrdale, Mackenzie Dudas and Kennedy Pfeifer are all very good, Paige Peters is potentially the top freshman in the state (and one of the best bowlers, period), and they have last year's breakout superstar in Kamerin Peters. It's been a while since the Brick schools didn't dominate Shore-South-A, but I think it's TRN's turn for a while.
2. Brick Township
Plenty of talent left for the Dragons after losing two starters: Caylin Ryan, Cristy Sharkey, Christina Gonzalez and individual TOC star Julianna Forbes give Brick a good chance to win every match and tournament they enter, and favorites to recapture the Group III title.
3. Brick Memorial
For the second year in a row, Brick Memorial lost three exceptionally good seniors. And yet, here they are right near the top anyway. Amanda Shelters is fantastic, and Rachel Katz and Veronica Lewis would anchor about 150 other teams. The Mustangs are very much still contenders.
4. Manchester
There's at most an eyelash separating #2 through #4. Manchester returns the entire lineup from last year's SSB champs, and they're all strong: Theresa Bedaro, Mackenzie Weber, Kimberly Wolf and Victorias Shaw & Smith. Wouldn't surprise me a bit for this team to improve even more and challenge for #1.
5. Warren Hills
The defending TOC champs lost 3 top-flight starters to graduation, but return an excellent top two in Katie Winch and Kelcie Mannon, as well as welcoming two talented freshmen in Samantha Irwin and Olivia Ostrander.
6. Toms River South
Natalie Swindell and Ciani Sanchez headline a strong group of returnees, and it looks like there's enough depth, headed by Jessica Ramirez, to make the Indians strong contenders.
7. Teaneck
A whole lot of talent returns for last year's surprise team: Margaux Lesser, Mia Aish, Gianni Caldazilla and Valeria Rosario make this the team to beat in the Big North and a darkhorse Group III pick.
8. Lacey
Took a hit when Claudia Schreier was lost to an injury, but Autumn Laird heads a team with plenty of experience and a shot at the Group II title. Liz Schreier, Julia Muro and Samantha Trembley should also make huge contributions.
9. Holy Angels
2017's Group II state champs lost quite a bit, but Alexa Hernandez and Amelia Brunda are a strong top two, and this program has always come up with enough depth to be a contender.
10. Wayne Valley
Another perennial Big North contender remains strong, with the conference's top returning bowler in Marissa Cosentini and another top-flight bowler in Haley D'Alessandro
11. Monroe
My pick for the top team in the GMC is this squad, led by an emerging star in Bridget Bolan and with plenty of quality throughout the lineup, including Victoria Stasicky and Shannon Glynn.
12. Washington Township
I have a feeling this team may exceed this ranking. Shannon & Patricia O'Neill look to be improving greatly and are joined by solid bowlers in Diana Chan and Jacklyn Welch. Lots of potential here.
13. Colts Neck
State qualifiers a year ago, Colts Neck brings back their top two, underclassmen Morgan Gitlitz and Erica Dugan, who both have looked very good on the tournament circuit.
14. Ocean Township
Very few teams were hit as hard by graduation as the Shore Central A champs, but the cupboard is far from bare: Emma Sylvia and Maribella Ferraina are solid in the middle of the lineup, and Alexa Tieto could easily emerge as a star.
15. Edison
Ok, Edison was hit pretty hard by graduation, too. But Victoria Johnson, Samantha Osiadacz and Fabriane Jean-Denis are a very good core, and the program has been so good for so long that I just expect them to find a way to the top of the GMC.
16. Freehold Township
Won the sectional last year, and while they lost one of their top two, they bring back Victoria Parriello, who was very good, and Sarah Orensky, who's simply the best bowler in the Shore Conference Central.
17. Hackensack
They whole gang returns for one of the best in the Big North, including seniors Donna Lee Graham and Annie Quinn, as well as an exceptional talent in Arielle Wallace.
18. Central
This looks like a solid, balanced group, led by Liz McGee and Ally Dalton, who will put up strong numbers in an extremely tough conference.
19. Colonia
Lots of experience in the lineup for Colonia, and Laryssa Fiore could be one of the best in the GMC in 2018.
20. Southern
MacKenzie Olson leads another good Shore Conference team that would be near the top of nearly any other conference in the state.
FIVE TO KEEP AN EYE ON
Barnegat
Developing some depth at Barnegat, and they have a really good one in Alyssa Pilovsky.
Howell
Lost an impressive top two to graduation, but there's a lot of experience remaining that should result in a balanced, competitive lineup. Alexa Scranton and Gianna DeVeau are the top returnees.
Manasquan
Anna Foo is the top returning bowler for this Shore-Central-A contender.
Ramsey
Lindsay Pepper and Angela DiNallo return for last year's North Group I champs.
South Plainfield
Any team with Lanasia Neal is one to keep an eye on. A little improvement from some underclassmen and this team could take off.
THREE MORE THAT MAY BREAK THROUGH
Eastern
Lost 2 fantastic seniors, but rebuilding around juniors Hailey Dadi, Cloe Lowell and Ryann Werner isn't a bad place to be.
North Brunswick
In this category because I just have no idea what the rest of the lineup will be, but Trinity Gray and Carly Lodise are a very good top two.
Ridgewood
5 girls with varsity experience give this Big North squad a chance to improve dramatically.
1. Toms River North
After springing the upset in sectionals last year, the Mariners graduate to favorites. Cassidy Syrdale, Mackenzie Dudas and Kennedy Pfeifer are all very good, Paige Peters is potentially the top freshman in the state (and one of the best bowlers, period), and they have last year's breakout superstar in Kamerin Peters. It's been a while since the Brick schools didn't dominate Shore-South-A, but I think it's TRN's turn for a while.
2. Brick Township
Plenty of talent left for the Dragons after losing two starters: Caylin Ryan, Cristy Sharkey, Christina Gonzalez and individual TOC star Julianna Forbes give Brick a good chance to win every match and tournament they enter, and favorites to recapture the Group III title.
3. Brick Memorial
For the second year in a row, Brick Memorial lost three exceptionally good seniors. And yet, here they are right near the top anyway. Amanda Shelters is fantastic, and Rachel Katz and Veronica Lewis would anchor about 150 other teams. The Mustangs are very much still contenders.
4. Manchester
There's at most an eyelash separating #2 through #4. Manchester returns the entire lineup from last year's SSB champs, and they're all strong: Theresa Bedaro, Mackenzie Weber, Kimberly Wolf and Victorias Shaw & Smith. Wouldn't surprise me a bit for this team to improve even more and challenge for #1.
5. Warren Hills
The defending TOC champs lost 3 top-flight starters to graduation, but return an excellent top two in Katie Winch and Kelcie Mannon, as well as welcoming two talented freshmen in Samantha Irwin and Olivia Ostrander.
