I t was the boys’ turn to bring another bowling championship to Howell High School. Following the girls’ NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV championship, the Rebels’ boys matched that on Feb. 11 by claiming the state sectional title at Brunswick Zone Carolier Lanes in North Brunswick.
Howell finished 47 pins ahead of Old Bridge High School, 3,072-3,025. Freehold Township High School was a close third with 3,103.
Max Stalter led the Rebels with a 681 series that was 12th best overall, qualifying him for the state individual title tournament (he would finish 16th). He had games of 187, 268 and 226.
Kyle Manick (632) and Will Horvath (621) were also over 600. Manick’s high game was 243 and Horvath’s was 242.
Matt Yucht averaged 190, while Tyler Volpe and Nolan Spengler split the No. 5 spot. According to head coach Dave Clampffer, “[They] did a good job.”
Howell’s win may have surprised many, but not Clampffer, who credited competing against tough competition all season for making Howell a good tournament team.
“The guys bowled well at the sectionals,” Clampffer said. “We have been bowling well most of the year, but with great teams like Jackson Memorial and Freehold Township in our division, our conference record was not indicative of our potential.
“We proved that at the sectionals,” the coach added.
The sectional title was the second for Howell’s boys. The first came in 2008.
The Rebels went on to finish fifth at the Group IV championships (2,808) back at Carolier Lanes on Feb. 15. Eventual state champion Jackson Memorial High School was the Group winner (3,304).
After winning their second straight Central Jersey Group IV title (third in program history), Howell’s girls finished second to Brick Memorial High School, 3,127-2,973, at the Group IV state championships on Feb. 13. “Brick Memorial was on fire and they carried it through the whole day by winning the TOC (Tournament of Champions),” said Clampffer.
Clampffer was pleased by the way both bowling teams competed at the Group championships.
“The boys and girls bowled their hearts out and we shot very well,” sad Clampffer. “Coach (Joe) Vari and I are extremely proud of the them.”
Howell’s girls won their fourth straight Shore Conference B Central Division title this winter (11 in the last 12 years) with a 45-0 record and ran their three-year winning streak to 91 straight games.
Jamie Kelly (267) and Michelle Gulino (266) had the two highest games of the season, as well as the two highest series (712 for Kelly and 692 for Gulino).
Erica Orensky of Freehold Township averaged 182 for the season.
Freehold Township’s Jason Stern was the Freehold Regional High School District’s top bowler at the Shore Conference Championships held earlier this month at the Bradley Bowl in Bradley Beach with a 644 series. Teammate Jimmy Tamai was 16th (579).
Howell’s girls were third (2,847) in the Shore Conference, which was won by Brick Township High School (3,077). Individually, Gulino and Kelly were sixth and 10th, respectively. Gulino had the highest average for the season in the division at 192. Kelly was at 188.
The Rebels’ girls also won the Fairleigh Dickinson University Invitational earlier in the year, giving them three championships in 2012-13.
Freehold Township’s boys (31-14), who were second to Jackson Memorial (42-3) in the B Central Division, won the Winter Classic at Brunswick Zone.
Tamai tied Jackson Memorial’s Joe Starace for the high game of the year at 298. Stern and Tamai each averaged 212 in division action.