Sectional Preview - Boys North 1B

BOYS NORTH 1B
Thursday, February 2 at Lodi Lanes

New for 2017
Secaucus, Manchester Regional, Eastern Christian and DePaul entered (none did in 2016). Wallkill Valley and Hawthorne moved from G1 to G2. Lakeland and Vernon moved from G2 to G3. St. Peter's Prep moved from G3 to G4.

Ranked Teams participating
#13 Sussex Tech (G2), #14 Pompton Lakes (G1)


GROUP I
Defending Champ: Hawthorne (up at Group II in 2017)
#14 Pompton Lakes is the strong favorite here.  Carrying a game average of 198.9 and a T5 of 987, this is a terrifying starting lineup, which includes three bowlers who have shot 300 this season. 2015 Singles champ Nick Cilento leads the way, sporting a big 224 average in NJIC-Colonial Conference Play.  David Neil and Esteban Garcia have averaged over 200 too, and Michael Milligan and Cole Mulholland  are capable of contributing as well.  Peaking at the right time, PL won the Passaic County tournament last week and shot a huge 4-man 2566 last time out. With Hawthorne moving up, it's tough to see anyone taking the title away from Pompton, and impossible to imagine them not advancing to the TOC.

If anyone is going to challenge the Cardinals, it will be Hudson Catholic.  The Hawks are unranked, but one of the top Group I programs in the state.  They finished 2nd in the Hudson County tournament last weekend and their top performer, Geoffrey Origenes, is legit, coming in at 207.9 in the regular season.  They're underdogs to Lakes, but they've shot as high as 3002 this year, so don't count them out just yet.

Among the other schools entered, Secaucus has the top Game Average (148.5), but Marist has the advantage of being a 5-bowler team all season, so I'd give them the best shot at taking 3rd.  Eastern Christian, Harrison and DePaul will also be competing.


GROUP II
Defending Champ: Sussex Tech
Wallkill Valley and #13 Sussex Tech get to mix it up one more time after splitting a pair of matches in the NJAC regular season (Tech won the tiebreaker at the HWS tournament).  But they're not alone: Hawthorne's jump from Group I makes this a true three-teams-for-two-spots situation.  It could get interesting.

Sussex Tech has to rate as the favorite.  Led by two players on the high average list, Joey Steele (213) and Tim Zayac (210), the Mustangs come at you 5 strong: Chris Strum averaged 196 and placed 2nd in a tough field at the H/W/S Tournament.  Patrick Danielson and Quinton Johnson have each shot multiple 600s this year.  They won a state title last year; no reason not to expect them to bowl their best with the pressure on again.

Wallkill Valley may be the most successful truly co-ed team in New Jersey.  Zak DuHaime and his 215 average are the star attraction, and rightfully so, but Dorrie Anne Rizzo and Justina Janzen make this team go.  Rizzo's on the high average list for girls, and Janzen's 224 from the leadoff spot kept the Rangers in it after game 1 at HWS.  If all pistons fire, there's no reason they can't take the title.

Speaking of highly successful co-ed teams...  Hawthorne gave Pompton Lakes a run before settling into 2nd in the NJIC-Colonial, and their numbers show them basically even with Wallkill (a little higher GA, a little lower T5).  Steve Plaszky and siblings Hunter & Madison Perry lead the Bears, each averaging in the 190s, with Nick Hauser right behind at 183.  Transitioning to a 5-bowler lineup may be a challenge, but they scored 2nd place at the Passaic tournament with a 2749, so they're right in this.

The numbers for High Point and Newton are a cut below the top 3, but watch out for High Point's Joe Gramignano, who's made it a habit to shoot numbers at tournament time.  McNair, Manchester Regional and Lenape Valley round out the Group II participants.


GROUP III
Defending Champ: St. Peter's Prep (up at Group IV in 2017)
Not having St. Peter's here opens up Group III to a half dozen schools with a shot to advance to Bowlero.  Wayne Hills is the best of the bunch on paper, with a solid 185 GA and a surprisingly strong top 5 for a Big North (i.e. 4-bowler) team.  Patrick Mayer, Matt Klarberg, Nick Kent, Steven Neri and James Orapello all posted averages over 180 for the Patriots this season, with Mayer going as high as 696.

Sparta couldn't quite take the top-2 in the NJAC-North in 2017, but they've got the talent to take the sectional.  Senior Jaime Golden is #13 in the state for girls average, and Brian Trotter fired quite a few 600s this season himself.  If the whole lineup comes together, as it did for a 2941 set earlier in the season, the Spartans will make some noise.

Two more Big North-Independence teams will be looking to steal a TOC spot here, and they're pretty similar: Lakeland has 5 regular-season tested regulars, led by Daniel Hecker (194), West Milford is much the same, topped by Andrew Finke's 194.  Lakeland was a little better at the Passaic, carding 2599 for 5th, so they rate a slight edge.

Kearny and Hopatcong are longer shots, but both have talent. Kearny is led by Christian Davidson's 188 average, while Hopatcong is anchored by one of the most decorated female bowlers in NJ, Rhianna Smith.

Wayne Valley and Vernon complete the field.

GROUP IV
Defending Champ: Clifton
This one could be some fun.  At least four teams have a chance to take this title, including both defending sectional champs now grouped together.

Clifton is all about top-end talent. Johan Gamo and Joe Paolillo (both sophomores) have been an excellent one-two punch all season; watching both go nuts in the North Jersey single prelims was a treat.  Tyler Stilley and Sean Cruz make a credible three-four, but nobody else was able to crack the lineup in Big North action.  4th place in the Passaic with a 2637 isn't bad, but it's gonna take some premium scores up top for the Mustangs to defend their crown.

St. Peter's Prep, the other '16 champ, has some talent of its own, and it begins with 205-averaging Jared Ammugauan.  His game is as good as his name is impossible to spell right the first time.  Kevin O'Mara (190) and Zack Oswald (188) have put up pretty good numbers themselves, while Lynken Lanting has gone as big as 694 in conference play.  The Marauders whipped the HCIAL (79-5) and have shot as high as 2986.  Tournament results have been mixed, but better than anyone else in this field.  I think they're the favorites.

The two HCIAA schools may well have something to say about that, though.  North Bergen narrowly defeated Dickinson for the regular season crown, Dickinson got some revenge by finishing ahead of NB at the Hudson tournament, and now they go at it again. Dickinson gets it done with one of the best one-two punches not just in North 1B, but in New Jersey.  The Rams' Matt Burzynski (220) and Ray Ramos (209) have been the two top guns in the league all season. North Bergen counters with exceptional balance, featuring the Rams' Chrisitan Bermudez, Nicholas Dominy and Chris Lopez all with averages over 190.  Watch the other guys in this matchup: if one of them can step up, the top two schools are definitely reachable.

If you're looking for a darkhorse, you could do worse than Bayonne.  A strong 3rd in the HCIAL, talent 1-5 that can hang with the big boys on a good day, and Kyle Flood can really score.  Passaic Tech has 3 guys that have shot over 600 this season, led by George Vega, but can they all get there at the same time?

Michael Polanco from Passaic is an individual threat, as is Alef Morales of Union City, but their teams probably don't have the depth to make a serious run.

Top 40 Averages (Boys & Girls) Final Regular Season List

For a number of reasons, this is the last average list I'll do for the season.  I appreciate that they're very popular, but it's messy.  I wanted to go to top 50, but I just don't have the necessary confidence that I've got everybody.  I have reasonable confidence in 40, so here you go.  Regular season only, results through Saturday, yadda yadda.  I'll update if I get information that I've got something wrong.

THE TOP 40 BOYS HIGH SCHOOL BOWLING AVERAGES IN NEW JERSEY

1.  234  Andrew Lazarchick, Brick Memorial
2.  229  Erik Katterman, Montville
3.  228  Chris Pagliuso, Shawnee
4.  227  Jordan Malizia, Brick Township
4.  227  Austin Devereux, Manasquan
6.  226  Joe Ocello, St. Rose
6.  226  James Stoveken, Woodbridge
8.  224  Matthew Stephens, Egg Harbor
8.  224  David Grant, Fort Lee
8.  224  Evan Weinberg, Dayton
8.  224  Matthew Young, Eastern
8.  224  Nick Cilento, Pompton Lakes
13. 223  Andrew Abbonizio, Shawnee
13. 223  Sam Bortnick, East Brunswick
15. 222  Colin Dromgoole, Caldwell
15. 222  Ryan Donohue, Lyndhurst
17. 221  Matt Gibney, Keansburg
18. 220  Matt Burzynski, Dickinson
19. 219  Anthony Mathis, Cherry Hill East
19. 219  Jared Duncan, Indian Hills
21. 217  Kyle Bilawsky, Woodbridge
21. 217  Louis Folgore, Monroe
21. 217  Cameron LaPlant, JP Stevens
21. 217  Matt Redbord, Ocean Township
25. 216  Jacob Boris, Seneca
25. 216  Daniel Lenk, East Brunswick
27. 215  Zak DuHaime, Wallkill Valley
27. 215  John Wrobel, Morris Tech
27. 215  Derek Lewandowski, Ridgefield Park
27. 215  Angelo Salici, South Plainfield
31. 214  Dan Kenny, Maple Shade
31. 214  Chris Swindell, Toms River South
31. 214  Kyle Schellberg, Dumont
31. 214  Nick Greco, Fair Lawn
31. 214  Luis Torres, Roselle
36. 213  Chris DeOcampo, Sayreville
36. 213  Jordan Shackleford, Westampton Tech
36. 213  Alec Hehir, Brick Memorial
36. 213  Daniel Whelan, Iselin Kennedy
36. 213  Joey Steele, Sussex Tech
36. 213  Emerson Levy, Cherry Hill East

THE TOP 40 GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL BOWLING AVERAGES IN NEW JERSEY

1.  217  Kamerin Peters, Toms River North
2.  214  Aimee Sherman, Jackson Memorial
3.  209  Michelle Dekowski, Linden
3.  209  Jenn Ingulli, Ocean Township
3.  209  Lauren Potechin, Millburn
6.  207  Alize Stevenson, St. Mary's
7.  206  Lanasia Neal, South Plainfield
7.  206  Jillian Stuart, Brick Memorial
9.  202  Dana Henry, Ocean Township
10. 201  Amanda Shelters, Brick Memorial
10. 201  Katie Robb, Kingsway
12. 200  Sarah Pitcher, Brick Memorial
13. 198  Jaime Golden, Sparta
14. 197  Rhianna Smith, Hopatcong
14. 197  Victoria Bird, Brick Memorial
16. 195  Kelcie Mannon, Warren Hills
17. 194  Jenna Henderson, Warren Hills
18. 192  Danielle Quitola, Ridgefield Park
18. 192  Caylin Ryan, Brick Township
18. 192  Madison Perry, Hawthorne
21. 191  Laura Oliver, Central
21. 191  Marissa Cosentini, Wayne Valley
23. 190  Dorrie Anne Rizzo, Wallkill Valley
23. 190  Goldera Surles, Union Catholic
23. 190  Emily Alvarez, South Brunswick
26. 189  Sarah Orensky, Freehold Township
26. 189  Kiara Powell, Union
26. 189  Samantha Salzone, Edison
26. 189  Tiffany Sucero, Holy Angels
30. 188  Victoria Gray, Brick Township
30. 188  Clare Chaffer, Freehold Township
30. 188  Gabby Pangaro, Clifton
33. 187  Deanna Calantoni, Woodbridge
33. 187  Michelle Bello, Pennsauken
35. 186  Julianna Forbes, Brick Township
35. 186  Rachel Katz, Brick Memorial
35. 186  Tyla D'Andrea, Lyndhurst
38. 185  Sara Smith, Manasquan
38. 185  Natalie Swindell, Toms River South
38. 185  Elizabeth Hudock, Warren Hills
41. 184  Amanda Dorner, Howell

edited 2/2 to include Tyla D'Andrea, with apologies.

