Season in Review - 2019 Projections

First, I'm going to give you all the reasons this is meaningless.

I looked at who's coming back. I don't have accurate grade information for a few teams and to do a deep projection, I had to make some guesses. In all likelihood, there will be a handful of transfers and a handful of good bowlers won't come out for the team for one reason or another.

I looked at averages and used a very simple expected-improvement matrix.  That can't possibly account for the scores of bowlers who will make huge improvements.

I can name exactly three incoming freshmen for next year.  Three.  That leaves, at a minimum, 20 or so impact freshmen unaccounted for.

All that said...  I present, for entertainment purposes only, an irresponsibly early look at the 2018-19 preseason rankings.

THE PROJECTED TOP 20 BOYS BOWLING TEAMS FOR 2018-19

1.  Woodbridge
2.  Brick Memorial
3.  East Brunswick
4.  Brick Township
5.  Sussex Tech
6.  Monroe
7.  Jackson Liberty
8.  South Brunswick
9.  Toms River South
10. Pascack Valley
11. Linden
12. Montville
13. Howell
14. North Brunswick
15. Manchester
16. Neptune
17. Jackson Memorial
18. St. Joseph-Metuchen
19. Toms River East
20. West Milford

and the teams most likely to break into that list:

JP Stevens
Fair Lawn
Clifton
Edison
Iselin Kennedy
Seneca
Manasquan
Hudson Catholic
Freehold Township
Passaic Tech
Colonia
West Deptford
Middlesex

THE PROJECTED TOP 20 GIRLS BOWLING TEAMS FOR 2018-19

1.  Toms River North
2.  Brick Memorial
3.  Brick Township
4.  Freehold Township
5.  Warren Hills
6.  Manchester
7.  Colts Neck
8.  Woodbridge
9.  Teaneck
10. Lacey
11. South Brunswick
12. East Brunswick
13. Mahwah
14. Eastern
15. Washington Township
16. Edison
17. Toms River South
18. Holy Angels
19. Bergen Tech
20. Matawan

and the teams most likely to break into that list:

Carteret
Ocean Township
Colonia
Ridgewood
Central
Pemberton
Ewing
Barnegat
Monroe

Season in Review - All-State Teams by Group

Just another way of looking at things.  Obviously, this excludes independent bowlers and also a handful of bowlers whose team didn't enter sectionals (and thus, don't have a Group designation.)  So, apologies to Joseph Mahoney, Ashley Noel and Maria Neiswender (and maybe some others). As always, if you think I'm missing someone, let me know.

BOYS GROUP I
First Team
Evan Weinberg, Dayton
Dan Kenny, Maple Shade
Geoffrey Origenes, Hudson Catholic
Kyle Bauter, Manasquan
Luis Torres, Roselle
Thomas McKeon, Keansburg

Second Team
Dylan Wolfe, Manasquan
Jarrett Toth, St. Rose
Joey Chiusano, St. Rose
Jivan Persaud, Hudson Catholic
Zach Young, Bishop Eustace
Bryce Bayard, Caldwell

Third Team
Vinny Mastria, St. Rose
Carter Vanderslice, St. Rose
Andrew Beach, Johnson
Eric McKenna, North Arlington
Jarrett May, Middlesex
David Schuld, St. Rose


BOYS GROUP II
First Team
David MacGillivray, Barnegat
Joey Steele, Sussex Tech
Joey Ocello, Neptune
Matthew Marletta, Morris Tech
Nick Thies, Jefferson
Justin Bohn, Jackson Liberty

Second Team
Derek Lewandowski, Ridgefield Park
Matt Redbord, Ocean Township
Nick Striffler, Lacey
John Hoban, St. Joseph-Metuchen
Shaun Boffard, South Plainfield
Kenny Burdge, Manchester

Third Team
Hunter Perry, Hawthorne
Preston Williams, Jackson Liberty
Angelo Salici, South Plainfield
Mike Menkin, South Plainfield
Conor Quigley, St. Joseph-Metuchen
Joseph Abadilla, Carteret


BOYS GROUP III
First Team
James Stoveken, Woodbridge
Kyle Oliveri, Toms River South
Rob Murray, Morris Knolls
Jordan Tse, Demarest
Jason Smith, Edison
Jason Bilawsky, Woodbridge

Second Team
Josh Lipko, Cherry Hill West
Wyatt Buchany, Edison
Joey Lamont, Morris Knolls
Kevin DiBernardo, Toms River South
David Burrows, North Brunswick
Andrew Finke, West Milford

Third Team
John Drost, Woodbridge
Dennis Carrino, Toms River East
Chris Shymanski, Brick Township
Andrew Xiques, Toms River South
Tom Laskay, Freehold Township
Ryan McGuire, Indian Hills


BOYS GROUP IV
First Team
Daniel Lenk, East Brunswick
Sam Bortnick, East Brunswick
Jared Ammugauan, St. Peter's Prep
Michael Liu, Livingston
Louis Folgore, Monroe
Cameron LaPlant, JP Stevens

Second Team
Johann Gamo, Clifton
Joe Paolillo, Clifton
Ryley McKiernan, Monroe
Alec Hehir, Brick Memorial
Nick Greco, Fair Lawn
John Boughton, Brick Memorial

Third Team
Armen Shamim, East Brunswick
Andrew Mai, East Brunswick
Anthony Fama, South Brunswick
James Bolish, Toms River North
Michael Guzman, Brick Memorial
Brian Skettini & Matt Myers, Ridgewood

GIRLS GROUP I
First Team
Eleni Feggulis, South River
Gabrielle Capalad, Leonia
Elizabeth Schucht, Donovan Catholic
Ashley Espy, Carteret
Caylei Hoffman, St. John Vianney
Angela Baginsky, Carteret

Second Team
Amanda Medvetz, Carteret
Elizabeth Brogna, St. John Vianney
Samantha Siragusa, Matawan
Kayelena Brimage, South River
Julia Kreider, South Hunterdon
Katie Devoe, Matawan

Third Team
Ashley Sorelle, Bishop Eustace
Anna Foo, Manasquan
Laura McConnon, Matawan
Juliana Lotierzo, Maple Shade
Tara Ulbrich, Manasquan
Emily Frizell, Keansburg

GIRLS GROUP II
First Team
Lanasia Neal, South Plainfield
Goldera Surles, Union Catholic
Morgan Gitlitz, Colts Neck
Alexa Tieto, Ocean Township
Liz Schreier, Lacey
Jamie Paddock, Montville

Second Team
Laryssa Fiore, Colonia
Theresa Bedaro, Manchester
Emma Thies, Jefferson
Kaitlyn Lowey, Union Catholic
Autumn Laird, Lacey
Julia Muro, Lacey

Third Team
Amelia Brunda, Holy Angels
Rachel Duncan, Indian Hills
Michaella Raab, Mahwah
Lindsay Pepper, Ramsey
Claudia Schreier, Lacey
Victoria Shaw, Manchester


GIRLS GROUP III
First Team
Marissa Cosentini, Wayne Valley
Caylin Ryan, Brick Township
Julianna Forbes, Brick Township
Katie Winch, Warren Hills
Kelcie Mannon, Warren Hills
Sarah Orensky, Freehold Township

Second Team
Natalie Swindell, Toms River South
Trinity Gray, North Brunswick
Margaux Lesser, Teaneck
Victoria Vucak, Paramus Catholic
Olivia Ostrander, Warren Hills
Tori Johnson, Edison

Third Team
Hannah Dalton, Toms River South
Christina Gonzalez, Brick Township
Jasmine Brodowski, Jackson Liberty
Cristy Sharkey, Brick Township
Ciani Sanchez, Toms River South
Krista Eskow, Fair Lawn


GIRLS GROUP IV
First Team
Kamerin Peters, Toms River North
Amanda Shelters, Brick Memorial
Rhianna Smith, Hopatcong/Mt. Olive
Paige Peters, Toms River North
Katie Robb, Kingsway
Kiara Powell, Union

Second Team
Victoria Stasicky, Monroe
Madison Steinbeck, East Brunswick
Bridget Bolan, Monroe
Veronica Lewis, Brick Memorial
Arielle Wallace, Hackensack
Lacey Beall, Union

Third Team
Cloe Lowell, Eastern
Rachel Katz, Brick Memorial
Livia Spalluto, Toms River North
MacKenzie Dudas, Toms River North
Eliza Abreu, Woodbridge
Samantha Valle, Union

Season in Review - Girls All-State Teams

See the boys all-state list for some semblance of an explanation if you wish.

NEW JERSEY GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL BOWLING ALL-STATE TEAMS FOR 2018

FIRST TEAM

*Brittany Lucci, Junior, Hamilton West
Before she ran into the Kamerin Peters buzzsaw in the TOC final, Brittany Lucci had been putting up a sensational postseason performance. Her sectional score clocked in at 687, good for 3rd in the Central.  Then at the Individual finals, she tossed a blistering 678-738, the latter coming in as the 7th highest set anyone in the state bowled all season long. Only Lucci could keep up with Peters over six games; in fact, they were tied after five. Lucci followed that up with a 279 game to win the semifinal stepladder match, the highest anyone threw all day.  Okay, Peters wasn't to be denied in the final, but let's not overlook an awesome display by Lucci.  I wish we got to see what she can do over a full season, but there's no dispute that she earned a spot on this team.

Lanasia Neal, Senior, South Plainfield
Any list of Lanasia Neal's accomplishments is going to go on for quite some time. The 2016 TOC champ made her third straight stepladder in 2018, with a huge afternoon comeback that finished at 267-717. But that was just the final act of an amazing career.  Earlier this season, she took first at Bayshore, placed 2nd in qualifying at North Jersey Singles with a 754 set, finished 4th at Brick (638), 6th at CJWC (611), led the GMC in regular season average (208, 4th in the state), dominated the GMC Individual tournament (705-631) for the second straight year, and took 2nd in the Central sectional (688).  She's simply one of the best we've seen and has been a constant pleasure to watch.

