Staring down the pins sixty feet away, the ball releases from their hand. Smoothly gliding down the lane to the pins. The silence of anticipation is broken by the ball knocking over the pins. It’s a strike! Teammates celebrate together as they become closer to their end goal for the season of going to sectionals and state. 

During the season, the varsity boys bowling team had a winning record and placed highly in tournaments.

“We performed well in matches and tournaments. Our varsity was 8-1 in matches and JV was 7-1 in matches,” explained Douglas Primus, the bowling head coach. “We also had several good shows in our tournaments, including a 3rd place finish at the Vernon Hills Tournament.”

Scoring well is only one part of having a great season, however. Being good teammates to one another and getting along is a huge part of what makes a season successful. 

“The season so far has gone great,” stated River Glab, a varsity bowler. “We have a really great team with amazing people. Everyone is very nice and friendly, so we all get along well.”

The varsity players are not only good teammates and are talented, but each one of them adds a certain value and are key to the team’s success during the season. 

“Our team has several very talented bowlers who have worked hard and remained focused while bowling. We have many key bowlers on the team,” explained Primus. “Dom Caruso is our team captain and our leader. Carl Matter is very focused and able to adjust when needed. 

“Lee McClellan really understands his game,” Primus continued, “and is able to make necessary changes quickly. River Glab’s game is explosive, and he is capable of bowling a perfect game in every game. Zach Readdy is a great spare shooter and is capable of scoring extremely high at any point. Austin Kleimann has our team’s highest average, and he is capable of tremendous scores every time he bowls while always remaining calm, even when things are not going well.”

The team and individual players set goals that they aimed to achieve in the season. Most of the team goals that were set were accomplished. The players also achieved many of their personal goals and have begun setting new goals during the postseason competitions, such as sectionals.

“My personal goals were to win tournaments as well as to average over 200 through practice and competition. I came 2nd at a tournament in Vernon Hills when as a team we came in 3rd,” described Carl Matter. “My newest goal is to eventually make it to state, but getting there is going to be pretty hard. I do believe in myself to achieve this goal.”

With accomplishing goals throughout the season, the team and individuals have grown so much. This has given them confidence moving into regionals as well. 

“So far I am proud of the whole team and how much everyone has grown. Everyone got a lot better and more part of the team,” stated Glab. “I hope our Varsity team makes it far this last 1-3 tournaments we have, and regionals will be fun.”

During regionals the team did not make it as a whole, but the team is sending three individuals to sectionals. 

“We missed advancing to sectionals as a team by just 38 pins, but three of our bowlers were able to advance as individuals: Carl Matter, River Glab, and Austin Kleimann,” described Primus. “They will be bowling this Saturday in Rockford at Sectionals.”

At Sectionals, on January 21, players from the boys bowling team competed to go to state. While they did well, none of the players will be advancing to state. 

Despite not being able to compete for state, the players and coach are still proud of their successful season that they had this year.