Girls Final Regular Season Rankings

Same deal as the boys, but even less movement; Monroe made a big jump and earned every bit of it.
Enjoy these rankings, this is what we'll be using until after February 11.

THE TOP 20 GIRLS BOWLING TEAMS IN NEW JERSEY

1. Brick Memorial
2. Warren Hills
3. Brick Township
4. Ocean Township
5. Manchester Township
6. Toms River North
7. Holy Angels
8. Toms River South
9. Lacey
10. Edison
11. Eastern
12. Wayne Valley
13. Teaneck
14. Monroe
15. Howell
16. Freehold Township
17. Washington Township
18. Central
19. Woodbridge
20. Paramus Catholic

THE NEXT TEN (alphabetically)

Barnegat
Carteret
Demarest
Gloucester Tech
Hackensack
Manasquan
Ramsey
South Plainfield
Southern
Westwood

Final regular season average list to come, then onto Sectional Previews.

Boys Final Regular Season Rankings

Sorry, no commentary here.  Trying to get a lot of content out before sectionals.  Truly, not much changed.  I re-did the T5's (for the last time), which caused a little movement.  Anyway, no more "just missed" or "keep an eye on"; this is the one we'll use until the season ends.

THE TOP 20 BOYS BOWLING TEAMS IN NEW JERSEY

1. Brick Memorial
2. Woodbridge
3. Toms River South
4. East Brunswick
5. Shawnee
6. Ocean Township
7. Brick Township
8. Manasquan
9. Montville
10. Cherry Hill East
11. South Brunswick
12. Indian Hills
13. Sussex Tech
14. Pompton Lakes
15. Seneca
16. St. Joseph-Metuchen
17. St. Rose
18. Pascack Valley
19. Warren Hills
20. Central

THE NEXT TEN (alphabetically)

Egg Harbor
Fair Lawn
Lacey
Livingston
Lyndhurst
Monroe
North Arlington
Old Bridge
Sayreville
Toms River North

Catching up on last week

All I had to do was ask, I guess.

After waiting seven weeks for another 800, we've had two in two days.  Erik Katterman of #10 Montville put up a phenomenal 300-235-278=813 at the Morris County tournament on Thursday, leading the Mustangs to a nice 3186 set and wins in two rounds of Baker playoffs to take the County title.  Unfortunately, I have no other hard information on the event.

#17 Warren Hills dominated the Skyland Conference tournament, totaling 3073, which was not a surprise.  Streaks' Freshman Ryan Monahan winning the individual title with a 707 may have been a little surprising, though.

#1 Brick Memorial shot 3110 (Alec Hehir 745) and 3090 (Andrew Lazarchick 734), but only managed a split, as unranked Southern put up easily their best score of the season with a 3116, backed by Jeff Wilkinson's 707.  Kyle Oliveri's 702 helped #3 Toms River South defeat TRE and post a 3140 set, and #7 Brick Township took a 2-1 decision over #20 Central (3024-2871)

#6 Ocean Township and #8 Manasquan had yet another fantastic duel, with Manasquan taking the match 2-1 / 3098-3092.  That's become one of the very best rivalries in NJ.  'Squan's Austin Devereux (786) and Chris Heilos (711) put up big numbers this week, which also included 3047 in a sweep of Pt. Pleasant Boro.  Right behind them in Shore-Central-A, #19 St. Rose fired another good set with a 3069 in a sweep of Wall.

From the unranked teams (but maybe not for long): St. Joseph-Metuchen bounced back from losing depite a big number to an even bigger number, and defeated Edison 3-1 / 3212-2972. If I'm reading the numbers right (don't get me started on confusing standings sheets), Livingston fired a strong 3069 as they get ready for sectionals. St. Peter's won the Hudson County tournament with a 2703 set.  North Arlington posted 2 very nice 4-man totals: 2479 & 2469, with Eric McKenna shooting 709.

#14 Pascack Valley put up their best series in a while, 2454 to beat Demarest 5-2.  #16 Indian Hills went even further, firing a red-hot 2659 to sweep Ridgewood with all four bowlers shooting over 630. Over in the NJIC, Hawthorne had a strong 4-bowler set of their own, finishing at 2461 in a sweep of Glen Rock.

Other 700s:

Steve Nicholsen, Jackson Memorial  726

Emerson Levy, Cherry Hill East  738

Matthew Young, Eastern  704

Chris Pagliuso, Shawnee  719

Kyle Schellberg, Dumont  700

David Grant, Fort Lee  716

The #1 Brick Memorial girls still have the pedal to the metal, sweeping #17 Central and Southern with series of 3075 and 3006.  Tori Bird (616-645), Sarah Pitcher (610-602), and Jill Stuart (643-684) each shot a pair of 6's.

#2 Warren Hills had no trouble winning the Skyland tournament.  Jenna Henderson (601), Katie Winch (656) and individual tournament champ Kelcie Mannon (688) powered the Blue Streaks to their highest 3-game set of the season, 3021.

Kearny took the Hudson County tournament, finishing off a truly dominant regular season (70-0).

#6 Toms River North got very solid contributions from the whole lineup, which should scare everyone a little bit.  Kamerin Peters' 651 was the topper, leading to a 2709 set in a sweep of TRE.  #3 Brick Township scored a pair of solid wins over Central & Southern with sets of 2692 & 2588.

#11 Eastern carded a very strong 2516 to sweep CHE.  #4 Ocean Township followed up their top series of the season on Wednesday by nearly matching it, firing 2817 to sweep Asbury Park.

The rivalry between #5 Manchester and #9 Lacey continues: The Hawks took a 2-1 / 2623-2506 decision to, I believe, clinch the division title.

Other 600s:

Madison Perry, Hawthorne   621

Aimee Sherman, Jackson Memorial  654

Trinity Gray, North Brunswick  609

Lanasia Neal, South Plainfield  643

Caylin Ryan, Brick Township  604

Olivia Wank, Bergen Tech  638

I'm going to try to get rankings out within the next 24 hours and then start posting sectional previews (They start on Thursday! Where did the season go?).

Midweek Report

Well, I asked for it.

Last week, I mentioned that we hadn't seen an 800 since opening day, and James Stoveken of #2 Woodbridge was happy to oblige, shooting a blistering 300-237-299=836 for the highest HS series in recent memory.  In the process, he became the first high school bowler in the nation to post five 300 games in a career (he's only a sophomore).  Also, teammate Kyle Bilawsky fired 791 and the Barrons posted a huge 3528 team series, which crushed St. Joseph of Metuchen, who bowled really well themselves, carding 3123.

All that came on the heels of Woodbridge's return to GMC action on Tuesday, which featured 700's from Stoveken (711) and John Drost (727) and finished up at 3042 to sweep Colonia.  Elsewhere in the GMC, #5 East Brunswick had a pair of 3000s and a pair of wins (despite a season-high 3075 by Bishop Ahr), with Daniel Lenk firing 736 in the first, and #11 South Brunswick took care of Old Bridge 3-1 with a 3006 set.

#1 Brick Memorial stayed undefeated in SSA matches, sweeping TRE and totaling 3130, while #3 Toms River South swept #20 Central 3119-2838.

#13 Sussex Tech won the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex tournament title with a 2925 set, narrowly defeating Wallkill Valley.  High Point's Joe Gramignano took the boys' individual honors.

Anthony Mathis's 700 helped #9 Cherry Hill East (3014) swept Bishop Eustace despite a 728 by BE's Zach Young. #15 Pompton Lakes put up a stellar 4-man 2566, with big series by Nick Cilento (706) and Esteban Garcia (702, including a 300), while Ryan McGuire's 703 helped #16 Indian Hills to a 4-man 2445.

Scotch Plains (2893) and Cranford (2839) are the top seeds for the Union County team championship's Baker playoffs later this week.

More Numbers:

Matthew Young, Eastern   703
Kyle Bernokeits, West Orange   716
Justin Korman, Manalapan   718
Joe Ocello, St. Rose   300-766
Jarrett Toth, St. Rose   703
Matt Redbord, Ocean Township   701
Tom Smith, Pascack Valley   706


Sarah Pitcher's 649 led the #1 Brick Memorial girls to a 2862 in a sweep of TRE.  While the H/W/S tournament doesn't technically have a girls team event, the #2 Warren Hills girls starting 5 shot 2887 together, highlighted by Jenna Henderson's 620 and Kelcie Mannon's 650 (which won the individual title).  Sparta's Jaime Golden shot 630 for 2nd place.

#4 Ocean Township was right there with the top 2, firing 2825 in a sweep of Manasquan behind Dana Henry's 637 (Jenn Ingulli shot 467 in two games).  In Central B, Amanda Dorner's 628 helped #16 Howell to 2519 and a sweep of Colts Neck on Tuesday.

#20 Paramus Catholic might be the hottest team in the Big North, and they fired a nice 4-bowler 2025 on Wednesday.  But #7 Holy Angels is still the best team, taking out PC 5-2 with a 2177 set with help from Tiffany Sucero's 621.  #13 Teaneck is right there, too: shooting 2039 to sweep Pascack Valley and improve to 87-4 on the season.

Top GMC squad and state #10 Edison got a huge 682 from Sam Salzone and swept New Brunswick with a 2562, which continues their run as The Most Consistent Good Team In New Jersey.  But another GMC team did a little better: #19 Monroe swept JP Stevens with a 2511 and then put up a big 2632 to sweep a very good Carteret team.  Monroe's Bridget Bolan was excellent throughout, shooting 621 & 645.

Southern is just outside the rankings, but made their case with a strong 2386 in a narrow 2-1 loss to #6 Toms River North.

Alize Stevenson (646) of St. Mary's and  Kiara Powell (629) of Union led the way in Union County singles preliminary action on Tuesday.  Stevenson defeated Michelle Dekowski of Linden in the finals on Wednesday to take her second county championship.

More 600s:

Katie Robb, Kingsway   611
Aimee Sherman, Jackson Memorial   653
Danielle Quitola, Ridgefield Park   627
Maryann Ramirez, Passaic Tech   622
Gabby Pangaro, Clifton   622

Rest of the week should include the Joe Romer tournament, the Hudson County tournament, the Skyland Conference tournament, and the Morris County tournament.  This weekend will see the final regular season rankings and next week will start sectionals previews and the sectionals themselves get under way one week from today.