Kamerin Peters, Sophomore, Toms River North
Just in case you thought her phenomenal 2017 was a fluke, Kamerin Peters pretty much did it all over again in 2018. She led the state in tournament average (215) and overall (211). She won the Brick Tournament (724), placed 2nd at Snowball (708), shot 712-680 to win the Shore Individual and placed 2nd at the South sectional with a 674 set. And then she really got rolling. The State Individual TOC title was the one thing that eluded Peters last year (by 2 pins), and there was no way on earth she was going to let that happen again, firing 687-740 (giving her five 700 sets on the season) to take the #1 qualifying spot, and then methodically threw twelve straight shots in the pocket to put up a 279 game in the final to take the championship (giving her an average of 243 for the day). In her spare time, she led Toms River North to its first TOC title and the state #1 ranking. Not sure how she could ever top this season, but it'll be fun to see her try.

Paige Peters, Freshman, Toms River North
This isn't surprising; at least it shouldn't be to anyone who had seen Paige bowl before the season started.  But it's still a truly remarkable accomplishment to be at first-team all-state level as a freshman, and there's no doubt that she belongs.  Her overall average (200, 8th in NJ) is fueled by a sensational array of tournament performances, starting with a 2-game 446 at Mustang, through a best-in-the-state 767 set at North Jersey Singles qualifying (she finished 2nd), 4th place at South Jersey Singles, 627 at Brick, 1st at Snowball (711), 626 at Shore Individual, 662 at South Sectional (4th) and 603-606 at TOC (14th). A regular season average of 197 punctuated by a 300 game was pretty great, too. Can't wait to see how high these two can reach over the next few years.

Katie Robb, Senior, Kingsway
A 2017 All-State selection, Robb was even better during the regular season this time around, averaging 208, sixth-best in the state, topping 700 twice (720, 707).  The tall righthander also had another postseason to remember, firing 611 to take 9th at sectionals and coming through once again at TOC, this time shooting 648-618 to finish in ninth, just 38 pins short of another stepladder appearance. Her high school career now over, Robb leaves quite a legacy at the Kingsway program, which grew much stronger during her era.

Amanda Shelters, Junior, Brick Memorial
As Brick Memorial's top gun, the preseason all-stater did not disappoint in the slightest, leading all of New Jersey in conference average at 210 and finishing second in both tournament (211) and overall (210). Shelters anchored the Shore-South-A champion Mustangs, and was maybe the most consistent big-time bowler we've got.  She took individual titles at RWTI (631) and CJWC (751, one of three 700 sets she would post on the season) and put up huge scores at Mustang (451-2 games), Brick (697, 2nd place), Snowball (655), the South Sectional (664 for 3rd place) and Team States (646 for ninth). Hard to imagine she could improve further as a senior, but nothing would surprise us.

Rhianna Smith, Senior, Hopatcong/Mt. Olive
One of the most talented bowlers in the state from the first day of her freshman season, Smith was brilliant in 2017-18, posting a 210 conference average (#2 in the state) and 209 overall (#3). Along the way, she managed 4 700 sets and THREE major tournament victories: North Jersey singles (including a 685 qualifying set), Falcon Frenzee (711) and Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex (704). It didn't end with her best result, but that doesn't detract at all from her all-state level season, or an excellent career that included two appearances in the TOC stepladder. The fluid and accurate lefty should find even more success in college, and we'll be watching.

SECOND TEAM

Marissa Cosentini, Sophomore, Wayne Valley
Building on a very strong freshman season, Cosentini flat out wrecked the Big North conference, leading in average by 20 pins with a 208 mark, 3rd best in the state. In limited tournament action, she placed 3rd at the FDU Team Challenge with a 599 set and posted an excellent 657 series to take 3rd place in the North Sectional.  Bowling well at the TOC, she came just one carry short of the cut with a fine 599 mark. One of the most mechanically sound young bowlers out there, another leap forward is very much a possibility.

Julianna Forbes, Senior, Brick Township
Another all-state level season for the senior, Forbes was equally effective in conference play and tournaments, averaging 198 in each. After some good scores early on - 623 at Brick, 423 (2 games) at Mustang), she had a fantastic postseason, finishing as the top individual in the Shore team tournament (683), placing 2nd in the Shore Individual, 7th at Sectionals (632) and having another great day at the individual TOC, shooting 687 in the morning and finishing tenth.

Morgan Gitlitz, Sophomore, Colts Neck
Gitlitz's breakthrough season started with a league-leading 192 average in Shore-Central-B, 16th in the state, but  her tournament success shined even brighter. She fired 608 at Shore Individual, 624 at Team States, 588 at Individual TOC, won the Monmouth County tournament with a 654 set and was the Central Sectional Champion behind a sparkling 691 series. All told, that's a 202 tournament average, 8th best in New Jersey.

*Totiana Miranda, Sophomore, Cumberland
I think this is the least I've known about a bowler when writing one of these things.  Don't know what grade she's in (edit: okay, now I know) or her bowling experience outside of nine games in the NJSIAA Individual tournament.  But those nine games consisted of a 676 to win the South Sectional and 691-599 to finish 7th at the TOC final.That's a 218 average, 3rd best of any bowler in the state.  That seems worthy of a spot here.

Kiara Powell, Senior, Union
She bowls with power and confidence and it's a lot of fun to see, unless you're her opponent.  Powell was absolutely stunning in tournaments, averaging 208 (4th in the state) and taking titles at the Wheeler (659) and Union County singles (1254 qualifying, 226 final). She also fired big sets at Falcon (600) and CJWC (617).  But her crowning achievement was a blistering 678 series at the (Boys) sectionals, which led her team to a 3043 set and the North 2 Group IV title.  She stayed hot at states, posting 629 to help Union crack 3000 again. It adds up to a 198 overall average (9th) and an easy all-state selection.

Caylin Ryan, Junior, Brick Township
A 686 set highlighted an outstanding regular season (199), and Ryan cemented her status with a string of great tournament days.  She shot 461 at Mustang (2 games) and 632 at Snowball, finished 5th at Bayshore, 2nd at CJWC (650), and 2nd at Shore Team (644).  Her individual postseason was also excellent, firing 603 at Sectionals to qualify and then 640-643 to finish 8th at the Individual TOC. Next year the tall righty will take over as Brick's senior leader, and even better numbers wouldn't be a surprise.

Goldera Surles, Senior, Union Catholic
Raising your average from the 180s to over 200 looks like an especially rare and difficult accomplishment. Goldera Surles pulled it off during her senior year, and with plenty of room to spare. Surles was lights-out during conference play, finishing with a fantastic 207 league average (7th in the state) that included a 747 set, 4th highest of anyone in the state this season. She also finished 3rd at Wheeler, shot 1422 over 7 games to finish 3rd at Union singles, earned a TOC slot, and came through big for her co-ed team at states with a clutch 640 series.

THIRD TEAM

Kelcie Mannon, Sophomore, Warren Hills
Despite a rocky conference season, few in the state could match Mannon's consistently excellent tournament record.  She finished 3rd at North Jersey Singles, 3rd at CJWC (622), 3rd at Snowball (707), 2nd at Skyland (627), and 3rd at H/W/S. To close things out, she was the only girl in the state to fire four postseason 600 sets, carding 618 at North Sectional (7th), 608-605 at TOC (13th) and 637 at Team States (637).  All that tournament work brought her overall average to 193, 16th in the state.

*Lauren Marks, Junior, Parsippany
I don't think anybody in the girls game covers as many boards as Marks; it's quite something to see, and when it's really working, like it was at the TOC, she can hang with literally anyone out there. Marks shot 654-684 to qualify 3rd and won a stepladder match before running into Lucci's 279 in the semis.  Earlier, she had finished 10th in the North sectional (592) and 3rd at Morris County (583).

Sarah Orensky, Sophomore, Freehold Township
Orensky's slow start (aside from a very good run to 6th at South Jersey Singles) was left in the dust with a fabulous final month, raising her conference average 8 pins in 3 weeks with 4 straight 600s, finishing 4th at Sectionals (668) and lighting up Team States (678, 2nd), bringing her overall average to 193 (17th). Along the way she's gotten more powerful and accurate and could have two fantastic seasons ahead of her.

Victoria Stasicky, Senior, Monroe
This is a great senior year story, improving from a 164 junior year average to all-GMC, a 707 top set, and 15th best overall average in the state at 194. Stasicky shot 580 at CJWC, 608-636 to make the GMC Individual stepladder before finishing second to Neal, placed 10th at Central Sectional (587) and 6th at Team States (650).

Natalie Swindell, Senior, Toms River South
Swindell's career has seen her always getting better, and she really reached a peak her senior year.  She beat a tremendous field to take home the South Jersey Singles title, took 2nd place at Bayshore, shot 623 at Brick and 598 at Shore Team and 597 at Shore Individual.  And then, as her career wrapped up, she found new heights with a 642 at Sectionals (5th) and a brilliant 690 set, the best of any bowler at Team States.  It all added up to a 197 tournament average, 192 overall, and a much-deserved all-state spot.

Alexa Tieto, Junior, Ocean Township
Thoroughly dominated the Shore Central A season, averaging 198 (10th in NJ), as well as rolling a 300 game and a 712 series. Tieto finished 4th at South Jersey Singles (564-617), won the LB Wave (657), and had a huge day at Shore Individual with a 664 set in qualifying, 246 in the quarterfinals and a 4th place finish. Her overall average (194) stands 14th in the state.

Katie Winch, Senior, Warren Hills
The Group III champs' vocal leader also led by example, producing by far the best average in the Skyland (191) and a 704 top set as well as the state's 13th best mark overall (195). Winch took 5th at FDU, 7th at CJWC (609), 2nd at H/W/S (634) and won the Skyland Tournament title (665). Her individual postseason series were good (584 at Sectional, 596 at TOC), but Team States is where she burned the brightest, with the event's 4th highest mark (661) and another state championship.

HIGH HONORABLE MENTION

Theresa Bedaro, Junior, Manchester
188 conference average was 2nd in Shore-South-B; very consistent - 189 in tourneys, 188 overall.  She shot 585 at RWTI, 573 at CJWC, placed 2nd at South Jersey Singles and 4th at Shore Individual (averaging 215).

Briget Bolan, Junior, Monroe
Second best average in the GMC at 194, shot 614 in GMC Individual prelims and then a 607 during the stepladder to take third place. Bolan also posted a 700 high series, shot 584 at Sectionals to earn a TOC slot and finished with the 19th best overall average in New Jersey at 192.

