Howell girls capture NJSIAA bowling state championship
Friscioni’s 657 series leads the way
Howell’s legendary 1972 unbeaten Group III state championship boys’ soccer team now has company in the school’s pantheon of champions.
The 2001-02 girls’ bowling team captured the NJSIAA championship Saturday at Carolier Lanes in North Brunswick.
The Rebels topped the 16-team field with a team score of 2,806 by its five bowlers, 47 pins better than runner-up Brick (2,759) and pre-meet favorite Brick Memorial (2,675), which was third in a show of Shore Conference power.
"It was an entire team effort," said Rebel coach Dave Clampffer. "Everyone was supportive of one another. If someone missed a spare, then someone else picked it up. Everyone began to feed off each other.
"The girls knew they had bowled well," he added. "They knew they had a bowled a good score. After they were finished with the third game, I told them they were up by 51 after the second game, and they couldn’t believe it."
A 923 in the third game by the Rebels was more than enough to hold off Brick and Brick Memorial and secure the state championship in just the program’s second year.
Senior Lisa Friscioni, who has been with the bowling program since its inception three years ago, led the Rebel charge with a 657 series that included a high game of 221.
Sophomore Liz Carragher rolled a solid 575 with a high of 210.
Howell won the tournament with the remarkable consistency of Heather Strevens (524), Jen Cosentino (524) and Emerald Platzer (526). Platzer, a sophomore, had a high game of 203 while seniors Strevens had a 200 and Cosentino a 187 for highs.
A late-season eighth place at the Central Jersey Classic may have been the catalyst for the Howell.
"We had been bowling great all year, and a little complacency set in," remarked Clampffer. "The Classic showed the girls that you can’t let up; you have to make your spares."
After finishing off a perfect 54-0 mark en route to a second straight Shore Conference Southern Monmouth County Division title, the Rebels took fourth place in the Shore Conference Championships held just two days before the state championship. Friscioni bowled a 593 series and placed sixth overall, Platzer was 10th (496) and Cosentino, 11th (476) at Ocean Lane, Lakewood.
Howell’s 2,612 was well behind Brick Memorial’s winning 3,131. It was an off day for the Rebels, and in a way it was welcomed by Clampffer.
"We missed a lot of spares at the Shore Conference," he pointed out. "I thought if we’re going to have a bad day, I was glad that it was Thursday and not Saturday."
With Howell’s perfect record in dual meets and consistent tournament performances (they were first at the Cougar Invitational), Clampffer knew a win at the state championships was not out of Howell’s reach Saturday.
"On any given day any team can win it," he said. "I don’t think we surprised people. Everyone knew about Howell, and teams respect our talent."
Now, they are respected as a state champion.
Seventh last year in their first-ever varsity season, the Rebels have given Howell its first team state champion since that memorable 1972 boys’ soccer team, and they did it in just two years.
Friscioni couldn’t have finished her career any better if she had scripted it.
Not only did the Rebels win the state championship, but Friscioni went out throwing five consecutive strikes.
"One thing I’ll always remember is Lisa Friscioni striking out in the 10th frame in the last match of her career," he said. "She just buried three shots and finished with five straight strikes."
Howell’s boys finished second in the Southern Division, tied with Manalapan with a 37-17 record, trailing only Monmouth Regional (43-11).
The Rebels’ Jim Stefan qualified for the individual state championship, and his 1,202 after two three-games series of 634 and 568 put him in 14th place.