Girls Rankings for 1-24-17

THE TOP 20 GIRLS BOWLING TEAMS IN NEW JERSEY

1. Brick Memorial
LW: 1   Group Ranking: 1   Sectional: South Jersey, Group IV
3rd at Snowball, Won Woodbridge. 2784 in win over Brick Township, 3063 in win over TRN

2. Warren Hills
LW: 2   Group Ranking: 1   Sectional: North Jersey, Group III
2nd at Snowball.  2624 in win over Hunterdon Central, 2888 in win over Franklin

3. Brick Township
LW: 3   Group Ranking: 2   Sectional: South Jersey, Group III
8th at Snowball, 2nd at Woodbridge.  2621 in loss to Brick Memorial, 2640 in win over TRS

4. Ocean Township
LW: 5   Group Ranking: 1   Sectional: Central Jersey, Group II
1st at Monmouth. 2510 in win over Neptune, 2817 in win over Asbury Park

5. Manchester Township
LW: 4   Group Ranking: 2   Sectional: South Jersey, Group II
9th at Snowball. 2455 in win over Pinelands

6. Toms River North
LW: 7   Group Ranking: 2   Sectional: South Jersey, Group IV
10th at Snowball, 5th at Woodbridge.  2644 in win over TRS, 2569 in loss to Brick Memorial

7. Holy Angels
LW: 8   Group Ranking: 3   Sectional: North Jersey, Group II or III
2099 (4 bowler) in win over Tenafly, 2098 in win over Immaculate Heart

8. Toms River South
LW: 6   Group Ranking: 4   Sectional: South Jersey, Group III
12th at Snowball, 4th at Woodbridge. 2262 in loss to TRN, 2539 in loss to Brick Township

9. Lacey Township
LW: 9   Group Ranking: 4   Sectional: South Jersey, Group II
6th at Snowball. 2505 in win over Lakewood

10. Edison
LW: 10   Group Ranking: 5   Sectional: Central Jersey, Group III
6th at Woodbridge. No regular matches, GMC off for individual tournaments

11. Eastern
LW: 13   Group Ranking: 3   Sectional: South Jersey, Group IV
7th at Snowball. 2466 in win over Camden Tech, 2498 in loss to Washington Township

12. Wayne Valley
LW: 11   Group Ranking: 6   Sectional: North Jersey, Group III
Won Passaic County. 2163 (4 bowler) in win over Passaic Tech, 2004 in win over Wayne Hills

13. Teaneck
LW: 12   Group Ranking: 7   Sectional: North Jersey, Group III
2176 (4 bowler) in win over Hackensack, 1988 in win over Ridgefield Park, 2057 in win over Tenafly

14. Freehold Township
LW: 14   Group Ranking: 4   Sectional: Central Jersey, Group IV
4th at Monmouth. 2298 in win over Howell, 2394 in win over Jackson Liberty

15. Washington Township
LW: un   Group Ranking: 5   Sectional: South Jersey, Group IV
2552 in win over Seneca, 2602 in win over Eastern

16. Howell
LW: 15   Group Ranking: 6   Sectional: Central Jersey, Group IV
11th at Snowball, 3rd at Monmouth.  2287 in loss to Freehold Township

17. Central Regional
LW: 17   Group Ranking: 8   Sectional: South Jersey, Group III
2381 in loss to Southern

18. Woodbridge
LW: 18   Group Ranking: 9   Sectional: Central Jersey, Group III
3rd at Woodbridge.  No regular matches (GMC)

19. Monroe
LW: 16   Group Ranking: 10   Sectional: Central Jersey, Group III
No team matches or tournaments (GMC)

20. Paramus Catholic
LW: un   Group Ranking: 11   Sectional: North Jersey, Group III
4-bowler 2075 in win over Immaculate Heart

note: Group Rankings & assignments are based on projected groups.  Official Group assignments will be available soon.

FIVE TEAMS THAT JUST MISSED

South Plainfield
Manasquan
Carteret
Southern
Barnegat

FIVE TEAMS TO KEEP AN EYE ON

Ramsey
South Brunswick
Westwood
West Deptford
Kearny

SB is a holdover until the GMC resumes.  Ramsey & Westwood are the best North, Group I has to offer and each is looking pretty good.  West Deptford is very strong 1 through 5. Kearny has dominated their league and looks like the top team in North, Group IV.

Boys Rankings for 1-23-17

THE TOP 20 BOYS BOWLING TEAMS IN NEW JERSEY

1. Brick Memorial
LW: 1   Group Ranking: 1   Sectional: South Jersey, Group IV
Won Snowball, 2nd at Woodbridge.  3150 in win over Brick Twp., 3299 in win over TRN

2. Woodbridge
LW: 2   Group Ranking: 1   Sectional: Central Jersey, Group III
Won Woodbridge.  Off during the week for GMC Individuals

3. Toms River South
LW: 7   Group Ranking: 2   Sectional: South Jersey, Group III
3rd at Snowball, 8th at Woodbridge. 3119 in win over TRN, 3402 in win over Brick Twp.

4. Shawnee
LW: 3   Group Ranking: 2   Sectional: South Jersey, Group IV
7th at Snowball.  3059 in win over St. Augustine

5. East Brunswick
LW: 4   Group Ranking: 3   Sectional: Central Jersey, Group IV
Off all week

6. Ocean Township
LW: 5   Group Ranking: 1   Sectional: Central Jersey, Group II
3rd at Monmouth, 3182 in win over St. Rose

7. Brick Township
LW: 6   Group Ranking: 3   Sectional: South Jersey, Group III
11th at Snowball, 4th at Woodbridge. 3113 in loss to Brick Mem, 3282 in loss to TRS

8. Manasquan
LW: 9   Group Ranking: 1   Sectional: Central Jersey, Group I
4th at Monmouth, 3023 in win over Wall, 2821 in loss to St. Rose

9. Cherry Hill East
LW: 8   Group Ranking: 4   Sectional: South Jersey, Group IV
5th at Snowball, 2772 in win over CHW, 2842 in loss to Lenape

10. Montville
LW: 12   Group Ranking: 2   Sectional: North 2, Group II
3rd at Woodbridge, 3191 in win over Chatham, 3152 in win over Morris Hills

11. South Brunswick
LW: 10   Group Ranking: 5   Sectional: Central Jersey, Group IV
6th at Woodbridge

12. Seneca
LW: 11   Group Ranking: 3   Sectional: South Jersey, Group II
1st in qualifying at Snowball, 3014 in win over Washington Twp, 2979 in win over Camden Tech

13. Sussex Tech
LW: 13   Group Ranking: 4   Sectional: North 1B, Group II
3141 in win over Wallkill Valley

14. Pascack Valley
LW: 14   Group Ranking: 4   Sectional: North 1A, Group III
1st at Bergen County tournament, 2265 4man in win over Bergenfield

15. Pompton Lakes
LW: un   Group Ranking: 2   Sectional: North 1B, Group I
1st at Passaic County tournament, 2517 4man in win over Manchester Reg, 2599 4man in win over Hawthorne

16. Indian Hills
LW: 15   Group Ranking: 5   Sectional: North 1A, Group III
3rd at Bergen County tournament, 2376 4man in win over Northern Highlands

17. Warren Hills
LW: 16   Group Ranking: 6   Sectional: North 2, Group III
12th at Snowball, 2813 in win over Hunterdon Central, 2921 in win over Franklin

18. Egg Harbor
LW: 19   Group Ranking: 6   Sectional: South Jersey, Group IV
9th at Snowball; no other results reported

19. St. Rose
LW: 20   Group Ranking: 3   Sectional: Central Jersey, Group I
2975 in loss to Ocean Township, 2784 in win over Point Pleasant Boro, 3122 in win over Manasquan

20. Central
LW: un   Group Ranking: 7   Sectional: South Jersey, Group III
3015 in win over Southern

note: Group Rankings & assignments are based on projected groups.  Official Group assignments will be available soon.

FIVE TEAMS THAT JUST MISSED

St. Joseph-Metuchen
Sayreville
Monroe
Lacey
Fair Lawn

FIVE TEAMS TO KEEP AN EYE ON

Toms River North
Howell
Toms River East
Hawthorne
Cherry Hill West

Howell (8th) & CHW (10th) had very nice showings at the Snowball, TRE has a potentially great top 5, Hawthorne had a decent transition to 5-bowler, finishing 2nd at Passaic tournament. TRN simply has very good numbers and I haven't mentioned them in a month.

The Week in Review

Let's see if we can hit some highlights from the week that just ended before we start a new one.

Tournaments

Just to put a bow on the Snowball Classic last Monday, the top 5 NJ teams in qualifying:

Boys:
Seneca (4341 over 4 games, 1st overall)
Brick Memorial (4323, 2nd)
Toms River South (4162, 3rd)
Cherry Hill East (4083, 5th)
Shawnee (4049, 7th)
Also, Brick Memorial won the playoffs to take the championship, which I somehow forgot to mention.

Girls:
Warren Hills (3952, 1st)
Brick Memorial (3843, 3rd)
Lacey (3572, 6th)
Eastern (3447, 7th)
Brick Township (8th)

Individual accolades go to Brick Memorial's John Boughton for top game (299) and set (997), Eddie Cashwell of Seneca (928, 2nd), Jacob Boris of Seneca (296, 2nd) and Mitch Tippin of Seneca (277, 3rd).

On the girls side, Michelle Bello of Pennsauken had the top set (888) and 3rd high game (249) while Warren Hills' Katie Winch had the high game (277) and 3rd high set (872).

 The Greater Middlesex Conference took the week off as teams and held the individual tournaments.  Lanasia Neal of South Plainfield dominated the girls event, shooting 744-617 and defeating Sam Salzone of Edison (who was great also, firing 611-639) in the stepladder final. Third went to Woodbridge's Deanna Calantoni, Fourth to Emily Alvarez of South Brunswick and Fifth to Bridget Bolan of Monroe.  600s were thrown in qualifying by Trinity Gray of North Brunswick (604), Alvarez (623) and Victoria Sasicky of Monroe (618).

Cameron LaPlant of JP Stevens took the boys title, winning 3 matches to take the stepladder from the #3 spot and shooting an unofficial 703 in the playoff.  Second through Fifth: James Stoveken of Woodbridge, Angelo Salici of South Plainfield (who amazingly shot the only other 700 of the boys event, a 708 on day one), Chris DeOcampo of Sayreville and Daniel Lenk of East Brunswick.

Several county tournaments happened on Saturday.  Bergen County Boys & Passaic County events are, as always, well-covered by dybuk75.  I love these county tournaments, because it gives us a nice glimpse at how the 4-bowler teams will adapt to tournament season.  Probably gives the coaches a nice look as well.

The Monmouth County tournament featured some playoff upsets. Keyport shocked top seed Ocean Township in the semifinals but fell to a Howell squad that's been improving all season.  Similarly, the Colts Neck girls surprised top-seeded Howell in the semifinals but fell to Ocean Township in the final. Keyport's Henry Young (653) and Freehold Township's Sarah Orensky (634) had the top individual scores.

Finally, the Woodbridge Classic took place on Saturday as well.  The college-inspired format was cool: 2 traditional games followed by 5 Baker games, which puts the totals on the same footing as the usual 3-game sets.  Brick Memorial won the girls side handily, shooting a 2934 that included a 289 Baker game in their last effort.  Brick Township (2637), an impressively resurgent Woodbridge team (2511), Toms River South (2484) and Toms River North (2433) round out the top five.