Eleni Feggulis, Junior, South River
Established herself as one of the best in the GMC and may find herself at the top in 2019. Averaged 188 overall (26th in NJ), shot 626-577 on her way to 4th in the GMC Individual, and just missed a TOC berth with a 569 set at Sectionals.

Laryssa Fiore, Senior, Colonia
Brilliant GMC season included 692 high set and ended with a 192 average, 15th in the state. Solid postseason included 570 at Sectionals, 567 at Team States and 603 at TOC, losing rolloff for final advancer spot

Veronica Lewis, Junior, Brick Memorial
Her 192 conference average (17th) featured a 711 series, while tournament highlights included 5th place at the Brick (629), 8th in the South regional (627) and a 589 set at Team States.

Jamie Paddock, Junior, Montville
Earned her way onto the all-boys Montville lineup and forged an excellent season, averaging 189 in conference play with a 713 top series.  A 588 set at Sectionals earned her a TOC berth, and she made it count, posting 623-671 to finish sixth, coming within ten pins of making the stepladder and raising her overall average to 191, 22nd in the state.

Liz Schreier, Senior, Lacey
Consistently excellent member of the Group II state champs, averaging 191 in SSB and 193 in tournaments. Placed 2nd at RWTI (621), 5th at Brick (629) 4th at Shore Team (609), shot 609 at Snowball and 589-574-579-589 in the postseason.

Madison Steinbeck, Senior, East Brunswick
One of the most improved in the state was also simply one of the best. 193 average in GMC matches (14th in NJ), and put up solid tournament results at James (583, 1st), CJWC (585) and Central Sectional (602, 8th).  Made the cut at individual TOC with a 605 set.

HONORABLE MENTION

Lacey Beall, Senior, Union
188 conference (24th), 184 overall, 6th at Union singles, 606 at Team States

Jasmine Brodowski, Junior, Jackson Liberty
177 conf, 187 tourn avg, 606 at Brick, 588 at CJWC, 6th in South sectional (641)

Amelia Brunda, Sophomore, Holy Angels
Solid 177 overall average, 2nd at FDU (631), 4th at North sectional (630), 666 at TOC to make the cut & finish 15th

Gabrielle Capalad, Junior, Leonia
184 overall avg, 189 tourney, 209 average in NJS, Bergen County champ (566), 646 at North 1A

Hannah Dalton, Sophomore, Toms River South
181 overall, 4th at Snowball (673), 5th at Shore Individual (668 qual), 7th at Team States (649)

MacKenzie Dudas, Junior, Toms River North
179 conference, 180 overall, 626 at Brick, 597 at CJWC, 590 at Snowball

Rachel Duncan, Junior, Indian Hills
182 avg, both league and overall. School record 664 high set, 8th at Sectionals (613), 585 at TOC

Christina Gonzalez, Junior, Brick Township
180 conference (42nd), 180 in tournaments, 582 at CJWC, 4th at Bayshore, 8th at Team States (649)

Trinity Gray, Senior, North Brunswick
185 overall, 197 in tournaments (15th), 556-622 at GMC Ind (5th), 7th at Sectional (605), 17 at TOC (614-549), 3rd at Team States (670).

Tori Johnson, Senior, Edison
186 GMC avg included 4 600 sets. 572 at James, 567 at Central Sectionals

Rachel Katz, Senior, Brick Memorial
185 conference avg, steady tourney bowler with 6 sets over 500 and a TOC individual slot

Autumn Laird, Senior, Lacey
182 conference avg, 181 overall, 3rd at Brick (671), 567 at Snowball, 576 at Team States

Margaux Lesser, Sophomore, Teaneck
189 conference (2nd in Big North), 185 overall, 563 at Irwin, 3rd at Bayshore, 578 at Brick, QF at NJS

Cloe Lowell, Junior, Eastern
182 average (conf & overall), 3rd place finish at CJWC (622)

Kaitlyn Lowey, Senior, Union Catholic
181 overall, 188 tournament, 2nd at Wheeler (608), 4th at Union Singles, 584 at Sectionals

Julia Muro, Senior, Lacey
181 conf & overall, 5th at RWTI (583), 3rd at South Jersey Singles, 612 at Shore Individual

Olivia Ostrander, Freshman, Warren Hills
195 tournament avg, 5th at CJWC (616), 5th at Snowball (672), 9th at North Sectional (597), 4th at TOC (689-615)

Lindsay Pepper, Junior, Ramsey
178 conference (6th in big North), 179 overall, 550 at FDU, 3rd at Bergen (603)

Michaella Raab, Freshman, Mahwah
178 conference (7th in Big North), 179 overall, 548 at Irwin, 550 at NJS, 599 at Team States

Cristy Sharkey, Junior, Brick Township
183 conference avg (33rd), 181 overall, 577 at RWTI, 401 2-gm at Woodbridge, 423 2-gm at Mustang

Livia Spalluto, Sophomore, Toms River North
181 overall, 189 tourneys, 2-gm 406 at Mustang, 581 at Brick, 603 at Shore Team (5th), 668-205 at Shore Ind. (6th)

Emma Thies, Sophomore, Jefferson
187 conference avg (26th), 186 overall. 2nd at the Falcon Frenzee (600), T1 at Morris (586)

Victoria Vucak, Senior, Paramus Catholic
183 overall, 193 tournament, 623 at Irwin, 570 at Bergen, North Sectional champ (680), 581 at TOC

Arielle Wallace, Junior, Hackensack
3rd in Big North at 187; 589 in Freedom tourney, 196 avg at North Jersey singles, 3rd round at SJS

There were at least a dozen deserving candidates for the last HM spot, and about 27 that could claim an average over 170. I apologize to those on the other side of this arbitrary line.

Season in Review - Boys All State Teams

All-state lists are tough. We're trying to balance conference, tournament and overall averages, key tournament performances and postseason success.  Bowling is a marathon, the whole season matters.  Sectionals and states are the biggest event of the year, they might matter more. It's messy. You all know this.  I'm doing my best.

There's a new category: "High Honorable Mention" which recognizes that a subtle change in methodology changes everything; the bowlers on the HHM list are those that most easily could have been on an all-state team if I changed the way I was looking at things.

As for the total number of bowlers honored, I arrived at about 6%, which means 70 boys and 50 girls, an increase of 17 boys and 7 girls over last year. Independent bowlers are eligible, but any team or level at which they're honored will have another bowler added.  Those without a HS team are indicated by *.

By the way, as always, if anyone wants to share a link on a public Facebook post, that's great.  The top freshmen post yesterday blew up a bit, but I have no idea whom to thank because it wasn't done with a public post.  So, thanks, mystery person or people!

NEW JERSEY BOYS HIGH SCHOOL BOWLING ALL-STATE TEAMS FOR 2018

FIRST TEAM

Jared Ammugauan, Senior, St. Peter's Prep
A huge senior-year leap gave Ammugauan the state's 10th best league mark (225, which led a very strong HCIAL). While only getting in 15 tournament games, he took fourth place at the Falcon Frenzee (645), destroyed the Hudson County tournament (737 for 1st place), led SPP to a sectional title, and then fired a fantastic 726 at Team States (3rd in the event) to help them crack 3000 and finish 5th in the state. And at the end of the season, Ammugauan's overall average was 223, good for eighth best in New Jersey and a spot on the all-state team.

Sam Bortnick, Senior, East Brunswick
Bortnick's third straight year averaging over 220 resulted in another state title for his Bears and a well-earned first team all-state nod.  His 227 in GMC play ranked fifth statewide, as did his 223 in tournaments.  He was one of only four bowlers to crack 800, finished 6th at South Jersey Singles, 2nd at CJWC (766), 4th at Sectionals (733), and shot 651 at Team States. In the last action of a wonderful high school career, Bortnick shot 689-659 to finish 9th at the TOC. The lefty will be missed at East Brunswick, and years of high scores and clutch shots will not be soon forgotten.

*Ryan Carlisi, Senior, Steinert
He came. He saw. He conquered. Ryan Carlisi only bowled 10 games during the 2017-18 high school season.  Within those ten games, he shot a 300 game, an 803 series, an 824 series, and a 299 game in the state finals to win his unprecedented second consecutive state individual title. I need some new superlatives.  Carlisi averaged 263.9 over his "season". He's powerful, and accurate, and exciting, and excitable. He has nothing left to accomplish at this level and he has a hell of a future in this game.

Daniel Lenk, Junior, East Brunswick
There's very little left to say about Lenk's 2017-18 season. It was consistently brilliant and historically successful.  His 244 conference average included a pair of 800s, one an 826 that was high in the state this season, and stands as the highest average in the history of New Jersey high school bowling.  Amazingly, he was just as good in tournaments, leading the state with a 239 mark.  664 at James, 668 at CJWC, 668-720 at GMC Individuals and then 790(!) in the stepladder to take the title. 715 to take 5th at Sectionals, 785 for the high set at team states, leading the Bears to another state title, 724-748 to make the individual stepladder and making the title match before losing to Carlisi despite a 248 with zero bad shots. All this from a lefty who's not huge, doesn't throw with the crazy power of bigger guys or the revs of the two-handers. He just makes shots.  Over and over and over.  And he'll be doing it for one more year at East Brunswick.  Enjoy it.

Michael Liu, Sophomore, Livingston
After nine weeks of the SEC-Colonial regular season, Liu was averaging 196.  A good number for many, but  not up to this sophomore's standards after a breakout 209 mark last year. Over the last six sessions of the regular season, the high-rev two-hander averaged 237 over 18 games, including a 300 game and an 804, pulling his average up sixteen pins in just six matches. Tournaments?  Never anything but phenomenal, as he had the #2 tournament mark in the state at 235.  He won the Wheeler (699), won the CJWC (771), was sixty pins clear of the field at North 2 sectionals (758) and put up 671 at Team States. Liu has clearly joined the best of the best, but he's somehow still getting better.

