Striking success

Despite struggling throughout the regular season, varsity boys bowling team soared beyond expectations at state

Striking+success

Alex Janicki, Sports editor

Following an almost complete roster change from last year and with little varsity experience, the LT varsity bowling team knew that competing for state was going to be no easy feat. Despite various setbacks and challenges, the team placed second in regionals, first in sectionals and 12th in the state (school record) on Jan. 28, in O’Fallon, Ill.

“I was very satisfied with our performance because we were the only team in LT history who made it to the second day of state, let alone 12th overall,” Matthew Lang ‘17 said.

Keeping up with the more experienced teams at state proved difficult, Lang said. The team struggled to score consistently and stay focused. At each meet there are five bowlers who compete in six games. When performing poorly, coaches can choose to substitute players.

“Last year, the team stayed balanced throughout the season, placing at about fifth place in every invitational meet,” varsity captain Nick Wojcicki ‘17 said. “This year we started off terribly. We were placing at the bottom of many meets, but something clicked later on in the season. We must have been the most improved bowling team in LT history.”

For the 10 years that bowling has been a part of LT, the coaching has been beyond expectations, Lang said.

“The team trained a lot this year and we were given great advice by varsity head coach Gary Morrill and assistant varsity coach Paul Godinho,” Wojcicki said. “A lot of schools and students do it just for fun but all of us went there to improve upon our skills and become a very competitive team that could challenge some of the best in the state.”

Going into state, coach Morrill provided an eight man roster, led by five determined scorers: Otto Mecca ’18, Marco Garcia ’18, Ian Delleman ’17, Dylan Jones ’17 and Lang. Lang bowled two 300s (perfect games) this year and averaged 208-points over the course of 24 games. He gave the team a valuable boost in confidence and on the scoreboard, Morrill said.

“Matt is a very tough competitor,” Morrill said. “In the beginning, many of the players were not taking things seriously enough and they were not realizing their potential. After having a meeting one day, a few guys turned it around and Lang led the way. He became a receptive learner and really put in the work.”

Coming off a hot streak from its top-placement at sectionals and regionals, the team felt as if it was in a prime position to compete for one of the top 10 positions in the state, Lang said. Though confidence was high, the team’s goal was not fully met.

“At the start of the second day at state I felt as if our team’s focus was off,” Morrill said. “We dug ourselves into a hole that we weren’t able to get out of which was partially due to our inconsistency.”

In the past few years, LT bowling has been consistently breaking records. Whether the success stems from the amount of games perfectly bowled or practices attended, the program shall be aiming their sights high in the future.