6. Toms River South
Natalie Swindell and Ciani Sanchez headline a strong group of returnees, and it looks like there's enough depth, headed by Jessica Ramirez, to make the Indians strong contenders.
7. Teaneck
A whole lot of talent returns for last year's surprise team: Margaux Lesser, Mia Aish, Gianni Caldazilla and Valeria Rosario make this the team to beat in the Big North and a darkhorse Group III pick.
8. Lacey
Took a hit when Claudia Schreier was lost to an injury, but Autumn Laird heads a team with plenty of experience and a shot at the Group II title. Liz Schreier, Julia Muro and Samantha Trembley should also make huge contributions.
9. Holy Angels
2017's Group II state champs lost quite a bit, but Alexa Hernandez and Amelia Brunda are a strong top two, and this program has always come up with enough depth to be a contender.
10. Wayne Valley
Another perennial Big North contender remains strong, with the conference's top returning bowler in Marissa Cosentini and another top-flight bowler in Haley D'Alessandro
11. Monroe
My pick for the top team in the GMC is this squad, led by an emerging star in Bridget Bolan and with plenty of quality throughout the lineup, including Victoria Stasicky and Shannon Glynn.
12. Washington Township
I have a feeling this team may exceed this ranking. Shannon & Patricia O'Neill look to be improving greatly and are joined by solid bowlers in Diana Chan and Jacklyn Welch. Lots of potential here.
13. Colts Neck
State qualifiers a year ago, Colts Neck brings back their top two, underclassmen Morgan Gitlitz and Erica Dugan, who both have looked very good on the tournament circuit.
14. Ocean Township
Very few teams were hit as hard by graduation as the Shore Central A champs, but the cupboard is far from bare: Emma Sylvia and Maribella Ferraina are solid in the middle of the lineup, and Alexa Tieto could easily emerge as a star.
15. Edison
Ok, Edison was hit pretty hard by graduation, too. But Victoria Johnson, Samantha Osiadacz and Fabriane Jean-Denis are a very good core, and the program has been so good for so long that I just expect them to find a way to the top of the GMC.
16. Freehold Township
Won the sectional last year, and while they lost one of their top two, they bring back Victoria Parriello, who was very good, and Sarah Orensky, who's simply the best bowler in the Shore Conference Central.
17. Hackensack
They whole gang returns for one of the best in the Big North, including seniors Donna Lee Graham and Annie Quinn, as well as an exceptional talent in Arielle Wallace.
18. Central
This looks like a solid, balanced group, led by Liz McGee and Ally Dalton, who will put up strong numbers in an extremely tough conference.
19. Colonia
Lots of experience in the lineup for Colonia, and Laryssa Fiore could be one of the best in the GMC in 2018.
20. Southern
MacKenzie Olson leads another good Shore Conference team that would be near the top of nearly any other conference in the state.
FIVE TO KEEP AN EYE ON
Barnegat
Developing some depth at Barnegat, and they have a really good one in Alyssa Pilovsky.
Howell
Lost an impressive top two to graduation, but there's a lot of experience remaining that should result in a balanced, competitive lineup. Alexa Scranton and Gianna DeVeau are the top returnees.
Manasquan
Anna Foo is the top returning bowler for this Shore-Central-A contender.
Ramsey
Lindsay Pepper and Angela DiNallo return for last year's North Group I champs.
South Plainfield
Any team with Lanasia Neal is one to keep an eye on. A little improvement from some underclassmen and this team could take off.
THREE MORE THAT MAY BREAK THROUGH
Eastern
Lost 2 fantastic seniors, but rebuilding around juniors Hailey Dadi, Cloe Lowell and Ryann Werner isn't a bad place to be.
North Brunswick
In this category because I just have no idea what the rest of the lineup will be, but Trinity Gray and Carly Lodise are a very good top two.
Ridgewood
5 girls with varsity experience give this Big North squad a chance to improve dramatically.
Thursday, November 30, 2017
17-18 Preview: Boys Preseason Top 20
Well, this is what we've been building up to. Boys today, girls tomorrow, then we finally get the season started for real. By the way, thanks to whoever shared a link on Facebook: my hits went absolutely crazy the last few days and I hope you all keep checking back throughout the season. Leave a comment or send me an email and let me know what you think.
I won't dive into the nuts and bolts of where I came up with these rankings, but this was a lot of work spread out between the end of last season and this week. I can't pretend I'm sure I looked at every team with a legitimate argument, but I tried. Probably made a few mistakes too. It won't take long for reality to show where I've succeeded and where I've failed, but if I've got something wrong about a bowler, please let me know.
note: I have made a couple of changes based on information I received after posting, but before the season started. That's why there's a tie at #20 as well.
THE TOP 20 BOYS BOWLING TEAMS IN NEW JERSEY (pre-season)
1. Brick Memorial
Absurd depth and talent mark the Mustangs as #1. Look for huge years from Alec Hehir and John Boughton, with Michael Guzman, Andrew Varela and Cameron Waldheim all capable of putting up fantastic numbers in any given match. Shore South A is still a minefield- it may be even deeper than last year- but Memorial looks like an absolute powerhouse. Again.
2. Woodbridge
Really, the Barrons are 1A. These top two may jockey all season. They lost some top talent from 2017, but James Stoveken is one of the very best around, and he'll be ably assisted by John Drost, Jason Bilawsky and Joseph Palmer, all of whom can average over 200. Add in the impending arrival of transfer Giovanni Santiago in January and you have another powerhouse. Again.
3. Toms River South
The Indians calling card last year was depth, and they still have it. Kyle Oliveri, Jimmy Breslin, Andrew Xiques and Kevin DiBernardo look like an intimidating top four, but TRS could get huge contributions from several others.
4. Brick Township
More depth. I see at least four that might average over 200: Kyle Chirichello, Nick Gross, Chris Shymanski and Steve Spirio. If one or more jump up to the 210s, or if the seemingly endless pipeline comes up with another high average or two, the Dragons could challenge for the top spot.
5. East Brunswick
The defending TOC champs lost some quality competitors, but they return the very best top-two of any team in New Jersey in lefties Sam Bortnick and Daniel Lenk, plus a handful of very good bowlers like Jack Deruvo and Andrew Mai.
6. Jackson Liberty
Freshman Justin Bohn should have an immediate impact, and Brian Dalmar and Preston Williams look to be much improved, but the addition of transfer Gerard Chidichimo takes the Lions to an entirely new level.
7. Pascack Valley
Four Big North teams make the rankings, and the Indians look to be the strongest, returning four 190+ bowlers in Henry Tipping, Brian Biml, Scott Morris and Trevor Lauber.
8. Sussex Tech
Two-time defending Group II champs lost some talent, but the Mustangs bring back plenty, including one of the very best in Joey Steele, as well as Quinton Johnson and a rapidly-improving Pat Danielson.