The Boys event was considerably tighter: the top four were only separated by 44 pins.  A Woodbridge 289 in Baker Game 2 made up a huge deficit, and the Barrons and Brick Memorial went back and forth until Woodbridge took charge in the last 2 games to win with a team total of 3031.  After Brick Memorial (2997) came Montville (2990), Brick Township (2987) and a surprisingly strong Scotch Plains-Fanwood team (2917) that outscored a few ranked teams to reach the top five.

Regular Season

Can't get to all of them, but here are a few of the week's top matchups.

#1 Brick Memorial girls dropped their first regular season game of the year against #3 Brick Township last Tuesday, but put away the match 2-1 / 2784-2621.  Any talk of a slump ended with a huge 3063 in a sweep of #7 Toms River North on Friday; Amanda Shelters (653), Tori Bird (623) and Jill Stuart (665) led the Mustangs.

#2 Warren Hills (2888) and #2 Ocean Township (2817) put up the next best series this week; each are undefeated in their conferences.  #7 TRN made a statement by sweeping #6 TRS behind Kamerin Peters' 734.

#13 Eastern, coming off two solid tournament performances and a 2466 on Tuesday, hooked up with Washington Township for a match that featured something we don't see often outside the Shore Conference: both teams hitting high totals.  Washington Twp tossed a season-high 2602 (on the heels of a big 2552 on Tuesday) and won the match 3-1 over Eastern's 2498.

A couple of teams put up season highs: Franklin shot 2366 and came closer to taking a point off of Warren Hills than anybody else has.  Kearny is 70-0 in conference play and shot 2245 in a sweep of Bayonne on Wednesday.  Ramsey put up a nice 4-bowler 2050 in their upset of Westwood (who was pretty good themselves at 2024). Ewing may be down a bit from recent years, but they're still great in conference play. I have them unofficially at 14-1, and they put up a nice 2345 on Tuesday.

Big long list of honor scores coming at the end, but special mention for the girls who shot 700 this week (aside from Peters & Neal).  Michelle Bello of Pennsauken, who has been on a serious roll, fired a huge 753.  And Millburn Senior Lauren Potechin shot 740 this week, tying for the top series in the SEC-Colonial, boys or girls (and that league has some pretty good bowlers).

On the boys's side.  There were only 3 matches where both teams broke 3000:

#1 Brick Memorial def. #6 Brick Township 2-1 / 3150-3115
#7 Toms River South def. #6 Brick Township 3-0 / 3402-3282 (highest scoring true 5-man match of the season)
#12 Montville def. Morris Hills 7-0 / 3152-3062 (season high for MH)

The rest of the best: Brick Memorial (3150 & 3299), #5 Ocean Township (3182), Montville (3191), #13 Sussex Tech (3141 to all but clinch the NJAC-North), #20 St. Rose (3122 in a win over #9 Manasquan)

Pompton Lakes (2517 & 2599) put up the top 3 4-man scores of the week.  Hammonton shot a season-high 3065 in a sweep of Deptford.  Lenape pulled off a huge 3-1 upset over #8 Cherry Hill East with help from Jayen Patel's 738.

Joe Ocello of St. Rose was the individual star of the week, rolling a scorching 799, which made me think: have we really not seen a single 800 since Andrew Abbonizio's on opening day?  That seems hard to believe given the talent in the state.  I'm guessing we may see one or two before the season's up.

Girls 600s

Rhianna Smith, Hopatcong  618
Aimee Sherman, Jackson Memorial  667
Amanda Shelters, Brick Memorial 616
Kamerin Peters, Toms River North  654
Anna Foo, Manasquan  649
Kristina Scimone, Eastern  600
Katie Robb, Kingsway  665
Michelle Dekowski, Linden  618
Emily Mamunes, Northern Highlands  644
Danielle Quitola, Ridgefield Park  624-609
Dana Henry, Ocean Township  671
Jenn Ingulli, Ocean Township  670
Claudine Rosca, Wayne Valley  607
Emma Thies, Jefferson  618
Alize Stevenson, St. Mary's  648
Jenna Henderson, Warren Hills  656
Kelcie Mannon, Warren Hills  629
Madison Perry, Hawthorne  636
Gabby Pangaro, Clifton  623
Victoria Vucak, Paramus Catholic  630
Justina Janzen, Wallkill Valley  608
DorrieAnne Rizzo, Wallkill Valley  606

Boys 700s

Brent Ayres, Deptford  710
Jordan Malizia, Brick Township  736
Jacob Boris, Seneca  747
Matthew Young, Eastern  758
Dan Kenny, Maple Shade  744-710
Sean Harris, Cinnaminson  716
Esteban Garcia, Pompton Lakes  708
Nicholas Quinones, Rahway  718
Peter Ho, Montville  731
Chris Pagliuso, Shawnee  746
Steven Nicholsen, Jackson Memorial  707
Colin Dromgoole, Caldwell  716
Louis Ferrante, Paramus Catholic  703
Anthony Susino, Toms River East  707
Ryan McIntire, Toms River East  725
Nick Cilento, Pompton Lakes  721
Rich Prozzo, Toms River South  731
Tim Zayac, Sussex Tech  714
Erik Katterman, Montville  726
Luis Torres, Roselle  712
Nick Gross, Brick Township  726
Nick Kafarski, Brick Township  747
Andrew Lazarchick, Brick Memorial  726
Johann Gamo, Clifton  719

Top 40 Averages in NJ (Boys & Girls)

OK, so this is my apology for the lack of actual blogging this week.  I made the Top 25 list last Friday as kind of a filler post, and it became my most popular post, by far.  I mean, who knew?

I think I've got this right and I don't think I'm missing anybody, but please let me know if there's someone out there that I'm somehow overlooking.  This is accurate up to Wednesday, with some Thursday results factored in.  Any averages pulled from nj.com stats are subject to the reporting habits of coaches (I'm assuming there are no coaches gaming the system by only reporting the matches with good scores, but there are certainly missing scores).  And of course, this is regular season conference play only, no tournament scores factored in.

THE TOP 40 HIGH SCHOOL BOYS AVERAGES IN NEW JERSEY

1.  236  Matthew Stephens, Egg Harbor Township
2.  234  Andrew Lazarchick, Brick Memorial
3.  229  Matt Burzynski, Dickinson
3.  229  Jordan Malizia, Brick Township
5.  228  Chris Pagliuso, Shawnee
6.  227  Erik Katterman, Montville
6.  227  Joe Ocello, St. Rose
8.  226  Andrew Abbonizio, Shawnee
8.  226  Austin Devereux, Manasquan
10. 226  David Grant, Fort Lee
11. 225  Colin Dromgoole, Caldwell
12. 224  Evan Weinberg, Dayton
12. 224  Matthew Young, Eastern
14. 223  Anthony Mathis, Cherry Hill East
14. 223  Sam Bortnick, East Brunswick
16. 222  Ryan Donohue, Lyndhurst
16. 222  James Stoveken, Woodbridge
18. 221  Nick Cilento, Pompton Lakes
18. 221  Matt Gibney, Keansburg
20. 220  Zak DuHaime, Wallkill Valley
21. 219  Kyle Bilawsky, Woodbridge
21. 219  Jacob Boris, Seneca
23. 218  Jared Duncan, Indian Hills
23. 218  Louis Folgore, Monroe
23. 218  Dan Kenny, Maple Shade
26. 217  Cameron LaPlant, JP Stevens
27. 216  Matt Redbord, Ocean Township
28. 215  Jason Pesce, Egg Harbor Township
28. 215  Chris DeOcampo, Sayreville
28. 215  Jordan Shackelford, Westampton Tech
28. 215  Chris Swindell, Toms River South
28. 215  John Wrobel, Morris Tech
28. 215  Derek Lewandowski, Ridgefield Park
34. 214  Alec Hehir, Brick Memorial
34. 214  Daniel Lenk, East Brunswick
34. 214  Angelo Salici, South Plainfield
37. 213  Kyle Schellberg, Dumont
37. 213  Daniel Whelan, Iselin Kennedy
37. 213  Joey Steele, Sussex Tech
40. 212  Emerson Levy, Cherry Hill East
40. 212  Jon Mormando, Indian Hills
40. 212  Nick Greco, Fair Lawn

THE TOP 40 HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS AVERAGES IN NEW JERSEY

1.  220  Kamerin Peters, Toms River North
2.  215  Aimee Sherman, Jackson Memorial
3.  209  Michelle Dekowski, Linden
4.  207  Jenn Ingulli, Ocean Township
4.  207  Lanasia Neal, South Plainfield
6.  206  Alize Stevenson, St. Mary's
7.  205  Jillian Stuart, Brick Memorial
8.  204  Lauren Potechin, Millburn
9.  203  Amanda Shelters, Brick Memorial
10. 200  Sarah Pitcher, Brick Memorial
10. 200  Dana Henry, Ocean Township
10. 200  Katie Robb, Kingsway
13. 198  Jamie Golden, Sparta
14. 197  Rhianna Smith, Hopatcong
15. 195  Kelcie Mannon, Warren Hills
16. 194  Victoria Bird, Brick Memorial
16. 194  Jenna Henderson, Warren Hills
16. 194  Victoria Gray, Brick Township
19. 193  Danielle Quitola, Ridgefield Park
20. 192  Laura Oliver, Central
20. 192  Madison Perry, Hawthorne
22. 191  Clare Chaffer, Freehold Township
22. 191  Marissa Cosentini, Wayne Valley
22. 191  DorrieAnne Rizzo, Wallkill Valley
22. 191  Caylin Ryan, Brick Township
22. 191  Heather Melendez, South Plainfield
22. 191  Goldera Surles, Union Catholic
28. 190  Sara Smith, Manasquan
28. 190  Emily Alvarez, South Brunswick
30. 189  Sarah Orensky, Freehold Township
30. 189  Kiara Powell, Union
32. 188  Samantha Salzone, Edison
34. 187  Julianna Forbes, Brick Township
34. 187  Madison Gibson, Howell
34. 187  Deanna Calantoni, Woodbridge
37. 186  Rachel Katz, Brick Memorial
37. 186  Natalie Swindell, Toms River South
37. 186  Michelle Bello, Pennsauken
37. 186  Gabby Pangaro, Clifton

State Rankings by Group

All schools are listed by unofficial projected groups.  Group assignments should be made official sometime in the next week.  Every eligible school is listed, whether they entered last year or not.  Holy Angels and Paramus girls are considered for both Group II and Group III as it's unclear where they will land.

Each school's section will be listed in parentheses, so we can get a look at potential postseason matchups.

