Boys Rankings for 1-17-18

We're in a pretty similar spot to last year at this time, though it was girls back then.  Anyone who remembers that won't be surprised by who's #1...

THE TOP TWENTY BOYS BOWLING TEAMS IN NEW JERSEY

1.  East Brunswick (GA: 216.2  T5: 1066)
Brick Memorial had a fantastic weekend to be sure, but the Bears were great at CJWC (3258 for 2nd), carded a 3331 set on Wednesday, has a better league record at 11-0-1, and, most importantly, still has a massive statistical edge with their 216.2 game average and 1066 T5.  I can't toss all that out on the basis of one head-to-head tournament result. Daniel Lenk and Sam Bortnick continue to be easily the top 1-2 in the state, and there's great talent up & down the lineup; Andrew Mai shot 758 in the GMC individual qualifier on Tuesday.

2.  Brick Memorial (GA: 208.0  T5: 1027)
Not just a fantastic weekend; earlier in the week the Mustangs put up 3143 & 3065 in conference sweeps. That's four straight tournament wins for this group, and they're getting huge numbers from the entire lineup; all five starters are averaging over 200 in both conference matches and in tournaments, where John Boughton has been brilliant, with 3 700 sets and a 223 average over 17 tournament games, and Alec Hehir and Michael Guzman are each right around 210.

3.  Woodbridge (GA: 208.1  T5: 1036)
The Barrons haven't quite put it all together in a tournament yet, but 3164 at CJWC is pretty damn good and their depth is just as scary as it was last year: by my count they have eight bowlers averaging over 190, and Alex Silva has joined the top three (Stoveken, Bilawsky & Drost) with a GMC average over 200.

4.  St. Joseph-Metuchen (GA: 207.1  T5: 1003)
I'm guilty of dismissing St. Joe's excellent GA because they're a 6/5 team with absurd depth, which props up the average of a team without any huge (210+) averages. Third place at the CJWC with a massive 3213 set proves me very wrong: this team is just great, with John Hoban, Brendan Sosinski & company each capable of being the star.  Earlier in the week they posted 3320, 3145 and 3296.  This is the state's top Group II team right now.

5.  Toms River South (GA: 205.0  T5: 1020)
Sixth at each of the weekend tournaments show that the Indians are great even on (relative) off days. Kyle Oliveri, Kevin DiBernardo and Andrew Xiques have each proven capable of being the top gun on a great team, and the depth is definitely good enough to compete with absolutely anyone. The string of just-short tournament finishes may well end with a conference title, a sectional title, or a state title.

6.  Monroe (GA: 204.0  T5: 1013)
An off-day at the CJWC (12th place 2886) doesn't take the shine off this top-flight group; they carded 3167 earlier in the week and continue to trot out a fearsome top three in Folgore, McKiernan and Waynor. When you've got someone like Joe Hoehler down lineup capable of shooting 707 (as he did in GMC individuals), you're gonna contend for titles.

7.  Wayne Hills (GA: 201.8  T5: 1014)
Easily the best team up north, by the stats.  Four-man 2505 in conference action last week. Enough depth to do a lot of mixing and matching; when they put up a pure 5-man squad, Group III better watch out.  Sophomores Tom Luchetta and Dylan Heinold have had breakout seasons, averaging over 217 & 206 respectively, and the senior leadership from Steve Neri & Nick Kent should serve them well in the postseason.

8.  Brick Township (GA: 197.1  T5: 996)
Bit of a down week before the tournaments: respectable 7th at CJWC and then a very strong 3200 at Snowball. I keep mentioning the Dragons' youth, but they have a very good senior in Nick Gross, whose 734 at the Snowball was huge. Sophomore Kyle Chirichello is averaging over 204 in tournament action and the whole lineup is over 195 overall. More than talented enough to do damage in the postseason.

9.  St. Rose (GA: 194.1  T5: 1014)
Shore Central A leaders shot 3112 and 3062 before a 3rd place finish at the Winter Wave (2959). Four bowlers over 203 in-conference (Chiusano, Toth, Vanderslice & Schuld) and a fifth, Vinny Mastria, paced the team with a 651 at the Wave. At the top of a very short list of state Group I contenders.

