BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer
Howell’s girls again provided the bulk of the highlights of the high school bowling season.
Dave Clampffer’s Rebels won their seventh straight Shore Conference Division title and the Freehold Regional District title to boot.
The conference shuffled its divisions this year with more schools fielding teams. It mattered little to Howell, which maintained its championship ways. Howell lost 2-1 to Jackson Memorial out of the gate, but that was the only stumble of the season. They would beat the Jaguars 3-0 in the two return matches and run away with the Class B Central crown with the loss of just three games all season. During this run of seven straight titles, the Rebels are an unfathomable 348-18.
Meghan Kelly, Brittany Budra and Katie Raffele were Howell’s most consistent bowlers throughout the season, and they are at the top of the class on the News Transcript’s 2007 All-Freehold Regional District Girls Bowling team. Freehold Township’s Pinar Huseyin and Manalapan’s Laura Krumholtz round out the team.
On the boys’ side, the wealth was spread out a little more. Howell was the only team to qualify for the state tournament after taking second in Central Jersey Group IV. They would place eighth in their group at the state finals. The Rebels also finished ahead of everyone in the division, taking second behind Jackson Memorial, and were 10th in the Shore Conference.
Colts Neck, however, won the Freehold Regional title after a see-saw battle with Manalapan.
The News Transcript’s 2007 All-Freehold Regional District Boys Bowling Team reflects the balance within the District, with Freehold Township’s Andrew Bohn, Manalapan’s Chris Cherin, Colts Neck’s Matt Sobel and Tony Cortese, and Howell’s Lou DiGirolamo and James Springer making up the squad.
Kelly rolled the high game at the District championships, a nice 244 game. It was the second straight year she had the best game at this tournament. The junior averaged 181 for the season, third best in the division.
Budra led the Rebels in scoring average for the season, 188, and was one of two girls to qualify for the state tournament.
Raffele averaged 174 for the season and like her All-District teammates, was very steady throughout the season.
In addition to their championships, the Rebels were fourth in the SC and second at the Rebel Challenge.
Anyone looking to dethrone Howell next year should take note of the fact that Kelly, Budra and Raffele are all juniors. The Rebels lose only one of their top five.
Huseyin was the only other District bowler to qualify for the state finals. For game-to-game consistency, she was the best in the District with a season average of 191, tops in the division. The Patriot was fourth at the conference championships. She is just a junior herself and could be ready to challenge for championships next year.
Krumholtz, a senior, bowled like the veteran she is. The Brave had the fourth best average in the District for the year, 179.
There was no state championship for Patriot junior Andrew Bohn this time around, but that hardly diminished his 2006-07 season. Bohn still had the best average in the division, 216, and remained one of the best bowlers in the conference, as evidence by his fourth place at the SC championships.
Sobel, a former District champion himself, was outstanding for the Cougars all season, helping them win the District team title this year. The senior had a 209 average, second to Bohn’s. He qualified for the state finals by finishing fifth in Central Jersey Group IV. Sobel finished 10th at the state finals, which was third best among Shore Conference bowlers.
Howell could bank on DiGirolamo and his consistency, game in and game out. The junior had a 206 average for the season.
Cherin, one of the holdovers from Manalapan’s state championship team of a year ago, was the Braves’ big scorer this year. With his 202 season average, the senior ranked among the best in the District.
Springer saved his best for the state tournaments, helping the Rebels to get to the finals. The junior carried a 199 average for the season. With Springer and DiGirolamo returning, the Howell boys will be looking to go from contenders to winners.
Cortese had his moment at the District championships, where he rolled the high game, 236, sparking the Cougars to their second win in three years. He is a junior.
Earning honorable mention for the girls were: Amanda Stefan, Howell; Nicole DiGiamo, Freehold Township, and Beth Krumholtz, Manalapan.
For the boys, it is Scott Dugan, Colts Neck; Jim Caraluzzi, Freehold Township; and Kyle McGrath, Manalapan.