GIRLS GROUP I
1. (C) Manasquan
2. (N) Ramsey
3. (N) Westwood
4. (C) South River
5. (S) Donovan Catholic
6. (C) Keyport
7. (C) South Hunterdon
8. (S) New Egypt
9. (S) Collingswood
10. (S) Maple Shade
11. (N) DePaul Catholic
12. (N) Mother Seton

GIRLS GROUP II
1. (S) Manchester Township
2. (C) Ocean Township
3. (N) Holy Angels
4. (S) Lacey Township
5. (C) South Plainfield
6. (C) Carteret
7. (S) Barnegat
8. (N) Demarest
9. (S) West Deptford
10. (N) Paramus
11. (C) Colonia
12. (N) Mahwah

GIRLS GROUP III
1. (N) Warren Hills
2. (S) Brick Township
3. (S) Toms River South
4. (N) Holy Angels
5. (C) Edison
6. (N) Wayne Valley
7. (N) Teaneck
8. (C) Monroe
9. (S) Central
10. (C) Woodbridge
11. (N) Paramus Catholic
12. (S) Gloucester Tech

GIRLS GROUP IV
1. (S) Brick Memorial
2. (S) Toms River North
3. (S) Eastern
4. (C) Freehold Township
5. (C) Howell
6. (S) Washington Township
7. (C) South Brunswick
8. (N) Hackensack
9. (C) Franklin
10. (N) Bergen Tech
11. (C) East Brunswick
12. (N) Kearny

BOYS GROUP I
1. (C) Manasquan
2. (C) St. Rose
3. (N1B) Pompton Lakes
4. (N1A) North Arlington
5. (N1B) Hudson Catholic
6. (N1B) Wallkill Valley
7. (N1B) Hawthorne
8. (C) Bishop Ahr
9. (C) Keansburg
10. (C) Matawan
11. (S) Cinnaminson
12. (N2) Roselle Park

BOYS GROUP II
1. (C) Ocean Township
2. (S) Seneca
3. (N2) Montville
4. (N1B) Sussex Tech
5. (C) St. Joseph-Metuchen
6. (S) Lacey
7. (N1A) Lyndhurst
8. (N2) Caldwell
9. (C) Iselin Kennedy
10. (C) South Plainfield
11. (N1A) Fort Lee
12. (C) Ewing

BOYS GROUP III
1. (C) Woodbridge
2. (S) Toms River South
3. (S) Brick Township
4. (N1A) Pascack Valley
5. (N1A) Indian Hills
6. (N2) Warren Hills
7. (C) Monroe
8. (C) Sayreville
9. (S) Central
10. (N2) Morris Knolls
11. (S) Toms River East
12. (N1B) Wayne Hills

BOYS GROUP IV
1. (S) Brick Memorial
2. (S) Shawnee
3. (C) East Brunswick
4. (S) Cherry Hill East
5. (C) South Brunswick
6. (S) Egg Harbor Township
7. (N2) Livingston
8. (N1A) Fair Lawn
9. (C) Old Bridge
10. (S) Toms River North
11. (C) Howell
12. (S) Southern

Girls Rankings for 1-18-17

Well, we've got a bit of a pickle up top, huh?

Brick Memorial has been the dominant force in the sport all season (and, along with Brick Township, for years going back) and has the stats to prove it.  But Warren Hills came along and beat them at a neutral site.  And then did it again at a different event, different house.  So Who's #1?

The Case for Brick Memorial
Tournaments are great fun, and a valuable measuring stick, and a way to have a definitive champion at the end of the season, but bowling is a game-in, game-out, week-in, week-out sport.  The regular season is the primary thing. The best bowler in any league is the one with the highest average, and the same applies to teams.  The rankings use Game Average and T5 as the primary sorting tools, and Brick Memorial is higher, a LOT higher, by both measures (Brick Township has a higher GA, for that matter, despite Warren Hills bowling in a conference that does bowl 6/count 5).  Warren Hills had a great day on Saturday, shooting 2917.  The Mustangs have beaten that total ten times this season.  They average higher than that.  To make Warren Hills #1, you have to value 7 games over 3 days more highly than the other 45 games bowled since December 1.  That doesn't seem right.

The Case for Warren Hills
These two teams have been on the same lanes at the same time twice, and the Blue Streaks won each time. If the stats are even remotely close, you have to reward the team that won it on the lanes.  Yes, Brick Memorial has better season-long stats, but there are two big reasons for that: 1) Warren Hills has only had their top 5 starting lineup together for a full series twice all year: Saturday's CJWC and Monday's Snowball. And 2) Warren Hills bowls in the Skyland Conference, which means that unlike the Shore teams that bowl every match at Ocean Lanes, the Streaks have to travel to four different houses, including one where they've struggled a bit and two where Jason Belmonte might struggle to score consistently.  That takes a toll on your numbers, and the conference averages clearly don't accurately reflect the skill level of Katie Winch or Jenna Henderson. On the same lanes at the same time, Warren Hills is just as good as Brick Memorial.  Which they just proved.  Twice.

I'm going to catch hell for this either way, huh?

THE TOP TWENTY GIRLS BOWLING TEAMS IN NEW JERSEY

1. Brick Memorial
LW: 1     GA: 197     T5: 995
Quiet down.  Everything above affecting the stats is true, but the missing bowlers thing is probably true about any number of teams and I can't give extra credit just because I know a little more this time.  Memorial has won 3 other tournaments this season, and wasn't exactly blown out in these last two.

2. Warren Hills
LW: 4     GA: 182     T5: 935
On paper, BM is superior, but the reason it's so close on the lanes is that Katie Winch & Jenna Henderson are proving to be amazingly clutch tournament bowlers.

3. Brick Township
LW: 2     GA: 185     T5: 928
Dragons had a really good week overshadowed by the top 2, firing 2817-2812-2711 (3rd at CJWC).

4. Manchester Township
LW: 3     GA: 174     T5: 886
Monster 993 final game pulled them up to 5th at CJWC.  Still the Group 2 favorites.

5. Ocean Township
LW: 6     GA: 173     T5: 877
Ok, co-favorites.  Ocean was all over it last week, sweeping Manasquan (2738) and Wall (2647), winning the Long Branch tournament (2612) and 4th at CJWC (2567).

6. Toms River South
LW: 5     GA: 170     T5: 853
TRS's strength is its top-to-bottom consistency and depth.  When one of their bowlers goes big, they can hang with the top 5.  2706 last Tuesday in a loss to Brick Memorial, 8th at CJWC.

7. Toms River North
LW: 7     GA: 169     T5: 867
Having a fine year and if things break right could challenge BM for the Group IV title, but it's hard not to be excited for the future of this program, with 5 underclassmen and another Peters on the horizon.

8. Holy Angels
LW: 8     GA: 167     T5: 846
Blew out the field at the Bergen County event; they're that rare 4-bowler team that has true depth and doesn't lose a step when going to five.  Still wish I knew what group they'll be in.

9. Lacey
LW: 10     GA: 165     T5: 836
2531 & 2600 last week, but they had a great day at the Snowball, sitting in qualifying position most of the day (hope to have complete results soon, thanks as always to Coach Vargas).

10. Edison
LW: 11     GA: 166     T5: 825
The Eagles have got to be the most consistent good team anywhere.  Last week: 2511-2581-2598-2504 (7th at CJWC).

11. Wayne Valley            LW:12    GA:168    T5:815
12. Teaneck                    LW:9     GA:169    T5:808
13. Eastern                     LW:13    GA:159    T5:802
14. Freehold Township     LW:14    GA:156    T5:807
15. Howell                     LW:15    GA:156    T5:783
16. Monroe                    LW:un    GA:155    T5:765
17. Central                     LW:16    GA:153    T5:777
18. Woodbridge              LW:un    GA:150    T5:759
19. South Plainfield        LW:20    GA:152    T5:798
20. Manasquan              LW:18    GA:151    T5:791

Wayne Valley & Teaneck are clearly 2-3 in the Big North at the 5-bowler game, and each keep topping 2000 at the 4-bowler.  Eastern turned in a solid 2447 for 9th at the CJWC.  It's a shame that Freehold doesn't seem to bowl any in-season tournaments; they have a really talented top-2 in Clare Chaffer and Sarah Orensky. Howell put up an impressive 2559 last week before taking 11th at Bowlero, followed closely by Monroe whose 2389 was the worst of their 4 series; it was a good week for the Falcons. Central averaged 157 last week.  Woodbridge gets into the top 20 on the strength of a huge 2524 in the CJWC, good enough for 6th place, higher than several ranked teams. Lanasia Neal is keeping South Plainfield ranked by sheer will.  After 2387 (2nd place) at the LB tournament, I'm going to assume Manasquan was missing a bowler or two on Saturday and take their result with a grain of salt.

FIVE TEAMS THAT JUST MISSED

Carteret
Washington Township
Paramus Catholic
Barnegat
Southern

FIVE TEAMS TO KEEP AN EYE ON

South Brunswick
Gloucester Tech
Colts Neck
Colonia
Matawan

South Brunswick remains on this list; they just seem poised to break out. Gloucester Tech only had one under par result this week and they're an excellent bet to bounce back.  Colts Neck cracked 2300 for the first time this season and has a very solid top 5. Colonia & Matawan make the list off of nice showings at CJWC, 14th & 13th respectively, each beating five more highly ranked squads.

Group Rankings tomorrow.  I'm off to take my shunning.

Boys Rankings for 1-17-17

I wish I had full Snowball results, but I don't.  These rankings are influenced by the little I do know.  On the other hand, these were done before any of Tuesday's matches.

Still playing catchup, I wish I had to time to do a more thorough writeup, but it's going to be tough this week.  We'll get rankings out today & tomorrow, group rankings on Thursday, and probably an average update on Friday, but I doubt there will be much day-to-day results blogging.  Something had to go this week, and it looks like the rankings & High Average posts get about 4x as many readers (go figure).

I know I've got some new folks reading, so if you care about Game Average and T5, there's a rankings explanation here.  It's also ok if you just decide to trust me.


THE TOP TWENTY BOYS BOWLING TEAMS IN NEW JERSEY

1. Brick Memorial
LW: 2     GA: 210     T5: 1067
Central Jersey Winter Classic put them over the top, and Snowball sealed it.  Woodbridge bowled fantastic on Saturday, and the Mustangs still covered them by 114 pins.

2. Woodbridge
LW: 1     GA: 211     T5: 1041
The Barrons' scoring pace has dropped just a touch, but it was only a clear head-to-head loss that knocked them out.  James Stoveken & Kyle Bilawsky are probably the most deadly tournament pair in the state.

3. Shawnee
LW: 3     GA: 209     T5: 1064
Despite the loss to CHE, Shawnee might have the state's only top 5 that can truly match up with Brick Memorial.

4. East Brunswick
LW: 4     GA: 205     T5: 1021
Put a tough week behind them (losses to South Brunswick & Monroe) with a solid #4 at CJWC, defeating every other contender for the #4 slot.

5. Ocean Township
LW: 7     GA: 203     T5: 1022
Fantastic at the LB Wave tournament, and a solid 5th at CJWC.

6. Brick Township
LW: 5     GA: 200     T5: 1051
Nice 3158 last Tuesday, a little below expectations at the CJWC, but still a team with as much tournament-ready firepower as nearly anyone.

7. Toms River South
LW: 6     GA: 203     T5: 1039
3123 in Friday's win and 7th at CJWC.  And I've heard some rumblings that this already very good team may be about to get even better.

8. Cherry Hill East
LW: 10     GA: 201     T5: 1017
Very impressive week, with 3140 against Washington Township and that great win over Shawnee.

9. Manasquan
LW: 8     GA: 198     T5: 988
Awesome at Bowlero, finishing 4th with a 3095.  Ranked a bit higher than where their numbers would indicate just because they're capable of those kinds of performances.

10. South Brunswick
LW: 9     GA: 200     T5: 999
Defeated East Brunswick in what was really kind of an off day for both teams.  3057 in a win over Edison was also solid.  8th at the CJWC.