James Stoveken, Junior, Woodbridge
Not quite as many stratospheric scores for the two-hander, but the overall numbers are every bit as awesome as ever.  Stoveken shot eight 700s in league play with a high of 781, finished at 228 in GMC matches (4th in New Jersey) and 226 overall, which puts him at #3 state-wide. He finished 3rd at the James (672), 3rd at Wheeler (676), shot 651 at CJWC, 740-673-245 to finish second at GMC Individuals, and posted 631 at sectionals and 679 at Team States to help the Barrons win a state title. He is by any measure one of the very best we've got, and his senior year could be something incredible.

Evan Weinberg, Senior, Dayton
One of the most consistently brilliant high school bowling careers we've had the pleasure to witness came to an end in 2018.  Evan Weinberg was scalding hot right from the outset, shooting 694 to take 2nd at the Wheeler in early December.  Over the next two months, he ripped up the Union-Mountain conference to the tune of a 231 average (2nd best in the state) and sets of 764 and 770.  Tournaments?  Absolutely.  He averaged 228 over 7 games to take the Union singles title and scored 4th at Sectionals with a 673. At the individual TOC, Weinberg rose to the occasion yet again, carding 718-730 to make the stepladder for the second year in a row, and won his first match before succumbing to Lenk by a razor-thin margin. His competitiveness and excellence will be missed.


SECOND TEAM

Louis Folgore, Junior, Monroe
One of the very best regular seasons around belonged to Folgore, whose 226 GMC average (8th in NJ) and top sets of 771 and 762 led his team to a top ten ranking. Folgore was equally brilliant in the GMC Individual tournament, where he posted 693-714-234 to finish 3rd in one of the season's top fields. In his final 2018 action, the demonstrative junior shot 255-218 to lead Monroe to a sweep of Edison for the GMC Team Tournament championship and leaving him with a 224 overall average, 7th in NJ.

Cameron LaPlant, Junior, JP Stevens
A stunning regular season helped his team to a top-20 avearage. LaPlant was relentlessly good in GMC action, posting sets of 757, 738, 734, 712, 739 and 767, and ending up with a 6th-best-in-the-state 227 mark. His tournament scores were good enough to put LaPlant at #6 overall as well, including 655 at CJWC, 656-720-210 at GMC Individuals (6th) and 633 at Sectionals. Added up, it equals a second straight all-state selection.

David MacGillivray, Junior, Barnegat
MacGillivray was the best high school bowler at Ocean Lanes in 2018, leading both Shore-South divisions at 218 and making it stick with a huge 223 tournament average, 4th in the state.  Shot a two-game 478 at the Mustang, placed 3rd at RWTI (682), 2nd at Brick (733), 3rd at South Jersey Singles (1317 over 6 games) and averaged 226 over 5 games to place 3rd at the Shore Individual.

Joey Ocello, Junior, Neptune
A mandatory transfer sit-out cost Ocello a good chunk of his season, but it didn't take long for him to remind us just how good he is. Top sets of 785 and 769 contributed to his awesome 229 league average (3rd in the state), and he managed 645 at Shore Teams and 658 at Sectionals, narrowly missing the TOC field, but leaving him with the 5th best overall average in New Jersey at 225.

Kyle Oliveri, Senior, Toms River South
The second-best average in Shore-South-A (213) is just the beginning.  Oliveri terrorized tournaments, posting 635 at RWTI, 637 at Brick, 730 at Snowball (5th) 694 at Shore Team (2nd), 613 at Shore Individual, 659 at Sectionals, 657 at Team States, and having his best day of the season at the TOC, shooting a fantastic 749-735 to qualify 2nd and finish 3rd.

Joey Steele, Junior Sussex Tech
I may never be completely sure how Sussex Tech does this every year, but Joey Steele is obviously a huge part of it. He led the NJAC-North with a 223 average and finished 10th in the state with a 221 overall mark. Steele took the title at the Sparta NYE (711), shot 621 at Falcon, took 6th at Sectionals (683) and came up huge at Team States, producing a sizzling 707 (7th in the building) to lead his Mustangs to their third state title in his three years on the team.


THIRD TEAM

Johann Gamo, Junior, Clifton
Really strong both in Big North matches (215, 4th high in the conference) and tournaments (217, 16th in NJ).  Gamo shot an unofficial 770 on his way to a runnerup finish at North Jersey Singles and took 4th at North 1B sectionals with a 688 set.  At the state individual TOC, he shot 667-672 to take tenth place.

Matthew Marletta, Senior, Morris Tech
Best 'out of nowhere' story in 2018, I think. Started out blazing hot with several big sets and just stayed there, averaging 225 in-conference (9th in NJ) and 222 overall (9th). Marletta's tournament highlights in limited opportunities include a second place finish at the Morris County (693) and the Falcon Frenzee title (726).

Rob Murray, Senior, Morris Knolls
The #1 reason Morris Knolls was able to take over the NJAC-South was Rob Murray's sensational season, finishing with a 226 conference average and 220 overall. He shot 686 to win the season-opening James, finished 5th at South Jersey Singles (averaging 211), 7th at CJWC (707) and 7th at North 2 sectionals (660).

Jason Smith, Senior, Edison
Two days after both he and Edison failed to advance to the TOC, Jason Smith shot 264-299 to help the Eagles sweep #1 East Brunswick in the GMC semifinals.  Then he shot 279-258 in the finals.  That alone may have qualified him for an all-state spot.  Throw in a 220 GMC average (13th in the state), 4th place at Brick (719) and 718-630 (8th) in the GMC individual tournament, and it's a lock.

Nick Thies, Senior, Jefferson
One of NJ's most improved, sure, but also one of the best, posting a 216 NJAC average and 216 overall (15th in state), with a high set of 743. In limited tournament opportunities, Thies didn't let them go by, posting 693 at the Falcon Frenzee (3rd), and 693 at North 2 (2nd place).

Jordan Tse, Senior, Demarest
A switch to a two-handed style helped Tse improve from a very good 205-average bowler during his junior year to multiple 300s, the best average in the Big North (220, 12th in NJ), 5th at FDU (659), 4th at Bergen (662-641) and a runnerup finish at Sectionals (731). And a spot on an all-state team.


HIGH HONORABLE MENTION

Kyle Bauter, Junior, Manasquan
Backed up his impressive conference avg (215) with a sterling tournament record, never failing to break 620 in any team tournament: 648 at RWTI, 660 at CJWC, 622 at Wave, 633 at Shore Teams, 658 at Monmouth, and 8th place at Central Sectional (689) before finishing up with a 653 at TOC.

Jason Bilawsky, Sophomore, Woodbridge
His 209 league mark is good, but Bilawsky really shined in tournaments, tossing 614 at James, 670 at Brick, 646 at CJWC, 603-676 at GMC Individual, 671 at Sectionals, 688 at Team States (9th overall) and 659 at TOC.  That is consistent brilliance across several different houses.

Justin Bohn, Freshman, Jackson Liberty
An awfully strong rookie season had Bohn leading Shore South B by a a lot at 213 and scoring well in pretty much every single tournament appearance: 631 at RWTI, 616 at Brick, 749 at CJWC (3rd place), 624 at Shore Teams, 632 at Shore Individuals, 633 at Sectionals at 635 at Team States.

Nick Greco, Junior, Fair Lawn
Second in the Big North at 215, shot a 300 game and a towering high set of 787. Tournament successes include a quarterfinal run at North Jersey singles, 644 at FDU, and 686-666 to take first overall in the Bergen County tournament.

Alec Hehir, Senior, Brick Memorial
Shore-South-A average leader at 215, and added some great tournament days: 684 at RWTI (2nd), 682 at CJWC, 632 at Shore Team, 4th at the Shore Individual and a huge 695 to finish 7th at South Sectionals.

Dan Kenny, Junior, Maple Shade
223 tournament average (6th) elevated him to 25th overall at 213. Kenny shot 656 at Olympic, averaged over 200 at South Jersey Singles, put up a 770 top set, took 5th at South Sectionals (704) and torched the TOC with 674-728 to finish just out of the stepladder in sixth.

Joseph Mahoney, Freshman, Park Ridge
Fantastic debut season, leading NJIC-Patriot by a huge margin at 211 and even better in tournaments, where he averaged 221 (10th in NJ). Hammer finished 4th at North Jersey Singles (averaging 223), shot 618 at Bergen, took 4th at Sectionals (727) and posted 673-627 to take 13th in his first TOC final.

Thomas McKeon, Junior, Keansburg
Led the Shore-North-A in average and finished at 209 overall, despite a tough home house.  Did a lot of tournament damage: 676 at James (2nd), 665 at Bayshore (1st), 622 at Brick, 617 at CJWC, 623 at Wave, 647 at Monmouth, and 7th at Shore Individual.

Ryley McKiernan, Junior, Monroe
The jump from "around 200" to "approaching 220" is a tough one that not many can do mid-high-school-career, but McKiernan went out and shot so very many big scores, headed by a 780 set plus two more 700s and a 217 conference average (15th in NJ).  He finished the season shooting 2-game 462 & 453 as Monroe won the conference tournament.

Geoffrey Origenes, Junior, Hudson Catholic
217 conference avg was 2nd in HCIAL, 16th in the State, while overall (216) was 17th.  Postseason saw Origenes shoot 607 at Sectionals and 654 at Team States to lead Hudson Catholic to a state 3rd place finish.

Joe Paolillo, Junior, Clifton
214 overall average (21st) included stellar 220 in tournaments (12th). Shot 4-game 888 at North Jersey Singles, finished 3rd at Passaic County tournament (645) and led Clifton with a huge 715 set at Team States (5th best in the event).

Luis Torres, Sophomore, Roselle
Torres' 213 conference average put him near the top of Union-Mountain, his 734 to win the Wave put him on the all-state radar, and his brilliant run at the Union County - 1263 over six games, then 237-245-259 to reach the finals - earned him this spot. Only a sophomore.


