By: Stacey Gorski
The South Brunswick bowling teams have been competitive in every match they’ve bowled, but they are going to have to do a little more if they want to reach the lofty goal of finishing in the top three teams in the division.
"We just need to keep working on technique and consistency in that technique. All these kids are good athletes, and bowling is definitely their forte," said Marisol Ciccone, the head bowling coach.
The boys had a tough week, facing off stronger teams from St. Joseph’s and Woodbridge.
Against St. Joseph’s, freshman Robby Kohutanycz and junior co-captain Ross Winiarz led the way, though the team’s efforts came up just a little short, losing the third game by just 10 pins.
"The boys bowled a phenomenal third game against a stronger team," Ciccone said.
The next day, the boys came back to the lanes ready to unload against Woodbridge. They finished the three games scoring 984-962-897, during which they won the critical second game.
To post the team score 962, senior captain Nick Rocco’s 249 and sophomore Chris Barge’s 199 strengthened the South Brunswick tally.
"Chris bowled his best three games of the year with 237, 199, 224. He usually can be counted on to bowl at least one game over 200, but he was very good that day," Ciccone said.
She added that sophomore Matt Lenza’s 263 in the first game kept that round close as well. "Overall, it was a very competitive match against the strongest competition in the division," Ciccone said.
Happily, she got to see the boys rebound for a victory against East Brunswick. Posting a score of 939-968-915-2822 as a team, one of their best team tallies of the year, the boys gained a 3-1 win, losing just the third game of the match.
Yet again, it was Barge leading the way, bowling a 657 series for his best showing of the year. Kohutanycz’s 562 series and Winiarz’s 552 were the second and third best scores of the day.
Ciccone credits the team’s leadership for a strongly unified team and a group that takes each trip to the lane very seriously.
"The two co-captains (Rocco and Winiarz) evaluate after every game and even every frame. It may add pressure, but also camaraderie. They all have so much potential," said Ciccone.
On the girls side, leadership is provided by junior Lisa Hanan and senior Sheena Olsen. They have had their share of challenges this year as several bowlers have been injured and others have missed matches with illnesses.
"In particular, we had trouble against Woodbridge, which is on top of the division. With two sick, three injured and two that bowled not feeling a hundred percent, we were not at full strength," Ciccone said.
Despite the ups and downs, junior Cyndy Fregoni has been a mainstay for the girls, particularly with games scores of 194 and 188 against Woodbridge.
"She is consistently playing well and is having a good season personally," Ciccone said. "She has been the leading bowling with Lisa (Hanan) not too far behind."
Like the boys, the girls rebounded to beat East Brunswick on Tuesday afternoon. They posted a team score of 868-855-793-2516, winning 3-1. The loss was in the match’s final game.
This time, it was Hanan who led all scorers with a 577, and sophomore Lauren Sohmer with a 554.
"The team (both boys and girls) have a lot of young talent and a whole lot of potential. That’s why they are competitive: they play in other leagues on Friday nights or Saturday mornings. A couple of them even play during the week. They just keep getting better," said Ciccone.