11. Seneca
LW: 15     GA: 194     T5: 979
3174 in a win on Tuesday, but I can't pretend this is anything but recognition of an awesome day at the Snowball, shooting 4341 in prelims.

12. Montville                      LW: 13     GA: 194     T5: 1000
13. Sussex Tech                  LW: 16     GA: 194     T5: 987
14. Pascack Valley              LW: 11     GA: 193     T5: 989
15. Indian Hills                   LW: 12     GA: 204     T5: 970
16. Warren Hills                 LW: 18     GA: 196     T5: 971
17. St. Joseph-Metuchen    LW: 17     GA: 196     T5: 974
18. Monroe                         LW: un     GA: 193     T5: 957
19. Egg Harbor                   LW: un     GA: 193     T5: 1003
20. St. Rose                         LW: un     GA: 184     T5: 987

Montville and Sussex Tech are just incredibly talented and capable of big runs in the postseason. I'd love to see Pascack Valley bowl in a 6/5 event just once, just to see all their talent unleashed.  Indian Hills keeps churning out 2400s. Warren Hills' 6th place was one of the great stories of the CJWC.  Monroe was all over the place last week, getting swept by Piscataway but defeating East Brunswick and St. Joseph.  Egg Harbor hasn't had Matthew Stephens for the full season, but when they have him, they can beat anyone.  St. Rose is the hardest team to rank, because their ability so far exceeds the GA.  After a pair of 3000s last week, I think it's just time to let them belong.

FIVE TEAMS THAT JUST MISSED

Sayreville
Pompton Lakes
Lacey
Livingston
Fair Lawn

FIVE TEAMS TO KEEP AN EYE ON

Central
Lyndhurst
Morris Knolls
Wallkill Valley
Eastern

I don't normally list teams that were recently ranked in "KAEO" but this week was truly a virtual tie for the 5th team that just missed and I thought the team that lost shouldn't be delisted entirely.  Lyndhurst has been hanging around near the top 25 all season and 3rd back at the Irwin tournament shows they have some 5-man chops.  Morris Knolls shot a huge 3109 last week and looks to able to compete with Montville in the NJAC, if only for one match.  Wallkill Valley has been hanging with, and in fact leading Sussex Tech in the NJAC North, and are a consistent and talented group.  Eastern was just fantastic at the CJWC, finishing 12th, just 2 days after setting a season high with 2942.

Girls tomorrow, also compiled before any Tuesday results.

Weekend Tournaments

This is going to be a little more perfunctory than I had hoped, but I only have team results from the CJWC, and nothing yet from the Snowball.  But I want to get to the weekly rankings, so we've got to dispatch with this with just a few observations.

The Bergen County Girls tournament went down on Saturday, with an excellent, college-like format: 3 traditional games in the morning, followed by the top 10 advancing to a Baker round.  There were two big stories: first, Paramus Catholic's Kristen Kane had an amazing day, shooting 299-760 in the morning and pulling her team to a 2nd place finish.  The second story is that #8 Holy Angels has made it abundantly clear that they are the most dangerous tournament team in Bergen County.  We're never sure how 4-bowler teams will translate to five-bowler tournaments: question AHA at your own risk.

Dybuk75's wrapup is here.
NorthJersey.com story is here.

At the Central Jersey Winter Classic, the boys generally made my rankings look good.  #4 East Brunswick got off to a great start, firing 1121 in game 1 and taking the lead, but #2 Brick Memorial ran them down in game 2 and never looked back.  The Mustangs had the highest game score for both game 2 and game 3, which is pretty rare in an event as deep as this one.  #1 Woodbridge was excellent all day and finished 2nd (albeit 114 pins back), and East Brunswick held on for 3rd.  #8 Manasquan and #7 Ocean Township rounded out the top 5, as the only other teams over 3000 at the tournament, which was a surprise.

Several teams overachieved at the CJWC. #18 Warren Hills put up 2997 to finish 6th, besting a bunch of higher-ranked squads. From just outside the rankings, Monroe's 2903 was good enough for 11th of the 46 teams entered.

Eastern's 2888 and 12th place finish was a nice surprise and an improvement over earlier tournament results.  Howell had their second straight impressive finish at 14th (after 2nd in the FDU team challenge).  Same for Edison, whose 2812 bested at least seven teams with better stats.

nj.com article with pics is here.

The girls side went down to the wire, and it wasn't decided until the 30th frame.  #4 Warren Hills got out to the early lead and built it up to an 81-pin cushion over #1 Brick Memorial with a 1011 in game 2.  But Memorial roared back with a big 995 (2896 series) in game 3 while the Blue Streaks struggled a bit early in the final game.  Because of lane equipment delays, BM was finished at least five frames before WH, and Warren Hills bowled the final frames knowing exactly what they needed in order to win.  They finished off the tournament with 14 marks in 15 frames and converted four spares in the 10th to set up tournament individual champ Jenna Henderson.  Needing a mark, she buried three strikes to win the event by 21 and finish a team season-high 2917 set.

#2 Brick Township (2711) and #6 Ocean Township (2567) had solid days to finish 3rd & 4th, while #3 Manchester put up a big 993 in the third game to move up several spots and take 5th.

Like I mentioned above, I don't have individual results, but beyond the top three, I believe Amanda Shelters & Jillian Stuart of Brick Memorial each shot 634.

Good performances by girls teams included #11 Edison, who finished 7th and beat a couple of top ten teams.#13 Eastern proved it can compete with the big teams as well, finishing 9th. Unranked Colonia & Matawan each broke 2300 and finished 14th and 13th, respectively.

The best surprise team was unranked Woodbridge, who fired 815-818-891=2524 to finish 6th, beating out five ranked teams to earn the spot.

nj.com article with pics is here.

I have nothing from the Snowball but my own memories, which may or may not be accurate:

The #2 Brick Memorial boys and the #15 Seneca boys each made the Baker playoffs (top 4 teams), with BM's John Boughton shooting a 299 game. Seneca was the #1 seed, firing an absolute monster 4341, highlighted by Jacob Boris's 296 game and Eddie Cashwell's 928 4-game set.

The #1 Brick Memorial girls and the #4 Warren Hills girls were in qualifying position all day, and the WH girls went nuts in game 4, shooting 1093 behind Katie Winch's 277 and earning the #1 seed. #10 Lacey had an excellent day but came up just short of the top 4.

Warren Hills won their Baker semifinal over Truman (PA), while Pennsbury (PA) knocked off Brick Memorial in the semis and then Warren Hills in the final to take the title.

I'll try to post more about this event when I have it.

Boys Rankings later today.

Friday Catchup

Just some quick hits from Friday (and some leftovers from Thursday).  Hoping to do a more extensive post about all the weekend tournaments (including Monday's Snowball) and have it posted by Tuesday morning.  We'll see.

Also, I wanted to hit the Long Branch tournament, but there are some technical difficulties with the scoring. I will mention that #7 Ocean Township just lit it up to the tune of 5 600s and a 3274 total, their season high.

Monroe continues to improve, posting a season-high 3129 in a hard-fought 3-1 win over #17 St. Joseph (3087).  Monroe's Louis Folgore has been hot this week, firing 713 in the win. Elsewhere in the GMC, #9 South Brunswick had a nice duel with Edison, prevailing 3-1 / 3057-2936, Old Bridge shot a strong 3048 to sweep South Plainfield, and Sayreville put up 3063 in a sweep of Piscataway (who shot a season-high 2942).

Caldwell's Colin Dromgoole put up 740, which is the SEC-Colonial's top series of the season, on Thursday during a sweep of Irvington.

#6 Toms River South had the Shore-South-A's top set, carding 3123 in a sweep of Southen.

More 700s:
Austin Devereux, Manasquan  724
Chris DeOcampo, Sayreville  705
Anthony Fama, South Brunswick  745

#2 Brick Township put up the day's high set with 2812, featuring a 634 by Victoria Gray.  Kamerin Peters's 619 helped Toms River North sweep #16 Central.

#10 Edison (2598) held off Emily Alvarez (626) and South Brunswick, but did surrender a point, which is a pretty rare occurrence this season.  Second-best GMC set was Monroe with 2526, fueled by Bridget Bolan's 615.  South Plainfield knocked off Old Bridge 3-1, in a match that saw defending state individual champ Lanasia Neal post a big 709.

#8 Holy Angels swept Demarest with a 2038 (4-bowler), which was just a warm-up for Saturday's dominant performance in the Bergen County tournament, but we'll get to that again in a day or two, along with everything else.

Olympic Battle Highlights Midweek Matches

I've heard from some coaches & parents (which has been great), but you never really know who's reading your stuff, until something like this happens.  My comment may have been a little disrespectful, I don't know.  I'll be shocked if it's up there for very long.  Bottom line, the whole point was to get the state's HS bowlers more & better press, so I'm very happy to see these 12 gets some recognition even if its incomplete and they didn't (as of now) do the same for the girls.

Anyway, the usual mid-week lull was broken up by a few great scores: #16 Sussex Tech rode Tim Zayac's 746 to a huge 3237 set. #17 St. Joseph-Metuchen fired five 600s, including Justin Biancamono's 699 to compile a season-high 3215.  Erik (not Karl) Katterman's 737 powered #13 Montville to a big 3190.

Howell put up a season-best 2947 in split decision over Jackson Liberty, and  #19 Pompton Lakes used Nick Cilento's 735 to shoot 2451. Eastern put up a season-high 2942. But #3 Shawnee was at the center of the action.

On Wednesday, the Renegades put up a huge, true 5-man 3266.  Andrew Abbonizio led the way with 724, but Chris Pagliuso, Evan McNally & Tyler Gates all shot 628+ as well. The next day, Shawnee faced off with #10 Cherry Hill East.

It's no secret that most of the firepower in NJ boys bowling comes from the Shore Conference & the GMC, with the occasional interloper from North Jersey.  But the Olympic Conference is for real.  #15 Seneca will probably be the favorite in South Group II, and #2 Brick Memorial will have its hands full with CHE and Shawnee.

Yesterday's duel was a wonderfully competitive true 5-man match. Five of six team games were over 1000, seven series of ten were over 600 (and the other three were mid-to-high fives). CHE took the match 3-1 / 3119-3072, and, as often happens, it was a surprising set that made the difference: previously-191 average Adam Crognale of East came through with a match-high 667.

Link to the boxscore.

Other 700s:

Evan Weinberg, Dayton  768
Matt Burzynski, Dickinson  724
Louis Folgore, Monroe  709
Zak DuHaime, Wallkill Valley  726
also, apologies to Kyle Schellberg of Dumont - I should have noted that his 749 the other day included a 300

Not a whole lot of fireworks on the girls' side, to be honest.  # 6 Ocean Township's big two took a backseat to teammate Alexa Tieto, who fired a big 652 to lead the Spartans to a 2647 set and a 3-0 win. #15 Howell put up a season-best 2559 as they try to chase down #14 Freehold Township in the Shore-Central-B.

#11 Edison put up another solid number, 2581, in a sweep of Woodbridge.  The Eagles are 47-1 in the GMC.

Hopatcong's Rhianna Smith made it two 700s this week, connecting for 705.