9. Monroe
Last year's postseason miracle team will make another run at it behind a pair of juniors: Ryley McKiernan and budding superstar Louis Folgore, as well as one of last year's TOC heroes, Zac Waynor.
10. Ocean Township
Matt Redbord and Doug Rhoades are a pretty fearsome top two as well, and I think the kids behind them who looked good in limited action last year will develop enough to keep OT relevant statewide.
11. Fair Lawn
This could definitely be the Cutters' year: Jake & Tyler Nappi have proven ability, and Nick Greco is an emerging star. Look for a season-long battle with Wayne Hills in the Big North Independence.
12. Southern
There's more to Shore-South-A than the Bricks and TRS: Southern brings back four experienced bowlers with averages over 190: Jack Hudson, Steve Martin, Tom McCann and Jeff Wilkinson.
13. North Arlington
2017's NJIC-Meadowlands runnersup return their entire lineup: Eric McKenna, Brandon Barth, Liam Henkel and Kenny Bennett.
14. Wayne Hills
One of last year's pleasant postseason surprises, the Patriots feature 5 solid starters as well, including Tom Luchetta, Nick Kent, and a much-improved Dylan Heinold.
15. Howell
Four strong starters return from a team that did very well in tournaments last season, including Brian Garofano, Robbie Wetzel, Gus Horvath and Joe Inserra.
16. South Brunswick
Major Group IV contenders in 2017 lost some depth, but still have plenty of firepower in Noah Li, Nick Delacruz and Anthony Fama.
17. Montville
Some amazing seniors are gone this year, plenty of ability remains: Adam Gelvan and Ron Gorai were great in 2017, and promising freshman Ben Sherman should help keep them atop the NJAC South.
18. Lacey
The Shore South B favorites (and defending champs) return four staters: Nick Striffler, Clayton Humcke, John Truland and Brian Huebler.
19. Hudson Catholic
Last year's HCIAL runnersup look like the favorites in 2018, featuring the league's top bowler in Geoffrey Origenes and a very strong lineup including Jivan Persaud, James Pabilonia and Steven Beck.
(tie)20. St. Rose
An excellent top four in Jarrett Toth, Carter Vanderslice, Joe Chiusano and David Schuld make them a true contender in Group I.
(tie)20. Ridgewood
Matt Myers and Brian Skettini lead one of the rare Big North teams that may go a legit 5+ deep. Very dangerous tournament squad.
SIX TO KEEP AN EYE ON
Manasquan
Group I champs lost a ton, but Dylan Wolfe & Kyle Bauter are a strong cornerstone to build from.
Manchester
Kenny Burdge and Justin Villano head a young squad that just may get there a year ahead of schedule.
Neptune
Not sure I have the returnees exactly right, but I think Sean Magauran and Jesse Kifner are the best of a solid group; when Joey Ocello joins them in January they'll be able to compete with anyone.
St. Peter's Prep
Qualified for states in 2017 and return strong top 3 in Jared Ammugauan, Zack Oswald and Lynken Lanting.
South Plainfield
Angelo Salici is a star and Michael Menkin is very good; they'll be competitive in a tough GMC.
Toms River North
James Bolish, Robert Bartley and Josh Burns (the Killer B's?) head yet another top-flight team in the Shore-South-A.
THREE MORE THAT MAY BREAK THROUGH
Edison
Jason Smith, Wyatt Buchany and Joseph Banwer form the core of another solid GMC team.
Indian Hills
May not dominate the Big North again, but with firepower like Ryan McGuire and Jack Miller coming back, I won't bet against them, either.
St. Joseph's-Metuchen
John Hoban, Justin Biancamano & John Reggio return to defend their sectional title.
I won't dive into the nuts and bolts of where I came up with these rankings, but this was a lot of work spread out between the end of last season and this week. I can't pretend I'm sure I looked at every team with a legitimate argument, but I tried. Probably made a few mistakes too. It won't take long for reality to show where I've succeeded and where I've failed, but if I've got something wrong about a bowler, please let me know.
note: I have made a couple of changes based on information I received after posting, but before the season started. That's why there's a tie at #20 as well.
THE TOP 20 BOYS BOWLING TEAMS IN NEW JERSEY (pre-season)
1. Brick Memorial
Absurd depth and talent mark the Mustangs as #1. Look for huge years from Alec Hehir and John Boughton, with Michael Guzman, Andrew Varela and Cameron Waldheim all capable of putting up fantastic numbers in any given match. Shore South A is still a minefield- it may be even deeper than last year- but Memorial looks like an absolute powerhouse. Again.
2. Woodbridge
Really, the Barrons are 1A. These top two may jockey all season. They lost some top talent from 2017, but James Stoveken is one of the very best around, and he'll be ably assisted by John Drost, Jason Bilawsky and Joseph Palmer, all of whom can average over 200. Add in the impending arrival of transfer Giovanni Santiago in January and you have another powerhouse. Again.
3. Toms River South
The Indians calling card last year was depth, and they still have it. Kyle Oliveri, Jimmy Breslin, Andrew Xiques and Kevin DiBernardo look like an intimidating top four, but TRS could get huge contributions from several others.
4. Brick Township
More depth. I see at least four that might average over 200: Kyle Chirichello, Nick Gross, Chris Shymanski and Steve Spirio. If one or more jump up to the 210s, or if the seemingly endless pipeline comes up with another high average or two, the Dragons could challenge for the top spot.
5. East Brunswick
The defending TOC champs lost some quality competitors, but they return the very best top-two of any team in New Jersey in lefties Sam Bortnick and Daniel Lenk, plus a handful of very good bowlers like Jack Deruvo and Andrew Mai.
6. Jackson Liberty
Freshman Justin Bohn should have an immediate impact, and Brian Dalmar and Preston Williams look to be much improved, but the addition of transfer Gerard Chidichimo takes the Lions to an entirely new level.
7. Pascack Valley
Four Big North teams make the rankings, and the Indians look to be the strongest, returning four 190+ bowlers in Henry Tipping, Brian Biml, Scott Morris and Trevor Lauber.
8. Sussex Tech
Two-time defending Group II champs lost some talent, but the Mustangs bring back plenty, including one of the very best in Joey Steele, as well as Quinton Johnson and a rapidly-improving Pat Danielson.
9. Monroe
Last year's postseason miracle team will make another run at it behind a pair of juniors: Ryley McKiernan and budding superstar Louis Folgore, as well as one of last year's TOC heroes, Zac Waynor.
Matt Redbord and Doug Rhoades are a pretty fearsome top two as well, and I think the kids behind them who looked good in limited action last year will develop enough to keep OT relevant statewide.
11. Fair Lawn
This could definitely be the Cutters' year: Jake & Tyler Nappi have proven ability, and Nick Greco is an emerging star. Look for a season-long battle with Wayne Hills in the Big North Independence.