HONORABLE MENTION

James Bolish, Senior, Toms River North
210 conference (3rd in SSA), 206 overall (50th), 617 at CJWC

Shuan Boffard, Sophomore, South Plainfield
208 conference, 205 overall, 708 at Irwin, 653 at GMC Ind, runnerup at SJS (212 average)

John Boughton, Junior, Brick Memorial
213 tourney avg, 208 overall; 1st at RWTI (723), 4th at CJWC (721), 1st at Snowball (760), 656 at Sectionals, 646 at Team States

Wyatt Buchany, Junior, Edison
211 overall avg, 3rd at Brick (730), 790 high set, 618-688 at GMC, 256-300 in GMC semis

Kenny Burdge, Sophomore, Manchester
207 conference avg, 2gm 435 at Mustang, 300/719 at CJWC (5th), 619 at Sectionals, Shore Individual Champ (687-626)

David Burrows, Senior, North Brunswick
208 overall avg, up 24 pins from 2017, 668 in GMC Individual

Dennis Carrino, Senior, Toms River East
209 conference (4th in SSA), 207 overall, 5th at RWTI  (681), 661 at Shore Individual

Joey Chiusano, Senior, St. Rose
213 conf, 207 overall, 617 at Sectionals, 636 at Team States

Nick Delacruz, Junior, South Brunswick
208 tourn avg, 652 at Brick, 651 at GMC Ind, 7th at Sectionals (706), 14th at TOC (660-637)

Kevin DiBernardo, Sophomore, Toms River South
209 overall, 658 at RWTI, 4th at SJS (213 avg), 638 at Brick, 613 at CJWC, 658 at Snowball, 648 at Shore Team and 731 at Shore Individual (731)

John Drost, Senior, Woodbridge
209 conference, 207 overall, 620 at CJWC, 680 at Sectionals, 664 at Team States

Anthony Fama, Junior, South Brunswick
215 tourn. avg (23rd) 208 overall, 651 at James, 635 at Brick, 624-714 at GMC Ind., 656 at Sectionals

Andrew Finke, Senior, West Milford
207 overall (44th), 697 at Irwin, 4th at FDU (671), 2nd at Passaic (661), 634 at Sectionals

Brian Garofano, Junior, Howell
211 tourn. avg, 624 at James, 610 at FDU, 653 at Shore Ind, 5th in Central (716), 8th at Team States (705), 758-699, 5th at State TOC

Adam Gelvan, Junior, Montville
204 overall avg, 619 at Falcon, Morris County champ (708), 630 at Team States

Michael Guzman, Junior, Brick Memorial
206 overall, 684 at Brick, 651 at CJWC, 703 at Snowball, 627 at Shore Team, 669 at team states

John Hoban, Senior, St. Joseph-Metuchen
207 overall, 646 at CJWC, 631-637 at GMC Ind, 636 at Sectionals, 608 at Team States

Justin Korman, Senior, Manalapan
219 tourney avg (13th), 643 at CJWC, 635 at Shore Ind, 1st at Monmouth (782), 633 at Sectionals, 630 at Team States

Joey Lamont, Senior, Morris Knolls
217 conference avg (17th), 608 at CJWC, 669 at North 2 Sectional (669), 628 at Team States

Tom Laskay, Senior, Freehold Township
221 tourney avg (7th in NJ), 205 overall, 629 at Shore Team, 2nd at Shore Ind (697-647), 2nd at Monmouth (729)

Derek Lewandowski, Senior, Ridgefield Park
223 overall (25 games), 219 avg at SJS, 764 top set, 4th at Sectionals (709), 644 at TOC

Josh Lipko, Senior, Cherry Hill West
214 conference (24th), 211 overall, 632 at Sectionals, 4 sets of 688+

Chris Lopez, Junior, North Bergen
216 tourney avg (21st), 205 overall, 3rd at FDU (676), 5th at NJS (215 avg), 634 at Sectionals

Tom Luchetta, Sophomore, Wayne Hills
210 conference (5th in Big North), 206 overall, 2nd at FDU Team (680)

Andrew Mai, Senior, East Brunswick
208 overall and 217 (19th) in tournaments; 665 at James, 642 at CJWC, 651 at TeamStates, 758-619-5th at GMC Ind.

Ryan McGuire, Senior, Indian Hills
209 conference avg, 629 at Bergen, 7th at North 1A (677)

Matt Myers, Senior, Ridgewood
205 overall, QF at NJS, 613 at FDU, 626-638 at Bergen, 5th at North 1A (700)

Hunter Perry, Junior, Hawthorne
207 tourn, 202 overall, 1st at Passaic (670), 8th at N1B (670), 12th at TOC (674-626)

Jivan Persaud, Senior, Hudson Catholic
203 overall average, 1st in North 1B (730), 644 at Team States, 637 at TOC

Matt Redbord, Senior, Ocean Township
216 conference avg (18th), 613 at CJWC, 632 at Wave, 657 at Shore Individual

*Eddie Ross III, Sophomore, Absegami
221 average across 13 tournament games, 653 at sectionals, 705-687 to finish 7th at TOC

Armen Shamim, Sophomore, East Brunswick
Huge improvement to 208 overall; 623 at CJWC, 663-692 at GMC Ind, 665 at Sectionals

Chris Shymanski, Junior, Brick Township
207 overall, 624 at RWTI, 649 at Brick, 4th at Shore Team (676), 663 at Shore Individual, 8th at South Sectional (693)

Brian Skettini, Sophomore, Ridgewood
207 conference, 206 overall, 679-625 at Bergen (3rd), 699 at Sectionals (6th)

Nick Striffler, Senior, Lacey
211 conf avg (2nd in SSB), 208 overall, QF at SJS, 638 at Brick, 640 at Shore Teams, 671 at South Sectional

Jarrett Toth, Junior, St. Rose
211 conference, 209 overall, 1st at Bayshore (647), 633 at Wave, 652 at Monmouth, 627 at Team States

*Francis Vitelli, Junior, North Hunterdon
3rd at North Jersey Singles (745 in qualifying), Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex champ (712)

Cameron Waldheim, Junior, Brick Memorial
203 overall, 478 at Mustang (2gm), 666 at CJWC, 641 at Snowball, 724 at Team States

Preston Williams, Sophomore, Jackson Liberty
215 tournament avg (24th), 610 at RWTI, QF at SJS, 654 at CJWC, 648 at Shore Team, 1st at South Sectional (773), 654 at Team States, 11th at TOC (687-617)

Dylan Wolfe, Junior, Manasquan
210 overall (32nd), QF at SJS, 675 at CJWC, 2nd at Wave (681), 630 at Sectional

Andrew Xiques, Junior, Toms River South
206 overall, 635 at RWTI, 641 at Brick, South Jersey Singles Champion, 659 at Shore Team, 657 at Shore Individual

Zach Young, Senior, Bishop Eustace
643 at sectionals, 664 at team states, 204 overall average

 There are at least 62 more male bowlers in New Jersey high school action this year that can claim an average over 200, either in-conference or overall. This was a brutal list to assemble, with so very many good bowlers on the other side of the cutline.

Season in Review - Top Freshmen

This isn't all that scientific, but making an all-state team, even at Honorable Mention, is really, really hard.  Most freshmen, even those among the best, don't have much of a chance.  Some will, of course, but I thought I'd shout out all the top freshmen I'm aware of.  There are at least three good bowlers that I think might be freshmen, but I couldn't verify, so if you have someone in mind that deserves a mention, he/she may well be one of those, so shoot me an email and I'll fix it.

FRESHMAN BOYS

Justin Bohn, Jackson Liberty
Very few freshmen come in with such lofty expectations and name recognition, but Justin's been bowling at an awfully high level for a long time, and the bright lights and spectators are just not going to bother him.  He got it done in the regular season, averaging 213 to lead Shore-Central-B by 14 pins.  He got it done in tournaments, averaging 211 and shooting 749 to place 3rd at CJWC.  And he fired a 279 game at the state team tournament, helping his team on a great postseason run.

James Fitz, Linden
The youngest member of the youngest good team out there averaged 204 in-conference, broke 600 at CJWC and the Union County singles (twice), and then in the biggest spot of the season, shot 638 to lead his team to a victory in a very tough North 2, Group III sectional, as well as advance to TOC himself.

Chris Germain, South Brunswick
I'm going to confess, I didn't realize Germain was a freshman until very recently. I do know that he averaged 195 in the regular season, shot a half dozen 600s,including a 690 set, and put up a solid score in all five tournaments I checked on. This is going to be a powerful team in 2018, and Germain should be a big part of it.

Zachary Leinwohl, North Brunswick
Freshmen on good, veteran teams have to earn their keep, and Leinwohl proved he belongs among the GMC's best.  He averaged 194 in the regular season with a high of 678, and then shot a big 665 at sectionals to qualify for the individual TOC.

Joseph Mahoney, Park Ridge
When a kid comes with an established nickname, that's usually a good sign.  Hammer was everything the hype said, leading the NJIC-Patriot with a big 211 average, finishing 4th at North Jersey singles, 3rd at Sectionals (727) and making the cut at Individual states - all told, a sizzling 221 tournament average. Kid's a gamer.

Collin McBride, Colonia
Colonia wasn't really on my radar in the preseason, but they had a pretty good year by the numbers, and one big reason was the emergence of McBride.  More consistent than most talented freshmen, he averaged 197 in the regular season, and also averaged 197 over 12 tournament games, including a 630 at sectionals.  He and Will Orak should be a formidable top two next year.

Aaron Reingold, Matawan
When the first time you see a kid bowl, it's in a sport shot league he's bowling in just to get better, that's usually a good sign, too.  When it's a freshman, that's a great sign.  Reingold had a fantastic rookie year, averaging 195 in conference play, and putting up several tournament 600s before peaking at the exact right time, shooting 709 to help his team to a close second at the Team TOC.

Ben Sherman, Montville
How does Montville stay so good, even in the face of graduating all-state level bowlers like Erik Kattermann?  Well, coming up with a freshman as good as Ben Sherman was this year goes a long way.  Sherman averaged 196 over a full season (7th in a very good NJAC-South), and took third at the Morris County with an excellent 686 set, and the Mustangs keep on rollin'.

R.J. Utter, West Milford
Averaged a solid 198 in the regular season, consistently putting up good scores in a very competitive division, but Utter really contributed in tournament season.  He shot 611 at Passaic, a huge 694 at sectionals, and 631 at the individual TOC. Looks like West Milford is going to stay strong even after graduating Andrew Finke.

FRESHMAN GIRLS

Krista Eskow, Fair Lawn
Her 172 regular season average would have been enough to make this list, but Eskow was also able to go even bigger in tournaments, shooting a 643 to be the top bowler at the FDU Team Challenge and 623 to finish sixth in the North sectional.  A little more consistency should get her to another level, but this was a most impressive start.

