17-18 Preseason All-State Team

Lots of returning talent coming back; none of these names should come as much of a surprise to anyone. Just a note: I decided that freshmen shouldn't be on this list before ever throwing a shot at the high school level, even though there are 1 or 2 out there that probably merit inclusion.  We'll get to them later on the preview calendar.

PRESEASON BOYS ALL-STATE TEAM

Sam Bortnick, Senior, East Brunswick
If the only bowling I'd ever seen Bortnick do was the job he did as anchor in the TOC last year, leading his team to a championship, that might be enough for this spot.  Throw in two full seasons averaging over 220 and it's a no-brainer.

Matt Burzynski, Senior, Dickinson
After averaging 220 in the regular season, the lefty tore up the postseason, carding sets of 772-774-761 over sectionals, team states and individuals, and helping carry his team to a strong 5th place at states.

Anthony Mathis, Sophomore, Cherry Hill East
Just a freshman in 2016-17, Mathis burst on the scene with a huge 219 average and shot 711 to lead his team to the state finals in an impossibly tough sectional. Just missed the stepladder at individuals with a big 734-684.

Joey Ocello, Junior, Neptune
After a fantastic sophomore season that included a 300 game, a 799 series, a 226 average and a runnerup finish in the Shore Singles event, Ocello spent the offseason crushing tournaments, and beating over 1000 competitors in the National Junior Gold U-20 division despite being one of the youngest in the event.

James Stoveken, Junior, Woodbridge
The national career leader in high school 300 games is only halfway through his career, and the idea that he might get even better is more than a little scary.  Stoveken averaged 226 in conference games, won the GMC tournament and the Central Jersey Winter Classic and his four postseason series were 729-760-761-812.  These two-handers are here to stay, huh?

Evan Weinberg, Senior, Jonathan Dayton
Weinberg's been a top flight talent since before he started high school, and he keeps getting better.  In 2017, he raised his average 12 pins to 222, put up good numbers for his team in the postseason (668-671), and made the final stepladder after shooting 738-717 at individuals.

PRESEASON GIRLS ALL-STATE TEAM

Four of the five girls who made the individual stepladder in 2017 are back.  Could be quite a few big scores on the girls' side this year.

Julianna Forbes, Senior, Brick Township
Simply a fantastic tournament bowler, winning the Wheeler, firing 685 at sectionals and 661-714 at individuals as well as winning two stepladder matches.  Forbes' regular season average dipped a bit from her sophomore season, but there's no denying her talent or her presence on this team.

Lanasia Neal, Senior, South Plainfield
One of the best careers in recent memory will end with a victory tour in 2018.  After winning the individual championship in 2016, Neal shot an afternoon 734 to make it back to the stepladder in 2017.  She also had the high series at the James, came in second in North Jersey Singles, averaged 206 in the GMC and won the conference tournament.

Kamerin Peters, Sophomore, Toms River North
After as dominant a freshman season as we've ever seen, including a 215 average and a postseason of 697-722-773-730, what could Peters do for an encore?  Over the summer, she finished 18th in a field of 327 of the best U15 girls in the country, missing the match play finals by just 6 pins.

Katie Robb, Senior, Kingsway
One of the strongest performers in the state for a couple of years, averaging 198 & 201 the last two, Robb really made everyone take notice at individual states, posting 717-670 and a fourth place finish. Showed well at Junior Gold, missing the cut by just 86 pins and besting hundreds of older girls.

Rhianna Smith, Senior, Hopatcong/Mt. Olive
There's no doubt Smith is one of New Jersey's best.  A fluid lefty with strong mechanics, she's made the individual stepladder twice (2015 & 2016), and averaged 197 last season with a handful of 700s, not to mention an excellent tournament track record in non-HS events.

Amanda Shelters, Junior, Brick Memorial
Has already forged a fine career, averaging over 200 and being part of a state championship team, but Shelters really proved her tournament chops at Junior Gold, making the U20 cut after averaging over 186 over 4 days on 4 different sport patterns. Memorial lost 3 more seniors this year; don't be surprised to see Shelters take a huge leap forward.