Other 600s:

Kiara Powell, Union  626
Lanasia Neal, South Plainfield  645-604
Marissa Cosentini, Wayne Valley  613
Olivia Wank, Bergen Tech  614
Jessica Kling, Lakewood  609

We'll try to check in on Friday's results at some point, and then it's a huge tournament weekend: Central Jersey Classic & Bergen County girls tomorrow, Snowball Classic on Monday.  Probably others: if anybody gets full results of any other tournament they want to share, please email me.

Top 25 Averages in NJ (Boys & Girls)

Couple of notes (aren't there always): First, this is as up-to-date as I could make it; some scores from the current week aren't in yet.  Second, these are averages from conference/league play only - no tournament scores are included.  Third, I can't swear to the accuracy of some of them: while many come directly from public-facing standing sheets, some are figured by numbers taken from nj.com, which may not be complete. Fourth, and most importantly, if I'm missing someone or something is significantly inaccurate, PLEASE let me know (and apologies in advance). I'm especially concerned that I may have missed a handful of girls who bowl on boys teams.  I'm trying to compile something approaching an all-state watch list (trying to do a little better than what we've had, which seems to be based on state tournament results almost exclusively).  Of course, just because a bowler's name's not here doesn't mean that he or she is out of the running by any stretch: lots of season to go, and tournament performances do (and will) matter.

THE TOP 25 BOYS AVERAGES

1.  235 - Andrew Lazarchick, Brick Memorial
2.  234 - Matthew Stephens, Egg Harbor
3.  231 - Matt Burzynski, Dickinson
4.  229 - Andrew Abbonizio, Shawnee
5.  228 - Jordan Malizia, Brick Township
5.  228 - Chris Pagliuso, Shawnee
7.  226 - Sam Bortnick, East Brunswick
7.  226 - David Grant, Fort Lee
9.  225 - Erik Katterman, Montville
9.  225 - Anthony Mathis, Cherry Hill East
9.  225 - Evan Weinberg, Dayton
12. 224 - Austin Devereux, Manasquan
13. 223 - James Stoveken, Woodbridge
14. 222 - Nick Cilento, Pompton Lakes
15. 221 - Colin Dromgoole, Caldwell
16. 220 - Kyle Bilawsky, Woodbridge
17. 220 - Joe Ocello, St. Rose
17. 220 - Ryan Donohue, Lyndhurst
19. 219 - Jared Duncan, Indian Hills
19. 219 - Matthew Young, Eastern
21. 218 - Chris DeOcampo, Sayreville
21. 218 - Jacob Boris, Seneca
21. 218 - Kyle Schellberg, Dumont
21. 218 - Zak DuHaime, Wallkill Valley
25. 217 - Cameron LaPlant, JP Stevens
25. 217 - Matt Redbord, Ocean Township
25. 217 - Derek Lewandowski, Ridgefield Park

THE TOP 25 GIRLS AVERAGES

1.  218 - Kamerin Peters, Toms River North
2.  213 - Aimee Sherman, Jackson Memorial
3.  210 - Michelle Dekowski, Linden
4.  207 - Jenn Ingulli, Ocean Township
4.  207 - Jillian Stuart, Brick Memorial
4.  207 - Alize Stevenson, St. Mary's
7.  205 - Lanasia Neal, South Plainfield
8.  203 - Amanda Shelters, Brick Memorial
9.  202 - Lauren Potechin, Millburn
9.  202 - Dana Henry, Ocean Township
9.  202 - Sarah Pitcher, Brick Memorial
12. 199 - Jamie Golden, Sparta
13. 197 - Katie Robb, Kingsway
13. 197 - Clare Chaffer, Freehold Township
15. 196 - Rhianna Smith, Hopatcong
16. 195 - DorrieAnne Rizzo, Wallkill Valley
16. 195 - Sara Smith, Manasquan
18. 194 - Victoria Bird, Brick Memorial
18. 194 - Jenna Henderson, Warren Hills
20. 193 - Kelcie Mannon, Warren Hills
21. 192 - Laura Oliver, Central
22. 192 - Caylin Ryan, Brick Township
22. 192 - Victoria Gray, Brick Township
22. 192 - Madison Perry, Hawthorne
25. 191 - Marissa Cosentini, Wayne Valley
25. 191 - Heather Melendez, South Plainfield
25. 191 - Goldera Surles, Union Catholic
25. 191 - Sarah Orensky, Freehold Township

Lots and Lots of Big Scores to Start the Week

Just a ton of action on Monday & Tuesday, including 37 of the 40 ranked teams.  Let's hit some highlights.

The #1 Brick Memorial girls made it to 36-0 with a 3085-2706 sweep of #5 Toms River South. The Mustangs were led by a trio of 600s from Victoria Bird (606), Amanda Shelters (656) and Jillian Stuart (654) while Ciani Sanchez shot 647 for TRS in defeat.

#2 Brick Township (2817) came away with a tough 2-1 win over #7 Toms River North (2783, a season-best).  Victoria Gray from BT (626) and Kamerin Peters from TRN (687) put up the biggest scores.

#4 Warren Hills continues to pressure the top 3, firing 2841 behind 600s by Jenna Henderson (630), Kelcie Mannon (643) and Liz Hudock (603). Jenn Ingulli (651) and Dana Henry (609) helped #6 Ocean Township to a pair of 3-0 wins, including a 2738 set against #18 Manasquan.

#9 Teaneck had the highest Big North set at 2049, defeating Demarest 5-2, though Demarest put up a solid 1948.  Unranked Paramus Catholic is looking to crack the rankings, as Kristen Kane's 614 helped PC to a 1966 set.

GMC action was headlined by a showdown between #19 Carteret and #20 South Plainfield, with the Ramblers prevailing 3-1 and carding 2419, enough to overcome Lanasia Neal's 631. Bridget Bolan's 604 helped Monroe to a solid 2395.  But #11 Edison remains the conference boss, sweeping Colonia with a strong 2511 series.

#10 Lacey put Friday's loss behind them and swept Pinelands with a 2531 set, while #14 Freehold Township got big numbers from both Clare Chaffer (675) and Sarah Orensky (616) in hanging 2447 on Manalapan. Morgan Gitlitz shot 616 to help Colts Neck to their highest score of the season, 2308, and a 2-1 defeat of Jackson Liberty.

They bowl on boys teams, but we've got to recognize Hopatcong's Rhianna Smith for her 702 on Monday, which she followed up with 621 on Tuesday, as well as Hawthorne's Madison Perry who fired 711.

Other 600s:

Katie Robb, Kingsway  602
Shea Balman, Pinelands  618
Danielle Quitola, Ridgefield Park  650

On the boys side, first & foremost we should welcome back Andrew Lazarchick of Brick Memorial and Matthew Stephens of Egg Harbor from their trip to Team USA trials.  Both seemed to enjoy getting away from the tough patterns at trials: Lazarchick carded 748 in #2 Brick Memorial's tight win over #6 Toms River South, while Stephens torched the lanes for a 775 in Egg Harbor's sweep of Deptford.

#9 South Brunswick took advantage of a rare off-day from #4 East Brunswick and took a 3-1 decision (2904-2896) in the marquee GMC matchup of the week. Another ranked-teams dual saw #17 St. Joseph (Metuchen) sweep #14 Sayreville 4-0.

#1 Woodbridge (3101) and #5 Brick Township (3158) kept their seasons rolling along with sweeps, as did #7 Ocean Township (2985), #13 Montville (2919), #16 Sussex Tech (3022), #18 Warren Hills (2987) and #20 Livingston (2986).

I speculated on Monday that #10 Cherry Hill East could be deadly with Emerson Levy & Anthony Mathis both "on", and then they went out and did it, shooting 723 & 700 respectively to fuel a team season-high 3140. Olympic conference foe #15 Seneca put up a season-best monster as well, with a 3174 set highlighted by Jacob Boris's 745.

The best match of the week so far may have been the Shore-Central-A showdown between #8 Manasquan and St. Rose. Joe Ocello's 702 helped St. Rose take 2 of 3 games (and points), but Manasquan ended up with the higher set (3122-3103), thanks in part to Austin Devereux's 705. I think we're looking at a preview of Central Group I, and possibly State Group I with these two teams.

Up in the 4-man Big North, #12 Indian Hills continues to raise that huge average with two more sweeps that feature totals averaging over 200: 2467 & 2470 in this case. Joe Mormando's 736 led the way. Fair Lawn's making me look good for putting them on the "keep an eye" list, putting up a very strong 2455 in a sweep of Passaic Tech.  Ridgefield Park's Derek Lewandowski's 708 helped his team take 3rd in the BN for the week so far, with a 2331 set.

Lacey is looking like a team back on the rise, carding 2918 in a sweep of Pinelands to move their Shore-South-B leading record to 31-2.  North Arligton's 4-man squad continues to improve, this time posting 2486, led by Eric McKenna's 723.

Unranked South Plainfield came up with their highest set of the season, totaling a huge 3090 in a sweep of Carteret. Camden Tech posted their highest series of the year as well with a 2842 in a sweep over Bishop Eustace on Monday. A few more season-highs: Ewing (2940), Scotch Plains-Fanwood (2913), Cinnaminson (2907), and Piscataway (2883 in an upset win over Monroe).

Other 700s:

Evan Weinberg, Dayton  705
Matthew Burzynski, Dickinson  741
Joe Gramignano, High Point  729
Matt Gibney, Keansburg  722
Mike Eak, Central  718
Ryan Donohue, Lyndhurst  712
Kyle Schellberg, Dumont  749
Jordan Tse,Demarest  725

Girls Rankings for 1/10/17

THE TOP TWENTY GIRLS BOWLING TEAMS IN NEW JERSEY

1. Brick Memorial
LW: 1   T5: 991   GA: 197
All the stats here are amazing, but I continue to be the most impressed with the 11-0 / 33-0 record in a division with three other top 7 teams.  They just never have an off game, it seems.  Three wins this week against the "bottom" of the division (which includes pretty good teams,including another top 20 team in Central), posting 2830, 2880 & 2790, followed up with a win at the Brick Tournament (3021). Any one of their bowlers could carry 95% of the teams in NJ.

2. Brick Township
LW: 2   T5: 925   GA: 185
Easily maintained their ranking with a very strong week: 2778-2954-2788.  Fourth place in the Brick Tournament may have been a bit disappointing, but it took monster scores from Manchester & TRS to beat the Dragons. The five starters range from 177 to 191, but somebody always seems to go above & beyond, as Caylin Ryan & Victoria Gray did this week.

3. Manchester Township
LW: 3   T5: 890   GA: 176
#3 and #4 is about as close as it gets on this list. Warren Hills' scores are a bit higher, but Manchester wins it on volume (more than twice as many games bowled, including 3 tournaments) and the fact that their scores are straight-5 instead of 6/5. This is a young group without a senior starter, and they're going to keep getting better: witness Theresa Bedaro's 720 on Saturday.

4. Warren Hills
LW: 5   T5: 917   GA: 178
Only one result this week, but it was a huge 2874 with Jenna Henderson, Katie Winch & Kelcie Mannon all over 620.  Along with Jessica Yerance, they have the 4 highest averages in the Skyland Conference.  The Blue Streaks are one or two tournament performances away from moving up to #3, if not #2.