12. Southern
There's more to Shore-South-A than the Bricks and TRS: Southern brings back four experienced bowlers with averages over 190: Jack Hudson, Steve Martin, Tom McCann and Jeff Wilkinson.
13. North Arlington
2017's NJIC-Meadowlands runnersup return their entire lineup: Eric McKenna, Brandon Barth, Liam Henkel and Kenny Bennett.
14. Wayne Hills
One of last year's pleasant postseason surprises, the Patriots feature 5 solid starters as well, including Tom Luchetta, Nick Kent, and a much-improved Dylan Heinold.
15. Howell
Four strong starters return from a team that did very well in tournaments last season, including Brian Garofano, Robbie Wetzel, Gus Horvath and Joe Inserra.
16. South Brunswick
Major Group IV contenders in 2017 lost some depth, but still have plenty of firepower in Noah Li, Nick Delacruz and Anthony Fama.
17. Montville
Some amazing seniors are gone this year, plenty of ability remains: Adam Gelvan and Ron Gorai were great in 2017, and promising freshman Ben Sherman should help keep them atop the NJAC South.
18. Lacey
The Shore South B favorites (and defending champs) return four staters: Nick Striffler, Clayton Humcke, John Truland and Brian Huebler.
19. Hudson Catholic
Last year's HCIAL runnersup look like the favorites in 2018, featuring the league's top bowler in Geoffrey Origenes and a very strong lineup including Jivan Persaud, James Pabilonia and Steven Beck.
(tie)20. St. Rose
An excellent top four in Jarrett Toth, Carter Vanderslice, Joe Chiusano and David Schuld make them a true contender in Group I.
(tie)20. Ridgewood
Matt Myers and Brian Skettini lead one of the rare Big North teams that may go a legit 5+ deep. Very dangerous tournament squad.
SIX TO KEEP AN EYE ON
Manasquan
Group I champs lost a ton, but Dylan Wolfe & Kyle Bauter are a strong cornerstone to build from.
Manchester
Kenny Burdge and Justin Villano head a young squad that just may get there a year ahead of schedule.
Neptune
Not sure I have the returnees exactly right, but I think Sean Magauran and Jesse Kifner are the best of a solid group; when Joey Ocello joins them in January they'll be able to compete with anyone.
St. Peter's Prep
Qualified for states in 2017 and return strong top 3 in Jared Ammugauan, Zack Oswald and Lynken Lanting.
South Plainfield
Angelo Salici is a star and Michael Menkin is very good; they'll be competitive in a tough GMC.
Toms River North
James Bolish, Robert Bartley and Josh Burns (the Killer B's?) head yet another top-flight team in the Shore-South-A.
THREE MORE THAT MAY BREAK THROUGH
Edison
Jason Smith, Wyatt Buchany and Joseph Banwer form the core of another solid GMC team.
Indian Hills
May not dominate the Big North again, but with firepower like Ryan McGuire and Jack Miller coming back, I won't bet against them, either.
St. Joseph's-Metuchen
John Hoban, Justin Biancamano & John Reggio return to defend their sectional title.
Wednesday, November 29, 2017
17-18 Preview: Projected Sectional Favorites
Here are my irresponsibly early projections for the favorites in each of the 32 sectional tournaments that will take place in February. The vast majority of these are based on objective analysis, but there are one or two that are basically guesses that will make me look stupid before too long. If you really care, you can extrapolate some of my preseason rankings from this a day early, too.
Please note: this is based on my own projection of what group each team will be in come sectional season. (My full group change projections went up in the "other stuff" post.) This, as we all know, can easily change based on what schools do or do not enter the sectional tournament. I'll note the predicted group changes as they affect the favorites as we go. For entertainment purposes only, as they say.
BOYS NORTH 1A
I - North Arlington
II - Ridgefield Park
III - Pascack Valley
IV - Fair Lawn
Ridgefield Park drops from Group III to Group II. Fair Lawn vs. Ridgewood may be the marquee matchup here.
BOYS NORTH 1B
I - Hudson Catholic
II - Sussex Tech
III - Wayne Hills
IV - St. Peter's Prep
Dickinson (IV to III) and Hopatcong (III to IV) swap places and each have a chance to advance.
BOYS NORTH II
I - Jonathan Dayton
II - Montville
III - Warren Hills
IV - Livingston
Caldwell drops from II to I, Linden up from III to IV. Graduation hit this section very hard, and I have less confidence here than in any of the other 7. Could be wide open.
BOYS CENTRAL
I - St. Rose
II - Ocean Township
III - Woodbridge
IV - East Brunswick
This is the biggest group change I'm forecasting: defending state champs Monroe jump from III to IV and must face defending TOC champ East Brunswick at sectionals, with Howell & South Brunswick also involved. This may be the 2018 Group of Death.
BOYS SOUTH
I - Maple Shade
II - Jackson Liberty
III - Toms River South
IV - Brick Memorial
Jackson Liberty drops from Group III (TRS and Brick Twp) to Group II, which gives them a better shot at advancing, though far from a lock.
GIRLS NORTH
I - Ramsey
II - Holy Angels
III - Warren Hills
IV - Hackensack
Hackensack moves from brutal group III (WH, Teaneck, Wayne Valley) to become clear favorites at Group IV.
GIRLS CENTRAL
I - Manasquan
II - Colts Neck
III - Edison
IV - Monroe
Just like the boys, Monroe's girls jump to Group IV. Colts Neck, Ocean Twp, Colonia & South Plainfield make Group II very competitive. Edison vs. Freehold Township is a coin flip, really.
GIRLS SOUTH
I - Collingswood
II - Manchester Township
III - Brick Township
IV - Toms River North
All four of these are very, very tight, with Brick Memorial and Washington Twp (IV), TRS and Central (III), Lacey (II) and a host of Group I schools in the mix.
Please note: this is based on my own projection of what group each team will be in come sectional season. (My full group change projections went up in the "other stuff" post.) This, as we all know, can easily change based on what schools do or do not enter the sectional tournament. I'll note the predicted group changes as they affect the favorites as we go. For entertainment purposes only, as they say.
BOYS NORTH 1A
I - North Arlington
II - Ridgefield Park
III - Pascack Valley
IV - Fair Lawn
Ridgefield Park drops from Group III to Group II. Fair Lawn vs. Ridgewood may be the marquee matchup here.
BOYS NORTH 1B
I - Hudson Catholic
II - Sussex Tech
III - Wayne Hills
IV - St. Peter's Prep
Dickinson (IV to III) and Hopatcong (III to IV) swap places and each have a chance to advance.