Amanda Finke, West Milford
I almost missed her, since she's one of the few Big North girls bowling on boys teams, and because she didn't quite qualify for the average lists with only 23 total games bowled.  But her results merit inclusion: averaged 173 in conference matches and 171 in tournaments, including 567 for third place in the Passaic tournament.

Samantha Irwin, Warren Hills
Half of the star freshman duo that helped Warren Hills win another state title, and might have been WH's most consistent performer.  Irwin raised her average a full ten pins after the first of the year, peaking with a team-leading 628 set at sectionals that earned her fifth place, and followed that up with a 570 at states to finish at 172 overall.

Shayna Jimenez, Teaneck
Teaneck stayed on top of the Big North this season in large part because they replaced a good graduated senior with this freshman, who came out of nowhere to finish 11th in the entire Big North with a 168 average.  Along the way, Jimenez reached the quarterfinals of North Jersey Singles and finished 3rd in very tough conditions at Bayshore.

Olivia Ostrander, Warren Hills
The other half.  Ostrander's outstanding rookie season included some huge tournament days, placing 5th at CJWC and Snowball (with a 672) as well as her thoroughly amazing run to fourth place in the state TOC. She wound up with a top-20 tournament average at 195 and is a huge reason that Warren Hills's future still looks very bright.

Paige Peters, Toms River North
200 overall average, including 205 in tournaments.  Shot a state-best 767 at North Jersey Singles before finishing second, 5th at South Jersey Singles, 1st at Snowball, 4th at Sectionals, 3 700 series, a 300 game in conference play, and a Team State championship.  So, that's not too bad for a freshman, huh? My goodness.

Michaella Raab, Mahwah
I was tipped to this incoming freshman's league numbers in the preseason (thanks, Vince) and the tipster was right on the money. Raab led the way for Mahwah's fantastic season, averaging 178 in conference play (7th in the Big North) and stepping up to 183 in tournaments, including a big 599 at team states to help the Thunderbirds finish 4th in Group II.

Jaden Schaefer, Freehold Township
A huge part of Freehold's second half run to greatness.  On January 3, Schaefer was averaging 148 and wasn't yet a full-time varsity starter.  Four weeks later she had dragged her average all the way to 166 and was even better in the postseason, shooting 597 at sectionals, which qualified her for the individual TOC where she shot a first round 614 to make the cut.

Jazmyn Willis, Ewing
Averaged 160 as the anchor of a good Ewing team, helping them to a 16-0-1 record.  And she upped her game in tournaments, where she averaged 181 and led the Blue Devils to 3rd place finishes at both the Olympic tournament and Central Group II sectionals.

Season in Review - Tournament Specialists

Here we'll take a look at those high school bowlers who went well above and beyond their conference averages at tournament time.  There are a numbers of reasons why this might happen: small-sample-size luck, difficult regular season conditions, underperforming in conference play, improvement over the season peaking at sectionals, and just maybe some genuine ability to raise their game when it's most important.  Some combination of all of the above, to be sure, across this whole list.

Anyway, these are the bowlers that exceeded their conference average by at least ten pins, over at least 9 tournament games. Obviously, this is limited to those bowlers in my little database; I will entertain any additions that are suggested.


+10
Robbie Wetzel, Senior, Howell
196 conference, 206 tournament in 36 games
Joseph Mahoney, Freshman, Park Ridge
211 conference, 221 tournament in 17 games
Andrew Finke, Senior, West Milford
203 conference, 213 tournament in 19 games
Anthony Fama, Junior, South Brunswick
205 conference, 215 tournament in 18 games
Cole Ludwikowski, Junior, Seneca
191 conference, 201 tournament in 18 games
Kaitlyn Lowey, Senior, Union Catholic
178 conference, 188 tournament in 18 games
Morgan Gitlitz, Sophomore, Colts Neck
192 conference, 202 tournament in 24 games
Eleni Feggulis, Junior, South River
186 conference, 196 tournament in 10 games
Natalie Swindell, Senior, Toms River South
187 conference, 197 tournament in 39 games
Amelia Brunda, Sophomore, Holy Angels
173 conference, 183 tournament in 25 games
Hayley D'Alessandro, Senior, Wayne Valley
166 conference, 176 tournament in 22 games
Jasmine Brodowski, Junior, Jackson Liberty
177 conference, 187 tournament in 22 games

+11
John Reggio, Senior, St. Joseph-Metuchen
198 conference, 209 tournament in 15 games
Eric Lawson, Senior, Warren Hills
197 conference, 208 tournament in 16 games
Shannon Baer, Senior, Manchester Regional
163 conference, 174 tournament in 9 games
Krista Eskow, Freshman, Fair Lawn
172 conference, 183 tournament in 15 games

+12
Ethan Kenney, Egg Harbor
187 conference, 199 tournament in 9 games

+13
Andrew Mai, Senior, East Brunswick
204 conference, 217 tournament in 19 games
Pat Danielson, Junior, Sussex Tech
198 conference, 211 tournament in 18 games

+14
Dan Kenny, Senior, Maple Shade
209 conference, 223 tournament in 16 games
Victoria Vucak, Senior, Paramus Catholic
179 conference, 193 tournament in 20 games
Livia Spalluto, Sophomore, Toms River North
175 conference, 189 tournament in 27 games 

+15
Gerard Chidichimo, Senior, Jackson Liberty
182 conference, 197 tournament in 22 games
Christopher Lopez, Junior, North Bergen
201 conference, 216 tournament in 12 games
Brian Garofano, Junior, Howell
196 conference, 211 tournament in 34 games
Kiara Powell, Senior, Union
193 conference, 208 tournament in 28 games

+16
Julia Kreider, Senior, South Hunterdon
151 conference, 167 tournament in 9 games
Alexis Wands, Sophomore, Jackson Memorial
172 conference, 188 tournament in 11 games

+18
Brent Ayres, Junior, Deptford
195 conference, 213 tournament in 9 games
Trinity Gray, Senior, North Brunswick
179 conference, 197 tournament in 22 games
Rebecca Hoff, Sophomore, Colonia
171 conference, 189 tournament in 18 games

+19
Alex Bursac, Junior, North Brunswick
187 conference, 206 tournament in 12 games

+20
Kelcie Mannon, Sophomore, Warren Hills
183 conference, 203 tournament in 33 games

+22
Tom Laskay, Senior, Freehold Township
199 conference, 221 tournament in 15 games

+23
Michael Liu, Sophomore, Livingston
212 conference, 235 tournament in 15 games
Olivia Ostrander, Freshman, Warren Hills
172 conference, 195 tournament in 32 games

+24
Justin Korman, Senior, Manalapan
195 conference, 219 tournament in 19 games
Jivan Persaud, Senior, Hudson Catholic
199 conference, 223 tournament in 9 games

+28
Preston Williams, Sophomore, Jackson Liberty
187 conference, 215 tournament in 29 games

And the champion in this category, by a huge margin, is Hunterdon Central senior Justin DeMartin. DeMartin struggled to a 177 average in brutal conditions, both at home and in most road houses in the Skyland conference, but made it very clear he was a bowler to be respected with a string of high-level tournament scores. He shot 609 at Irwin, 647 at Skyland, 664 at Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex (3rd place), and 684 at Central sectional. Then, just to prove none of it was a fluke, DeMartin lit up the individual TOC to the tune of 705-657 to finish in 8th place. Altogether, that's a 220 tournament average, 11th best in New Jersey, and gives him a score on this list of +43. Fantastic stuff.

Season in Review - Most Improved

I always loved that bowling leagues had a "most improved" award. Not many sports have an objective way to determine the most improved player.  So I figured I'd try to do some version of it, state-wide.

THIS IS NOT EXHAUSTIVE. NOT EVEN CLOSE.  As surprising as this may be, I don't actually have the bandwidth to track all 2000 or so high school bowlers in New Jersey.  The ones included are the bowlers that hit my radar this year, for one reason or another (usually high scores, of course). There are, I'm positive, dozens and dozens of bowlers who deserve to be on this page but I missed them.  If anyone gives me an example of a 20+ pin jump, I will add the bowlers to this page.

There are a disproportionate number of GMC bowlers on this list.  Not sure if that's due to the way I track things (i.e., I'm missing some from other conferences), the shot changes at Woodbridge and Majestic, or a genuine imbalance, but it goes a long way toward explaining why they were the top conference overall this year.

Improvement is based on (2018 overall average) - (2017 conference average).  Not perfect, obviously.  But these athletes deserve some recognition and this formula seemed the fairest, most objective way.


+20
Matthew Grey, Sussex Tech
How do the Mustangs keep winning titles?  Improvements like this, from 179 as a freshman to 199 as a sophomore
Nick Melchionna, Union
Elevated from 176 to 196 as a junior, helping Union become a true state contender
Allie Adamski, Mahwah
A big part of Mahwah's great season was this junior improving from 144 to 164
Tori Johnson, Edison
Evolved from a good #3 (163) to high-scoring anchor (183) as a senior
Lacey Beall, Union
Big leap from 164 to 184 another key ingredient to the Farmers' success

+21
Lou Morales, Seton Hall Prep
Jumped all the way to fourth in the SECC at 195 after averaging just 174 as a sophomore
Paul Isgett, Morris Hills
MH survived graduation losses in large part due to his big jump from 182 to 203
David MacGillivray, Barnegat
Went from very good (199) to truly elite (220) and still has another year left
Wyatt Buchany, Edison
Helped his team join the top tier of the GMC, going up from 190 to 211
Zac Waynor, Monroe
2017 (179) postseason was an appetizer, 2018 regular season (200) was the meal
Alex Bursac, North Brunswick
Most improved team in the state, by far, in no small part due to Bursac's jump from 170 to 191
Morgan Gitlitz, Colts Neck
Already very good as a freshman (174), she dominated as a soph, finishing at 195 overall
Sydney Ramos, East Brunswick
A big reason EB was so much better than expected, leaping from 127 to 148 as a senior
Eleni Feggulis, South River
Decent sophomore year (167), but joined the GMC's elite as a junior at 188
Julia Muro, Lacey
Improving from 160 to 181 and winning a state title. Not a bad senior year.
.
+22
Derek Weigl, Bergenfield
Found a new level for a much-improved Bergenfield team, rising from 168 to 190 as a senior