5. Toms River South
LW: 6   T5: 853   GA: 171
Scores were down just a bit this week, but a big 2840 to take 2nd in the Brick Tournament keeps them in the top five. There aren't a lot of huge individual scores for TRS (though Natalie Swindell's 679 at the Brick was pretty awesome), but this is a lineup without a weakness: 20-10 in Shore-South-A is a testament to their ability to perform under pressure.

6. Ocean Township
LW: 4   T5: 877   GA: 173
Disappointing 5th at the Brick, perhaps, but Wednesday provided a strong 2556 and they still sport excellent season-long numbers.  Alexa Tieto has emerged as a very solid #3 behind Dana Henry and Jenn Ingulli, and the Spartans can absolutely challenge #2 Manchester in the Group II states.

7. Toms River North
LW: 7   T5: 858   GA: 168
I'm as guilty as anyone of making TRN's success all about Kamerin Peters, but let's be clear: there are more than a few teams in NJ with one great bowler than aren't close to the #7 team in the state.  MacKenzie Dudas and Cassidy Syrdale are strong bowlers, averaging over 170, and both underclassmen.  This team is going to be around for a while and will probably get even better. 2576 & 2656 last week, both 3-0 wins.

8. Holy Angels
LW: 13   T5: 853   GA: 166
Read about T5 on the boys rankings if you haven't.  T5 showed me that I was underestimating AHA, as they have an exceptionally strong top 5, despite being a 4-bowler league team. 2072 & 2122 last week, easily the top 2 in the Big North for the week. Tiffany Rose Sucero is #2 in the (huge) conference with a 189 average, and she has 4 teammates at 157 or higher. This is a dangerous tournament team, to be sure.

9. Teaneck
LW: 9   T5: 813   GA: 172
Cracked 2000 twice (4-bowler) in a pair of 7-0 wins last week. Very strong 1 through 4, now led by Margaux Lesser's 179.  I don't know what happens when they go to a 5-bowler lineup, but in Big North league action, they're 49-0 and underdogs to nobody.

10. Lacey
LW: 12   T5: 823   GA: 164
Put up an excellent week, firing 2576-2628-2536. Unfortunately, that last score ran into a buzzsaw against division-leader Manchester. But Autumn Laird's development into a bowler capable of big scores (including a 276 single) is a huge positive, and the Lions will get at least 2 more cracks at Manchester, one in a couple of weeks, and another in South Group II.

11. Edison                        (LW: 10  T5: 813  GA: 165)
12. Wayne Valley              (LW: 8   T5: 806  GA: 169)
13. Eastern                       (LW: 11  T5: 818  GA: 161)
14. Freehold Township      (LW: 15  T5: 803  GA: 155)
15. Howell                        (LW: 17  T5: 790  GA: 154)
16. Central                        (LW: 18  T5: 775  GA: 152)
17. Washington Township  (LW: un  T5: 774  GA: 151)
18. Manasquan                  (LW: 14  T5: 792  GA: 154)
19. Carteret                        (LW: 19  T5: 770  GA: 150)
20. South Plainfield            (LW: 16  T5: 785  GA: 153)

Edison put up 3 very strong scores last week: 2526-2451-2537 and has turned back all GMC challengers this year (10-0 / 39-1).  Wayne Valley drops a bit based on one subpar score (their only result last week), and a T5 a bit lower than the GA. The only Eastern result from last week didn't come with any scores, so..?  T5 also gives us some way of finally deciding between the Freehold/Howell twins, but their division was off all week, so no new results.

Central was a strong 7th at the Brick.  Is bowling the only sport in NJ where a team can be 5-25 and still legitimately #16?  Washington Twp put up a season-high 2495 on Thursday and are headed in the right direction.  Manasquan had a tough week, finishing up with a disappointing 10th at the Brick while down a starter.  They still have the season-long numbers and are still the favorites to win Group I at states. It took half the season, but Carteret's balanced attack has caught up to South Plainfield's GMC-best top two.

FIVE TEAMS THAT JUST MISSED

Monroe
Barnegat
Hackensack
Woodbridge
Gloucester Tech

Monroe & Hackensack are new additions; both have steadily improved throughout the season. Barnegat & Woodbridge are just a tiny bit behind the ranked teams statistically - the kind of thing that could change easily week to week. Gloucester Tech has the strongest T5 of this group and are dominant in their conference.

FIVE TEAMS TO KEEP AN EYE ON

Ramsey
South Brunswick
Bergen Tech
Franklin
Jackson Liberty

I picked South Brunswick because they had 2 good scores last week and Emily Alvarez seems like she may be taking her team to another level. Jackson Liberty is here off a very good showing at the Brick (8th place, 2422).  The other three are teams I haven't mentioned at all in the rankings, but T5 has identified them as having strong tournament lineups.

Boys Rankings for 1/9/17

Rankings explanation here.  There's a new section at the bottom - here's the tl;dr version: I have a new tool, the T5 score, which approximates the strength of the team's top 5 bowlers, and is meant to balance out some of the weaknesses of Game Average.

THE TOP 20 BOYS BOWLING TEAMS IN THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY

1. Woodbridge  
LW: 1   T5:   1050   GA: 213
Fantastic performance in winning the Brick Tournament (3267) seals it for the Barrons, after two 4-0 wins, including one over Sayreville. James Stoveken & Kyle Bilawsky continue to lead the way with conference averages in the mid-220s, but the truly scary thing about this team is its depth: NINE different bowlers have shot 600 for Woodbridge this year.

2. Brick Memorial
LW: 4   T5: 1068   GA: 210
Matched Woodbridge all week, with 3141-3036-3236 in true 5-man matches, and without their top bowler. Alec Hehir  & Cameron Waldheim have taken turns as the star.  Memorial had probably earned #1. And the Mustangs' performance in their tournament was great, too: 3212.  But Woodbridge beat them, in the same house at the same time, for the second time this season, so #2 is where they sit.

3. Shawnee
LW: 2   T5: 1058   GA: 209
Two 4-0 wins, 2991-2831.  Seemingly on cruise control until their showdown with Brick Memorial in South Group IV.  Andrew Abbonizio & Chris Pagliuso, on paper, are the top 1-2 punch in New Jersey, with both averaging about 228.

4. East Brunswick
LW: 3   T5: 1034   GA: 207
3-1 wins, scoring 2832-3093 keep EB in the mix at the top. Another team with excellent depth, as there are 4 different guys they could run out there behind Sam Bortnick, Daniel Lenk & James Reitano on any given day.

5. Brick Township
LW: 9   T5: 1051   GA: 200
3121 in a 3-0 win, 2913 in a 2-1 win, 3207 in a 3rd place finish at the Brick Tournament.  T5 showed me that I had BT too low: their depth is intimidating, Jordan Malizia & Kyle Chirichello are a dynamic top two, and I don't envy Coach Seidelmann a bit trying to figure out which 5 to start any given day; the Dragons are leaving a 200 average bowler on the bench every time they hit the lanes.

6. Toms River South
LW: 5   T5: 1033   GA: 203
3007-2938 in a pair of wins, 3038 at Brick tourney (4th place).  Ho hum, another Shore-South-A team with six 200 average bowlers (plus 2 more in the high 190s). Chris Swindell & Kyle Oliveri are the best of a very balanced attack.  Seriously, the Ocean Lanes youth coaches should write a book.

7. Ocean Township
LW: 7   T5: 1024   GA: 203
3105 in a win, 3117 in a loss to Manasquan (OT had a higher total).  Matt Redbord leads the way with a 217 average, but the Spartans firepower runs deep, including Douglas Rhodes who has a 300 this season. Nip and tuck conference battle with Manasquan should go right to the end.

8. Manasquan
LW: 6   T5: 1016   GA: 200
Consistent week: 2986-2913-3095-2829, 3 wins over good teams and 7th at the Brick.  Austin Devereux is having an all-state level season, and Chris Heilos and Kyle Bauter are over 200 as well. Easily the top Group I squad in the state.

9. South Brunswick
LW: 10   T5: 999   GA: 200
The Vikings reached their season high this week (3271) and added a pair of wins (3007 & 2833). Maybe a bit under the radar in the GMC, this is a group of bowlers that as individuals aren't especially consistent match to match, but it seems like at least one or two go big every time, so it all works out.  The possibility of 3 or 4 of them going big (Tyler Kohutanycz, Chan Woo Ang, Nick Delacruz & Anthony Fama have all shot 690+) should be terrifying.

10. Cherry Hill East
LW: 8   T5: 1009   GA: 200
Just one result reported since the break, 2917 in a win over Cherokee. Anthony Mathis is the top freshman bowler in the state, while Emerson Levy is a little inconsistent but can fire huge numbers with anyone. If they're both on, South Jersey Group IV (CHE, Shawnee, Brick Memorial) is gonna be a bloodbath.

11. Pascack Valley          (LW: 12  T5: 1027  GA: 198)
12. Indian Hills               (LW: 13  T5: 970    GA: 203)
13. Montville                   (LW: 15  T5: 1002  GA: 193)
14: Sayreville                  (LW: 14  T5: 996    GA: 193)
15: Seneca                       (LW: 17  T5: 978    GA: 194)
16. Sussex Tech               (LW: un  T5: 984    GA: 193)
17. St. Joseph-Metuchen  (LW: 16  T5: 961   GA: 196)
18. Warren Hills               (LW: un  T5: 968   GA: 195)
19. Pompton Lakes          (LW: un  T5: 958    GA: 194)
20. Livingston                  (LW: un  T5: 964   GA: 191)

Pascack Valley vs. Indian Hills really illustrates the two ways to look at things.  Indian Hills has as intimidating a top-4 as anyone (4-man 2766 last Monday), and since the Big North is a 4-man league, they're the top team. Pascack Valley seems to almost flaunt their depth, switching up bowlers constantly as they have so many good ones and it's tough to get them all in action.  Strictly by results, IH is a top-5 team; by projected strength, PV is top-5.  But we're trying to balance things, so they're both right here.

Montville & Sayreville have had some lineup jumbling, but both have superstars (Erik Katterman & Chris DeOcampo) and the strength to make a postseason run. No results this week from Seneca. St. Joe's had 2 scores of 3067+ this week. All the new teams come in on the strength of recent scores. Sussex Tech's Joey Steele & Pompton Lakes' Nick Cilento are well-known top bowlers, and Livingston's Michael Liu is a freshman phenom, but Warren Hills' Eric Lawson may be the best unrecognized bowler in New Jersey.

FIVE TEAMS THAT JUST MISSED

Monroe
Lacey
Egg Harbor
Central
St. Rose

Nothing bad to say about any of these programs - it's just really close at the back end of the top 20.

FIVE TEAMS TO KEEP AN EYE ON

Fair Lawn
Howell
Edison
North Arlington
Caldwell

Fair Lawn fired 3 scores of 2349+ this week (4-man) and look to have outstanding depth.  Howell came in 2nd in the FDU team challenge and have a great top 5. Edison's 2909 at Brick beat some of the teams ranked above and may signal some real improvement. North Arlington's got their GA up to 190.  Caldwell gets recognized here because I'm a little embarrassed that I didn't have any SEC-Colonial data before this week. They have a genuine star in Colin Dromgoole.

Ok, we'll have girls rankings tomorrow.