BOYS NORTH II
I - Jonathan Dayton
II - Montville
III - Warren Hills
IV - Livingston
Caldwell drops from II to I, Linden up from III to IV. Graduation hit this section very hard, and I have less confidence here than in any of the other 7. Could be wide open.
BOYS CENTRAL
I - St. Rose
II - Ocean Township
III - Woodbridge
IV - East Brunswick
This is the biggest group change I'm forecasting: defending state champs Monroe jump from III to IV and must face defending TOC champ East Brunswick at sectionals, with Howell & South Brunswick also involved. This may be the 2018 Group of Death.
BOYS SOUTH
I - Maple Shade
II - Jackson Liberty
III - Toms River South
IV - Brick Memorial
Jackson Liberty drops from Group III (TRS and Brick Twp) to Group II, which gives them a better shot at advancing, though far from a lock.
GIRLS NORTH
I - Ramsey
II - Holy Angels
III - Warren Hills
IV - Hackensack
Hackensack moves from brutal group III (WH, Teaneck, Wayne Valley) to become clear favorites at Group IV.
GIRLS CENTRAL
I - Manasquan
II - Colts Neck
III - Edison
IV - Monroe
Just like the boys, Monroe's girls jump to Group IV. Colts Neck, Ocean Twp, Colonia & South Plainfield make Group II very competitive. Edison vs. Freehold Township is a coin flip, really.
GIRLS SOUTH
I - Collingswood
II - Manchester Township
III - Brick Township
IV - Toms River North
All four of these are very, very tight, with Brick Memorial and Washington Twp (IV), TRS and Central (III), Lacey (II) and a host of Group I schools in the mix.
Tuesday, November 28, 2017
17-18 Preview: Other Stars & Other Stuff
UNAFFILIATED STARS
There are a handful of high school bowlers in New Jersey that deserve a preview mention despite not having a high school team to be a part of, including our defending boys individual champion. There are several more very good high school-age bowlers out there, but I'm limiting myself to those that have competed in NJSIAA events. If there are any more that belong and plan to enter this year, please let me know.
Ryan Carlisi, Senior, Steinert
The 2017 champ hasn't slowed down a bit since February, putting up impressive league scores. He's definitely a threat to return at states.
Mark Friedman, Senior, Cedar Creek
Second place in the loaded South Jersey sectional in 2017 with a huge 738.
Lauren Marks, Junior, Parsippany
Qualified for individual states in 2017 in a brutal North Jersey sectional field.
Justin Pavlik, Senior, Ridge
Scored a terrific 300/761 in the Central sectional and made the cut at states with a 695 set.
Paige Piombino, Senior, West Morris Central
Finished 2017 with a 187 league average and a runnerup finish in the Morris County tournament.
Francis Vitelli, Junior, North Hunterdon
Second in South Jersey singles, second at Skyland Conference, made the cut at Junior Gold U20 and is the points leader in the NJ JBT.
JERSEY KIDS IN COLLEGE
Figured I'd check out the college ranks and see where the seniors we covered last year ended up. Women have a huge advantage with bowling as an NCAA sport, of course, and because of the status of nearly all men's teams as "club sports" (despite the very competitive nature of their seasons), it's hard to find rosters, so this is just the girls. I'm pretty much 100% sure that I'm missing a handful, so help me out here.
Alabama State - Alize Stevenson, St. Mary's
Belmont Abbey - Tori Bird, Brick Memorial; Touri Holmes, Edison
Caldwell - Gabby Pangaro, Clifton; Madison Perry, Hawthorne
Chestnut Hill - Madison Gibson, Howell; Laura Oliver, Central, Kristina Scimone, Eastern
Fairleigh Dickinson - Aimee Sherman, Jackson Memorial; Jenna Henderson, Warren Hills
Felician - Jenn Ingulli, Ocean Township
Franklin Pierce - Deanne Calantoni, Woodbridge
Kutztown - Jaime Golden, Sparta; Dana Henry, Ocean Township, Dorrie-Ann Rizzo, Wallkill Valley
Long Island University - Sarah Florence, Cedar Creek
Madaille - Carla Hansen, Gloucester Tech
Mount Aloysius - Michelle Bello, Pennsauken
New Jersey City - Shea Balmann, Pinelands; Valerie Moore, Old Bridge
Pikeville - Michelle Dekowski, Linden
Sam Houston State - Haley Connelly, Raritan
Vanderbilt - Lauren Potechin, Millburn
Wilmington - Clare Chaffer, Freehold Township; Leah Henry, Cumberland
That's 25 girls from the class of '17 (plus whoever I'm missing) on rosters. Seems like a pretty good number to me. Best of luck to all the Jersey girl freshmen (and the 60 or so older girls, too.)
GROUP CHANGES
By looking at the new NJSIAA enrollment figures, I have my PROJECTED groupings for the 2018 sectionals. These are based on last year's entries, so any change in the entry list can change the groups at the margins; this is far, far from certain.
BOYS NORTH 1A
Park Ridge/Emerson down from II to I
Ridgefield Park down from III to II
St. Joseph-Montvale up from II to III
Queen of Peace (GI) closed
BOYS NORTH IB
Hopatcong up from III to IV
Dickinson down from IV to III
Wallkill Valley down from II to I
Harrison up from I to II
BOYS NORTH II
Phillipsburg (new program) in at IV
Linden down from IV to III
Nutley down from III to II
Caldwell down from II to I
BOYS CENTRAL
Monroe up from III to IV
Watchung Hills down from IV to III
Long Branch up from II to III
Middletown North down from III to II
BOYS SOUTH
Burlington Township up from II to III
Jackson Liberty down from III to II
GIRLS NORTH
Hackensack up from III to IV
Kearny down from IV to III
Phillipsburg (new program) in at III
GIRLS CENTRAL
Monroe up from III to IV
Watchung Hills down from IV to III
GIRLS SOUTH
Burlington Township up from II to III
Jackson Liberty down from III to II
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE BLOG IN '17-'18
The rankings I hope to continue weekly, starting in late December, and all the postseason previews and all-state picks should return. I probably won't be able to write quite as many regular season updates as last year, unless the score-reporting situation gets a lot better, but I'll do what I can.
I'm ambivalent about the high averages lists, to say the least. On the one hand, until the all-state lists came out, the top averages posts were by far the most popular on the blog. On the other hand, those numbers are dirty. At the risk of getting on the wrong side of a few folks, I'm going to explain why.
Using players' conference averages as a basic evaluating tool is problematic for any number of reasons. Some bowlers get to bowl every single conference game in the same center, while others have to score in two, three, maybe six different places. Some centers are, of course, much higher scoring than others. It is extremely probable that there are some bowlers averaging under 210 that, if they got to bowl the same schedule as someone at the top, might average well over 220. Then we have kids who may average high in-conference but struggle in tournaments and vice-versa. There's really no way to resolve any of these inherent problems, so I try to acknowledge them and present the data as is.