+23
Thomas McKeon, Keansburg
Sophomore slump (186) left far, far behind: 212 in 35 tournament games, 209 overall
Lindsay Pepper, Ramsey
After 156 as a sophomore, jumped all the way to the state's top 50 at 179

+24
David Burrows, North Brunswick
Led North Brunswick's huge improvement rising from 184 to 208 his senior year.  I absolutely dropped the ball not having NC coach Aimee McCormick on the top coaching performances list.
Matthew Marletta, Morris Tech
Best bowler in the state that I didn't know about before the season started.  Senior year jump from 198 to a whopping 222
Liam Graf, Senior, Wall Township
167-to-191 jump as a senior helped Wall to a very strong season
Conor Quigley, St. Joseph-Metuchen
Newest member of St. Joe's Army of Depth improved from 178 all the way to 202
Emilie Carr, Point Pleasant Boro
Only 142 as a freshman, finished '18 as the second highest average in SCA and 166 overall
Jackie Nesbeth, Warren Hills
Senior year jump from 127 to 151 a big reason Warren Hills was able to repeat as champs

+25
Nick Thies, Jefferson
Great postseason in 2017 carried over to a full season, jumping from 191 to 216
Isaac Russel, Oratory Prep
171 as a sophomore, but among the Union-Mountain elite at 196 in 2018

+26
Daniel Lenk, East Brunswick
From great (216) to otherwordly (242)
Brian McAdams, JP Stevens
Freshman-year 176 left far behind in tenth grade (202)
Breanna Tolocka, Woodbridge
That sophomore jump (135 to 161 in this case) is always awesome, and here it helped the Woodbridge team to a much better season than expected
Stacey Phung, Egg Harbor
Great leap forward for the junior, from 136 to 162 (171 in tournaments)
Cloe Lowell, Eastern
Helped the Vikings stay among the state's best by improving from 156 to 182
Faby Jean-Denis, Edison
One of the reasons Edison survived huge graduation losses: freshman 145 grew to sophomore 171


+27
Dylan Heinold, Wayne Hills
Peer pressure of the best kind, as this sophomore with so many talented teammates rose to 203 after 176 last year.
Andrew Mai, East Brunswick
181 in 2017 all the way to 208 and a huge part of the #1 team his senior year

+28
Tom Laskay, Freehold Township
177 as a junior, averaged a blistering 221 in tournaments and 205 overall as a senior.
Athena Greer, Wall Township
Wall's huge team improvement started right here, with Greer's improvement from 135 to 163 during her junior year

+29
Anthony Golabek, Linden
This is how youth movements happen: 173-averaging freshman pulls himself all the way to 202.
Rachel Duncan, Indian Hills
Went from decent as a soph (153) to one of the very best in the Big North as a junior (182), picking up a TOC slot as well.
Kaitlyn Lowey, Union Catholic
152 as a junior, but a completely different bowler in 2018: 188 in tournaments, 181 overall.

+30
Victoria Stasicky, Monroe
Went from a pretty good junior (164) to one of the absolute best in the state as a senior (194)

+31
Shaun Boffard, South Plainfield
174 as a freshman all the way to 205 as a sophomore.
Will Orak, Colonia
Colonia as a team jumped 50 pins per game; Orak was a huge reason why, going from 169 up to 200.
Armen Shamim, East Brunswick
I think I figured out how East Brunswick got so much better than everyone else; 3rd Bear on the list.  177 as a freshman, 208 as a sophomore.

+33
Sean Cruz, Clifton
Clifton's Big Two became a Big Three with Cruz's jump from 169 to 202 (and a spot in the TOC)

+34
Rebecca Hoff, Colonia
Not only improved her average from 142 to 176 as a sophomore, became a killer tournament bowler as well, averaging 189 across 18 tournament games.
Rachel Guida, South Brunswick
Her 136-to-170 improvement as a junior strikes me as particularly impressive, and must have required an awful lot of work.

+35
Madison Steinbeck, East Brunswick
157 as a junior was decent, but she found an entirely new level as a senior, averaging 192 and making it to individual states

+46
Angela Baginsky, Carteret
Averaged 114 over 5 games in 2017 as a freshman, up to 160 in 2018.  Stunning.

+60
Eliza Abreu, Woodbridge
Not a typo.  I checked it twice. Jumping from 116 a a sophomore to a very strong 176 as a junior is a testament to what a driven athlete can accomplish.

+67
Joseph Abadilla, Carteret
Holy cow.  From 135 as a sophomore to 202 overall and a 684 at Sectionals as a junior.  That should be inspiring to bowlers and coaches everywhere. Also, I'm now thinking that Carteret coach Nick Panos should have been on that list I put out last week.

Season in Review - Top Overall Averages

I don't have everything - there's a sectional I don't have full data for, for example.  A few tournaments.  But this takes into account every single score I've got. Minimum thirty games. Usual fraction and truncation rules apply.

THE TOP FIFTY OVERALL BOYS AVERAGES FOR THE 2017-18 SEASON

1.  242  Daniel Lenk, East Brunswick
2.  231  Evan Weinberg, Dayton
3.  226  James Stoveken, Woodbridge
4.  225  Sam Bortnick, East Brunswick
5.  225  Joey Ocello, Neptune
6.  224  Cameron LaPlant, JP Stevens
7.  224  Louis Folgore, Monroe
8.  223  Jared Ammugauan, St. Peter's Prep
9.  222  Matthew Marletta, Morris Tech
10. 221  Joey Steele, Sussex Tech
11. 220  David MacGillivray, Barnegat
12. 220  Rob Murray, Morris Knolls
13. 218  Michael Liu, Livingston
14. 218  Jordan Tse, Demarest
15. 216  Nick Thies, Jefferson
16. 216  Jason Smith, Edison
17. 216  Geoffrey Origenes, Hudson Catholic
18. 216  Johann Gamo, Clifton
19. 215  Kyle Oliveri, Toms River South
20. 214  Ryley McKiernan, Monroe
21. 214  Joe Paolillo, Clifton
22. 214  Joseph Mahoney, Park Ridge
23. 213  Nick Greco, Fair Lawn
24. 213  Kyle Bauter, Manasquan
25. 213  Dan Kenny, Maple Shade
26. 212  Justin Bohn, Jackson Liberty
27. 212  Alec Hehir, Brick Memorial
28. 212  Luis Torres, Roselle
29. 212  Jason Bilawsky, Woodbridge
30. 211  Josh Lipko, Cherry Hill West
31. 211  Wyatt Buchany, Edison
32. 210  Dylan Wolfe, Manasquan
33. 210  Joey Lamont, Morris Knolls
34. 209  Thomas McKeon, Keansburg
35. 209  Kevin DiBernardo, Toms River South
36. 209  Jarrett Toth, St. Rose
37. 208  David Burrows, North Brunswick
38. 208  Matt Redbord, Ocean Township
39. 208  John Boughton, Brick Memorial
40. 208  Armen Shamim, East Brunswick
41. 208  Nick Striffler, Lacey
42. 208  Andrew Mai, East Brunswick
43. 208  Anthony Fama, South Brunswick
44. 207  Andrew Finke, West Milford
45. 207  John Drost, Woodbridge
46. 207  Dennis Carino, Toms River East
47. 207  John Hoban, St. Joseph-Metuchen
48. 207  Joey Chiusano, St. Rose
49. 207  Chris Shymanski, Brick Township
50. 206  James Bolish, Toms River North
50. 206  Tom Luchetta, Wayne Hills
50. 206  Michael Guzman, Brick Memorial
50. 206  Brian Skettini, Ridgewood
50. 206  Andrew Xiques, Toms River South

THE TOP FIFTY OVERALL GIRLS AVERAGES FOR THE 2017-18 SEASON

1.  211  Kamerin Peters, Toms River North
2.  210  Amanda Shelters, Brick Memorial
3.  209  Rhianna Smith, Hopatcong
4.  208  Lanasia Neal, South Plainfield
5.  204  Katie Robb, Kingsway
6.  203  Goldera Surles, Union Catholic
7   202  Marissa Cosentini, Wayne Valley
8.  200  Paige Peters, Toms River North
9.  198  Kiara Powell, Union
10. 198  Caylin Ryan, Brick Township
11. 198  Julianna Forbes, Brick Township
12. 195  Morgan Gitlitz, Colts Neck
13. 195  Katie Winch, Warren Hills
14. 194  Alexa Tieto, Ocean Township
15. 194  Victoria Stasicky, Monroe
16. 193  Kelcie Mannon, Warren Hills
17. 193  Sarah Orensky, Freehold Township
18. 192  Madison Steinbeck, East Brunswick
19. 192  Bridget Bolan, Monroe
20. 192  Liz Schreier, Lacey
21. 192  Natalie Swindell, Toms River South
22. 191  Jamie Paddock, Montville
23. 190  Laryssa Fiore, Colonia
24. 189  Veronica Lewis, Brick Memorial
25. 188  Theresa Bedaro, Manchester
26. 188  Eleni Feggulis, South River
27. 186  Emma Thies, Jefferson
28. 185  Trinity Gray, North Brunswick
29. 185  Arielle Wallace, Hackensack
30. 185  Margaux Lesser, Teaneck
31. 184  Gabrielle Capalad, Leonia
32. 184  Lacey Beall, Union
33. 183  Victoria Vucak, Paramus Catholic
34. 183  Olivia Ostrander, Warren Hills
35. 183  Tori Johnson, Edison
36. 182  Rachel Duncan, Indian Hills
37. 182  Cloe Lowell, Eastern
38. 182  Rachel Katz, Brick Memorial
39. 181  Hannah Dalton, Toms River South
40. 181  Cristy Sharkey, Brick Township
41. 181  Autumn Laird, Lacey
42. 181  Livia Spalluto, Toms River North
43. 181  Kaitlyn Lowey, Union Catholic
44. 181  Claudia Schreier, Lacey
45. 181  Julia Muro, Lacey
46. 180  Jasmine Brodowski, Jackson Liberty
47. 180  MacKenzie Dudas, Toms River North
48. 180  Christina Gonzalez, Brick Township
49. 179  Michaella Raab, Mahwah
50. 179  Lindsay Pepper, Ramsey
50. 179  Maria Neiswender, Lenape

Season in Review - Top Tournament Averages

This may be more indicative than the conference averages in the aggregate, but there's still plenty of noise because of the small sample size.