10. South Plainfield (GA: 2008  T5: 998)
Had a rough day at Bowlero, but earlier in the week this talented crew hung 3090 & 3177 on their opponents, moving to 10-1/41-3 in GMC action. Tyler & Ryan Berardi as well as Chris Lacasale are all around 190, providing excellent firepower behind a great top three, and setting up this Group II contender for conference & sectional title runs.

11.  Sussex Tech (GA: 196.6  T5: 984)
These Mustangs keep on rollin', posting 3094 and 3082 in NJAC matches last week. Sophomore Matthew Grey has made a huge leap, from 179 last year up to a big 205 average in 2017-18, while Joey Steele is simply one of the very best bowlers in New Jersey right now.

12.  Manasquan (GA: 196.2  T5: 990)
Very busy, very consistent week: 2849, 2959, 2983, 2990 (2nd at Wave), 2978 (8th at CJWC). Kyle Bauter & Dylan Wolfe are a fantastic top two, averaging 219 & 213 in conference action, while Ryan Anderson is over 200 in tournaments.  And they're all juniors.

13.  Hudson Catholic (GA: 199.1  T5: 989)
Gaudy regular season numbers for the top team in the HCIAL, especially from 214-averaging Geoffrey Origenes, Jivan Persaud (205) and Steven Beck (199).  Only thing missing from the resume is a tournament performance.

14.  Morris Knolls (GA: 194.5  T5: 973)
Very strong 9th place in the loaded CJWC field (2928) and currently 59-4 in a good conference. Joey Lamont & Rob Murray have been high on the average lists all year, but watch out also for Chase DiMare, who broke through at the New Year's Eve tournament with a 656 set.

15. Ocean Township (GA: 192.7  T5: 1002)
Huge jump in T5 with Doug Rhoades joining the lineup and averaging 222 through his first 9 games. The results have been impressive: 3039 in a regular match, 1st at the Wave (3003) and a 2872 at CJWC. They already had top-to-bottom ability and a stud in Matt Redbord; now they can compete with anyone on any day.

16. North Brunswick (GA: 197.8  T5: 980)
2917 for a solid 10th place finish at CJWC.  Gavin Lugo has flown under the radar a bit, averaging a remarkably consistent 197 behind star David Burrows.

17.  South Brunswick (GA: 195.9  T5: 964)
Subpar week for the Vikings salvaged with a nice 11th at CJWC (2900). Anthony Fama, Matt Marich and Nick Delacruz each broke 600 at the GMC Individuals, qualifying for the finals.

18.  Edison (GA: 195.2  T5: 974)
Broke 3100 twice last week, including an impressive split with #3 Woodbridge.  A rough day at CJWC was probably an anomaly, as Smith (718), Banwer, Buchany and Raleigh Gough were all back on the plus side by Tuesday.

19.  Seneca (GA: 192.9  T5: 963)
7th at the Snowball is nothing to sneeze at.  Exceptional balance in this starting lineup, with any of the starters (Ludikowski, Malcolm, Tippin, Cashwell & Walters) capable of taking the lead and throwing a number.

20.  Linden (GA: 193.1  T5: 975)
Incredibly young and talented, led by two sophomores (Anthony Golabek & Matt Soto) and a freshman (James Fitz), they have an excellent chance to make states and surprise some people once they get there.

FIVE THAT JUST MISSED

JP Stevens
Southern
Toms River East
St. Peter's Prep
Pascack Valley

Some of these are probably a bit disappointed in tournament performances, but there's so much talent in this group, including Cameron LaPlant and Brian McAdams of JPS, Jack Hudson and Tom McCann of Southern, Ryan McIntire and Dennis Carrino at TRE, 225-averaging Jared Ammugauan as well as Zack Oswald and Chris Brody at SPP, and the four outstanding juniors at Pascack (Biml, Morris, Lauber & Tipping).

FIVE MORE TO KEEP AN EYE ON

Colonia
Fair Lawn
Jackson Liberty
Neptune
Wall Township

Jackson Liberty and Fair Lawn's tournament showings over the weekend speak for themselves. Wall and Colonia have been solid teams all season and deserved a shout. Neptune has been good too, but now takes a huge leap forward with the addition of one of the very best in the state, Joey Ocello.

Girls tomorrow.


By the way, blogger tells me this is my 100th post.  Thanks to everyone who reads, contributes, emails, or says hi at tournaments.