But there's one other thing that skews the numbers and it's completely avoidable. Without mentioning any conferences, or teams, and definitely without mentioning any bowlers, there is a practice out there to replace a bowler mid-game when he's struggling and not count the game against his average. There may be a handful of times when this practice is done to try to win the team point: I think that's legitimate. But done exclusively to protect a player's average, this practice is, in my opinion, dishonest and it undermines the credibility of every player average involved. In such a short season (40-60 games), if you have a 200 average bowler and yank him a half-dozen times where he would have shot 150, you bump his average 7 pins. That's a significant change, and I'm disturbed by both the resulting questionable rankings, and the message it sends both the bowler who got the boost and the bowlers he's now undeservedly ranked above.
To be clear, this practice is, apparently, legal. I'd love to ask all coaches to stop, but I'm sure that's naive. I'd ask the NJSIAA to consider stepping in and outlawing the practice; what do you think would happen if a wrestling coach were allowed to pull his star whenever he got behind in the 3rd period, so that he'd be undefeated when districts started? But the NJSIAA will not consider anything unless the complaint comes from coaches or athletic directors. I could stop doing the averages list altogether, but that's a baby/bathwater situation, I think, and the majority of the kids on the list aren't affected by these maneuvers. So all I can do is this: if you're reading this and you agree with me, tell your coaches and ADs. There's no reason we can't get this changed.
Ok, off my soapbox. A few more preview posts including preseason rankings and then Friday we'll finally get some pins flying around New Jersey.
There are a handful of high school bowlers in New Jersey that deserve a preview mention despite not having a high school team to be a part of, including our defending boys individual champion. There are several more very good high school-age bowlers out there, but I'm limiting myself to those that have competed in NJSIAA events. If there are any more that belong and plan to enter this year, please let me know.
Ryan Carlisi, Senior, Steinert
The 2017 champ hasn't slowed down a bit since February, putting up impressive league scores. He's definitely a threat to return at states.
Mark Friedman, Senior, Cedar Creek
Second place in the loaded South Jersey sectional in 2017 with a huge 738.
Lauren Marks, Junior, Parsippany
Qualified for individual states in 2017 in a brutal North Jersey sectional field.
Justin Pavlik, Senior, Ridge
Scored a terrific 300/761 in the Central sectional and made the cut at states with a 695 set.
Paige Piombino, Senior, West Morris Central
Finished 2017 with a 187 league average and a runnerup finish in the Morris County tournament.
Francis Vitelli, Junior, North Hunterdon
Second in South Jersey singles, second at Skyland Conference, made the cut at Junior Gold U20 and is the points leader in the NJ JBT.
JERSEY KIDS IN COLLEGE
Figured I'd check out the college ranks and see where the seniors we covered last year ended up. Women have a huge advantage with bowling as an NCAA sport, of course, and because of the status of nearly all men's teams as "club sports" (despite the very competitive nature of their seasons), it's hard to find rosters, so this is just the girls. I'm pretty much 100% sure that I'm missing a handful, so help me out here.
Alabama State - Alize Stevenson, St. Mary's
Belmont Abbey - Tori Bird, Brick Memorial; Touri Holmes, Edison
Caldwell - Gabby Pangaro, Clifton; Madison Perry, Hawthorne
Chestnut Hill - Madison Gibson, Howell; Laura Oliver, Central, Kristina Scimone, Eastern
Fairleigh Dickinson - Aimee Sherman, Jackson Memorial; Jenna Henderson, Warren Hills
Felician - Jenn Ingulli, Ocean Township
Franklin Pierce - Deanne Calantoni, Woodbridge
Kutztown - Jaime Golden, Sparta; Dana Henry, Ocean Township, Dorrie-Ann Rizzo, Wallkill Valley
Long Island University - Sarah Florence, Cedar Creek
Madaille - Carla Hansen, Gloucester Tech
Mount Aloysius - Michelle Bello, Pennsauken
New Jersey City - Shea Balmann, Pinelands; Valerie Moore, Old Bridge
Pikeville - Michelle Dekowski, Linden
Sam Houston State - Haley Connelly, Raritan
Vanderbilt - Lauren Potechin, Millburn
Wilmington - Clare Chaffer, Freehold Township; Leah Henry, Cumberland
That's 25 girls from the class of '17 (plus whoever I'm missing) on rosters. Seems like a pretty good number to me. Best of luck to all the Jersey girl freshmen (and the 60 or so older girls, too.)
GROUP CHANGES
By looking at the new NJSIAA enrollment figures, I have my PROJECTED groupings for the 2018 sectionals. These are based on last year's entries, so any change in the entry list can change the groups at the margins; this is far, far from certain.
BOYS NORTH 1A
Park Ridge/Emerson down from II to I
Ridgefield Park down from III to II
St. Joseph-Montvale up from II to III
Queen of Peace (GI) closed
BOYS NORTH IB
Hopatcong up from III to IV
Dickinson down from IV to III
Wallkill Valley down from II to I
Harrison up from I to II
BOYS NORTH II
Phillipsburg (new program) in at IV
Linden down from IV to III
Nutley down from III to II
Caldwell down from II to I
BOYS CENTRAL
Monroe up from III to IV
Watchung Hills down from IV to III
Long Branch up from II to III
Middletown North down from III to II
BOYS SOUTH
Burlington Township up from II to III
Jackson Liberty down from III to II
GIRLS NORTH
Hackensack up from III to IV
Kearny down from IV to III
Phillipsburg (new program) in at III
GIRLS CENTRAL
Monroe up from III to IV
Watchung Hills down from IV to III
GIRLS SOUTH
Burlington Township up from II to III
Jackson Liberty down from III to II
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE BLOG IN '17-'18
The rankings I hope to continue weekly, starting in late December, and all the postseason previews and all-state picks should return. I probably won't be able to write quite as many regular season updates as last year, unless the score-reporting situation gets a lot better, but I'll do what I can.
I'm ambivalent about the high averages lists, to say the least. On the one hand, until the all-state lists came out, the top averages posts were by far the most popular on the blog. On the other hand, those numbers are dirty. At the risk of getting on the wrong side of a few folks, I'm going to explain why.
Using players' conference averages as a basic evaluating tool is problematic for any number of reasons. Some bowlers get to bowl every single conference game in the same center, while others have to score in two, three, maybe six different places. Some centers are, of course, much higher scoring than others. It is extremely probable that there are some bowlers averaging under 210 that, if they got to bowl the same schedule as someone at the top, might average well over 220. Then we have kids who may average high in-conference but struggle in tournaments and vice-versa. There's really no way to resolve any of these inherent problems, so I try to acknowledge them and present the data as is.