We're using just a 12-game minimum here to be as inclusive as is reasonably possible, but I'm also going to give special recognition, indicated by an *asterisk, of those who maintained this tournament average over at least 21 games (the customary mark where they become official).

The usual ranking and truncation rules apply.

THE TOP THIRTY BOYS TOURNAMENT AVERAGES FOR THE 2017-18 SEASON

1.   239  Daniel Lenk, East Brunswick*
2.   235  Michael Liu, Livingston
3.   232  Evan Weinberg, Dayton*
4.   223  David MacGillivray, Barnegat*
5.   223  Sam Bortnick, East Brunswick*
6.   223  Dan Kenny, Maple Shade
7.   221  Tom Laskay, Freehold
8.   221  Eddie Ross III, Absegami
9.   221  James Stoveken, Woodbridge*
10. 221  Joseph Mahoney, Park Ridge
11. 220  Justin DeMartin, Hunterdon Central
12. 220  Joe Paolillo, Clifton
13. 219  Justin Korman, Manalapan
14. 218  Jared Ammugauan, St. Peter's Prep
15. 217  Jason Bilawsky, Woodbridge*
16. 217  Johann Gamo, Clifton*
17. 217  Derek Lewandowski, Ridgefield Park
18. 217  Louis Folgore, Monroe
19. 217  Andrew Mai, East Brunswick
20. 217  Kyle Oliveri, Toms River South*
21. 216  Chris Lopez, North Bergen
22. 216  Cameron LaPlant, JP Stevens
23. 215  Anthony Fama, South Brunswick
24. 215  Preston Williams, Jackson Liberty*
25. 214  Joey Steele, Sussex Tech
26. 213  Matthew Marletta, Morris Tech
27. 213  Andrew Finke, West Milford
28. 213  Jordan Tse, Demarest*
29. 213  Francis Vitelli, North Hunterdon
30. 213  John Boughton, Brick Memorial*
30. 212  Thomas McKeon, Keansburg*


THE TOP THIRTY GIRLS TOURNAMENT AVERAGES FOR THE 2017-18 SEASON

1.   215  Kamerin Peters, Toms River North*
2.   211  Amanda Shelters, Brick Memorial*
3.   209  Lanasia Neal, South Plainfield*
4.   208  Kiara Powell, Union*
5.   207  Rhianna Smith, Hopatcong*
6.   205  Paige Peters, Toms River North*
7.   205  Lauren Marks, Parsippany
8.   203  Kelcie Mannon, Warren Hills*
9.   202  Morgan Gitlitz, Colts Neck*
10. 200  Victoria Stasicky, Monroe
11. 199  Katie Winch, Warren Hills*
12. 199  Sarah Orensky, Freehold*
13. 198  Julianna Forbes, Brick Township*
14. 197  Natalie Swindell, Toms River South*
15. 197  Trinity Gray, North Brunswick*
16. 196  Caylin Ryan, Brick Township*
17. 196  Jamie Paddock, Montville
18. 195  Goldera Surles, Union Catholic
19. 195  Katie Robb, Kingsway
20. 195  Olivia Ostrander, Warren Hills*
21. 193  Liz Schreier, Lacey*
22. 193  Victoria Vucak, Paramus Catholic
23. 190  Madison Steinbeck, East Brunswick*
24. 189  Gabrielle Capalad, Leonia*
25. 189  Rebecca Hoff, Colonia
26. 189  Theresa Bedaro, Manchester*
27. 189  Livia Spalluto, Toms River North*
28. 189  Marissa Cosentini, Wayne Valley
29. 189  Bridget Bolan, Monroe*
30. 188  Kaitlyn Lowey, Union Catholic
30. 188  Alexa Tieto, Ocean Township*
30. 188  Alexis Wands, Jackson Memorial

Season in Review - Top Conference Averages

I believe I learned a lot in year two of this insanity.  One of the most important was how much I had been overrating the importance of conference averages.  I'm a little embarrassed by how much stock I put in them in last year's review.

Regardless, the numbers are the numbers, affected as they are by conditions and manipulation.  I highly encourage you to put more stock in the overall numbers.

Thirty games minimum, based on the best public information available.  Full averages with fractions are used for standings but truncated for posting.

THE TOP FIFTY BOYS CONFERENCE AVERAGES FOR 2017-18

1.   244  Daniel Lenk, East Brunswick (NJ High School record)
2.   231  Evan Weinberg, Jonathan Dayton
3.   229  Joey Ocello, Neptune
4.   228  James Stoveken, Woodbridge
5.   227  Sam Bortnick, East Brunswick
6.   227  Cameron LaPlant, JP Stevens
7.   226  Rob Murray, Morris Knolls
8.   226  Lou Folgore, Monroe
9.   225  Matthew Marletta, Morris Tech
10.  225  Jared Ammugauan, St. Peter's Prep
11.  223  Joey Steele, Sussex Tech
12.  220  Jordan Tse, Demarest
13.  220  Jason Smith, Edison
14.  218  David MacGillivray, Barnegat
15.  217  Ryley McKiernan, Monroe
16.  217  Geoffrey Origenes, Hudson Catholic
17.  217  Joey Lamont, Morris Knolls
18.  216  Matt Redbord, Ocean Township
19.  216  Nick Thies, Jefferson
20.  215  Nick Greco, Fair Lawn
21.  215  Alec Hehir, Brick Memorial
22.  215  Johann Gamo, Clifton
23   215  Kyle Bauter, Manasquan
24.  214  Josh Lipko, Cherry Hill West
25.  213  Wyatt Buchany, Edison
26.  213  Kyle Oliveri, Toms River South
27.  213  Justin Bohn, Jackson Liberty
28.  213  Luis Torres, Roselle
29.  213  Joey Chiusano, St. Rose
30.  212  Michael Liu, Livingston
31.  212  Joe Paolillo, Clifton
32.  212  Dylan Wolfe, Manasquan
33.  211  Jarrett Toth, St. Rose
34.  211  Armen Shamim, East Brunswick
35.  211  Joseph Mahoney, Park Ridge
36.  211  Nick Striffler, Lacey
37.  210  Tom Luchetta, Wayne Hills
38.  210  James Bolish, Toms River North
39.  209  Dennis Carino, Toms River East
40.  209  Dan Kenny, Maple Shade
41.  209  David Burrows, North Brunswick
42.  209  Kevin DiBernardo, Toms River South
43.  209  Ryan McGuire, Indian Hills
44.  209  Jason Bilawsky, Woodbridge
45.  209  Brian Biml, Pascack Valley
46.  209  John Drost, Woodbridge
47.  208  Chris Shymanski, Brick Township
48.  208  Dylan Heinold, Wayne Hills
49.  208  Shaun Boffard, South Plainfield
50.  207  Angelo Salici, South Plainfield
50.  207  Thomas McKeon, Keansburg
50.  207  Kenny Burdge, Manchester
50.  207  Brian Skettini, Ridgewood
50.  207  Mike Menkin, South Plainfield
50.  207  Andrew Xiques, Toms River South

Derek Lewandowski averaged 229 over 12 games for Ridgefield Park

THE TOP FIFTY GIRLS CONFERENCE AVERAGES FOR 2017-18

1.   210  Amanda Shelters, Brick Memorial
2.   210  Rhianna Smith, Hopatcong
3.   208  Marissa Cosentini, Wayne Valley
4.   208  Lanasia Neal, South Plainfield
5.   208  Kamerin Peters, Toms River North
6.   208  Katie Robb, Kingsway
7.   207  Goldera Surles, Union Catholic
8.   199  Caylin Ryan, Brick Township
9.   198  Julianna Forbes, Brick Township
10.  198  Alexa Tieto, Ocean Township
11.  197  Paige Peters, Toms River North
12.  194  Bridget Bolan, Monroe
13.  193  Kiara Powell, Union
14.  193  Madison Steinbeck, East Brunswick
15.  192  Laryssa Fiore, Colonia
16.  192  Morgan Gitlitz, Colts Neck
17.  192  Veronica Lewis, Brick Memorial
18.  191  Katie Winch, Warren Hills
19.  191  Victoria Stasicky, Monroe
20.  191  Liz Schreier, Lacey
21.  190  Sarah Orensky, Freehold
22.  189  Margaux Lesser, Teaneck
23.  189  Jamie Paddock, Montville
24.  188  Lacey Beall, Union
25.  188  Theresa Bedaro, Manchester
26.  187  Emma Thies, Jefferson
27.  187  Natalie Swindell, Toms River South
28.  187  Arielle Wallace, Hackensack
29.  186  Tori Johnson, Edison
30.  186  Eleni Feggulis, South River
31.  185  Rachel Katz, Brick Memorial
32.  183  Kelcie Mannon, Warren Hills
33.  183  Cristy Sharkey, Brick Township
34.  182  Rachel Duncan, Indian Hills
35.  182  Cloe Lowell, Eastern
36.  182  Autumn Laird, Lacey
37.  181  Julia Muro, Lacey
38.  181  Gabrielle Capalad, Leonia
39.  181  Hannah Dalton, Toms River South
40.  180  Vicki Smith, Manchester
41.  180  Samantha Valle, Union
42.  180  Christina Gonzalez, Brick Township
43.  179  Eliza Abreu, Woodbridge
44.  179  Kim Wolf, Manchester
45.  179  Maria Neiswender, Lenape
46.  179  Victoria Vucak, Paramus Catholic
47.  179  Victoria Shaw, Manchester
48.  179  Mackenzie Dudas, Toms River North
49.  179  Trinity Gray, North Brunswick
50.  178  Cassidy Syrdale, Toms River North
50.  178  Lindsay Pepper, Ramsey
50.  178  Kaitlyn Lowey, Union Catholic
50.  178  Michaella Raab, Mahwah


Claudia Schreier averaged 183 over 20 games for Lacey