But there's one other thing that skews the numbers and it's completely avoidable. Without mentioning any conferences, or teams, and definitely without mentioning any bowlers, there is a practice out there to replace a bowler mid-game when he's struggling and not count the game against his average. There may be a handful of times when this practice is done to try to win the team point: I think that's legitimate. But done exclusively to protect a player's average, this practice is, in my opinion, dishonest and it undermines the credibility of every player average involved. In such a short season (40-60 games), if you have a 200 average bowler and yank him a half-dozen times where he would have shot 150, you bump his average 7 pins. That's a significant change, and I'm disturbed by both the resulting questionable rankings, and the message it sends both the bowler who got the boost and the bowlers he's now undeservedly ranked above.
To be clear, this practice is, apparently, legal. I'd love to ask all coaches to stop, but I'm sure that's naive. I'd ask the NJSIAA to consider stepping in and outlawing the practice; what do you think would happen if a wrestling coach were allowed to pull his star whenever he got behind in the 3rd period, so that he'd be undefeated when districts started? But the NJSIAA will not consider anything unless the complaint comes from coaches or athletic directors. I could stop doing the averages list altogether, but that's a baby/bathwater situation, I think, and the majority of the kids on the list aren't affected by these maneuvers. So all I can do is this: if you're reading this and you agree with me, tell your coaches and ADs. There's no reason we can't get this changed.
Ok, off my soapbox. A few more preview posts including preseason rankings and then Friday we'll finally get some pins flying around New Jersey.
Sunday, November 26, 2017
17-18 Preview: Up & Coming Stars - Girls
As with the boys, this is an unscientific sampling of underclassmen that didn't make an all-state team or honorable mention last year, but have a chance to be a big part of this year's conversation. The girls underclassmen, however, tend to run in packs, so there are several joint entries with recognition for a pair of bowlers from the same team.
Mia Aish & Margaux Lesser, Sophomores, Teaneck
The biggest part of Teaneck's huge team turnaround in 2017 was this pair of freshmen, who averaged 175 & 181 respectively and are among the best returning bowlers in the Big North conference.
Jasmine Brodowski, Junior, Jackson Liberty
Finished 3rd at the Brick, qualified for individual states and averaged over 200 at South Jersey Singles, and looks to still be improving.
Bridget Bolan, Junior, Monroe
Closed 2017 on a brilliant second half run, with five conference 600s. Should be one of a handful of top bowlers in the GMC.
Gabrielle Capalad, Junior, Leonia
I don't write about the NJIC-Patriot division much, and I missed this bowler all last year: my apologies. She averaged 173 and put up a 655 set as a sophomore.
Morgan Gitlitz, Sophomore & Erica Dugan, Junior, Colts Neck
The engine behind Colts Neck's strong run at sectionals, both bowlers have been very active in off-season tournaments and have a change to be one of the stronger duos in the state.
Christina Gonzalez & Cristy Sharkey, Juniors, Brick Township
Each of these Juniors, who averaged 175 & 176 respectively in conference matches, will play a key role in trying to return the Dragons to the top spot in Group III.
Samantha Irwin & Olivia Ostrander, Freshmen, Warren Hills
Defending champs lost 3 seniors with 10 years of varsity experience, but these two talented freshmen will help replace that production, with each capable of averaging over 170.
Veronica Lewis, Junior, Brick Memorial
Posted a solid 184 conference average in 2017 on a very deep Mustangs squad; should be a key part of the 2018 team's attempt to stay at the top.
Paige Peters, Freshman, Toms River North
Her sister took the sport by storm last year; now it's Paige's turn. She has every bit the talent, experience & resume, too, including making the national match play finals at Junior Gold.
Michaella Raab, Freshman, Mahwah
Averaging 170 in the highly competitive Stan Niemec travel league and looks to be one of the stronger Big North girls from day one.
Alexa Tieto, Junior, Ocean Township
She may have started the year in the shadow of OT's 2 fantastic seniors, but by the end of the season she had elevated her average to 180 and won the Central sectional individual title.
Arielle Wallace, Junior, Hackensack
2017's 176 average is belied by an armful of good tournament scores, and she's currently lighting up the Stan Niemec league, so watch for a very big year.
Mia Aish & Margaux Lesser, Sophomores, Teaneck
The biggest part of Teaneck's huge team turnaround in 2017 was this pair of freshmen, who averaged 175 & 181 respectively and are among the best returning bowlers in the Big North conference.
Jasmine Brodowski, Junior, Jackson Liberty
Finished 3rd at the Brick, qualified for individual states and averaged over 200 at South Jersey Singles, and looks to still be improving.
Bridget Bolan, Junior, Monroe
Closed 2017 on a brilliant second half run, with five conference 600s. Should be one of a handful of top bowlers in the GMC.
Gabrielle Capalad, Junior, Leonia
I don't write about the NJIC-Patriot division much, and I missed this bowler all last year: my apologies. She averaged 173 and put up a 655 set as a sophomore.
Morgan Gitlitz, Sophomore & Erica Dugan, Junior, Colts Neck
The engine behind Colts Neck's strong run at sectionals, both bowlers have been very active in off-season tournaments and have a change to be one of the stronger duos in the state.
Christina Gonzalez & Cristy Sharkey, Juniors, Brick Township
Each of these Juniors, who averaged 175 & 176 respectively in conference matches, will play a key role in trying to return the Dragons to the top spot in Group III.
Samantha Irwin & Olivia Ostrander, Freshmen, Warren Hills
Defending champs lost 3 seniors with 10 years of varsity experience, but these two talented freshmen will help replace that production, with each capable of averaging over 170.
Veronica Lewis, Junior, Brick Memorial
Posted a solid 184 conference average in 2017 on a very deep Mustangs squad; should be a key part of the 2018 team's attempt to stay at the top.
Paige Peters, Freshman, Toms River North
Her sister took the sport by storm last year; now it's Paige's turn. She has every bit the talent, experience & resume, too, including making the national match play finals at Junior Gold.
Michaella Raab, Freshman, Mahwah
Averaging 170 in the highly competitive Stan Niemec travel league and looks to be one of the stronger Big North girls from day one.
Alexa Tieto, Junior, Ocean Township
She may have started the year in the shadow of OT's 2 fantastic seniors, but by the end of the season she had elevated her average to 180 and won the Central sectional individual title.
Arielle Wallace, Junior, Hackensack
2017's 176 average is belied by an armful of good tournament scores, and she's currently lighting up the Stan Niemec league, so watch for a very big year.
Friday, November 24, 2017
17-18 Preview: Up & Coming Stars - Boys
This is an unscientific sampling of underclassmen that didn't make an all-state team or honorable mention last year, but have a chance to be a big part of this year's conversation. As always, if you think there's someone worthy of consideration that I missed, especially incoming freshmen, please let me know in the comments or drop me an email at jerseyorangebowling@gmail.com
Justin Bohn, Freshman, Jackson Liberty
The son of hall of famer Parker Bohn III has been terrorizing local, regional and national tournaments for several years and I wouldn't expect him to slow down any time soon.
Trevor Deliantis, Junior, Becton
Second with a 206 average in the NJIC-Meadowlands as a sophomore, he's been the top bowler on Lodi's travel league entry this season.
Kyle Chirichello, Sophmore, Brick Township
Was one of the top freshmen in New Jersey last year, with a 206 Shore-South-A average and a 2nd place finish at the Brick Tournament
Johann Gamo, Junior, Clifton
Had a pretty good argument for all-state consideration last year after averaging 208 in-conference and shooting big numbers at North Jersey Singles and the Passaic County tournament.
Michael Guzman, Junior, Brick Memorial
The Mustangs have so much talent hat sometimes a very good bowler like Guzman gets overlooked, which would be a mistake: 205 conference average in 2017 and 7 tournaments averaging over 200
Tom Luchetta, Sophomore, Wayne Hills
Joined the Patriots' starting lineup late, but made his presence felt with the best frosh average in the the Big North at 203.
Joseph Mahoney, Freshman, Park Ridge
They call him "Hammer", apparently, and he's been lighting up the Stan Niemec travel league.in advance of his first high school season.
Thomas McKeon, Junior, Keansburg
Struggled a bit in 2017, but an excellent bounce-back candidate to return to the form he showed as a freshman, when he averaged over 210.
Eric McKenna, Junior, North Arlington
Possibly Deliantis's top competition in the NJICM, he had a near-identical 206 average and heads a team with enough talent to take over as well.
Ryan McIntire, Junior, Toms River East
Averaged over 209 in Shore Conference matches as a sophomore. TRE has enough firepower on paper to make some noise in Shore South A this year.
Geoffrey Origenes, Junior, Hudson Catholic
Secured both the high average (207) and high series in the HCIAL as a sophomore, and leads a team capable of dominating their league yet again.
Chris Shymanski, Junior, Brick Township
Buried a bit on a deep Dragons squad despite a 205 average, his league numbers mark him as a big threat in 2018.
Andrew Xiques, Junior, Toms River South
Showed well in limited opportunity last year, as TRS was one of the deepest teams in recent memory, and looks more than capabale of a big jump in 2018.
Justin Bohn, Freshman, Jackson Liberty
The son of hall of famer Parker Bohn III has been terrorizing local, regional and national tournaments for several years and I wouldn't expect him to slow down any time soon.
Trevor Deliantis, Junior, Becton
Second with a 206 average in the NJIC-Meadowlands as a sophomore, he's been the top bowler on Lodi's travel league entry this season.
Kyle Chirichello, Sophmore, Brick Township
Was one of the top freshmen in New Jersey last year, with a 206 Shore-South-A average and a 2nd place finish at the Brick Tournament
Johann Gamo, Junior, Clifton
Had a pretty good argument for all-state consideration last year after averaging 208 in-conference and shooting big numbers at North Jersey Singles and the Passaic County tournament.
Michael Guzman, Junior, Brick Memorial
The Mustangs have so much talent hat sometimes a very good bowler like Guzman gets overlooked, which would be a mistake: 205 conference average in 2017 and 7 tournaments averaging over 200
Tom Luchetta, Sophomore, Wayne Hills
Joined the Patriots' starting lineup late, but made his presence felt with the best frosh average in the the Big North at 203.
Joseph Mahoney, Freshman, Park Ridge
They call him "Hammer", apparently, and he's been lighting up the Stan Niemec travel league.in advance of his first high school season.
Thomas McKeon, Junior, Keansburg
Struggled a bit in 2017, but an excellent bounce-back candidate to return to the form he showed as a freshman, when he averaged over 210.
Eric McKenna, Junior, North Arlington
Possibly Deliantis's top competition in the NJICM, he had a near-identical 206 average and heads a team with enough talent to take over as well.
Ryan McIntire, Junior, Toms River East
Averaged over 209 in Shore Conference matches as a sophomore. TRE has enough firepower on paper to make some noise in Shore South A this year.
Geoffrey Origenes, Junior, Hudson Catholic
Secured both the high average (207) and high series in the HCIAL as a sophomore, and leads a team capable of dominating their league yet again.
Chris Shymanski, Junior, Brick Township
Buried a bit on a deep Dragons squad despite a 205 average, his league numbers mark him as a big threat in 2018.
Andrew Xiques, Junior, Toms River South
Showed well in limited opportunity last year, as TRS was one of the deepest teams in recent memory, and looks more than capabale of a big jump in 2018.
Wednesday, November 22, 2017
17-18 Preview: 20 Returning Stars - Girls
The "returning stars" list is comprised of any bowler not on the preseason all-state list who made one of the all-state teams last year, or made honorable mention, plus a few returning seniors of note.
Theresa Bedaro, Junior, Manchester
Marissa Cosentini, Sophomore, Wayne Valley
Jillian Dambres, Senior, Hunterdon Central
Laryssa Fiore, Senior, Colonia
Trinity Gray, Senior, North Brunswick
Alexa Hernandez, Senior, Holy Angels
Rachel Katz, Senior, Brick Memorial
Autumn Laird, Senior, Lacey
Kelcie Mannon, Sophomore, Warren Hills
Sarah Orensky, Sophomore, Freehold Township
Kiara Powell, Senior, Union
Caylin Ryan, Junior, Brick Township
Ciari Sanchez, Senior, Toms River South
Elizabeth Schreier, Senior, Lacey
Goldera Surles, Senior, Union Catholic
Natalie Swindell, Senior, Toms River South
Victoria Vucak, Senior, Paramus Catholic
MacKenzie Weber, Senior, Manchester
Katie Winch, Senior, Warren Hills
Kimberly Wolf, Senior, Manchester
Theresa Bedaro, Junior, Manchester
Marissa Cosentini, Sophomore, Wayne Valley
Jillian Dambres, Senior, Hunterdon Central
Laryssa Fiore, Senior, Colonia
Trinity Gray, Senior, North Brunswick
Alexa Hernandez, Senior, Holy Angels
Rachel Katz, Senior, Brick Memorial
Autumn Laird, Senior, Lacey
Kelcie Mannon, Sophomore, Warren Hills
Sarah Orensky, Sophomore, Freehold Township
Kiara Powell, Senior, Union
Caylin Ryan, Junior, Brick Township
Ciari Sanchez, Senior, Toms River South
Elizabeth Schreier, Senior, Lacey
Goldera Surles, Senior, Union Catholic
Natalie Swindell, Senior, Toms River South
Victoria Vucak, Senior, Paramus Catholic
MacKenzie Weber, Senior, Manchester
Katie Winch, Senior, Warren Hills
Kimberly Wolf, Senior, Manchester
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)