The titles keep adding up for the Howell High School bowling teams. The Rebels swept the Monmouth County Championships on Feb. 19 at Howell Lanes in Howell.
The Howell girls put an exclamation mark on their championship season by overwhelming the competition and winning by 575 pins, 2,733-2,158, over runner-up Keyport High School.
For the Howell boys, the county championship made their season. The Rebels edged Manalapan High School by 31 pins, 3,031-3,000, despite missing their leading scorer Alex Benton.
“The boys are a solid group, it was just a matter of time before we put it all together,” Coach Dave Clampffer said.
Anthony Marino led the Rebels with a 674 series. That was the second best series of the tournament behind Ocean Township High School’s Dan Drum (702). Marino rolled the high game of the tournament, 264.
Ryan Cassirer, Jake Kaplan, Steve Kelly, Frank Vitarelle and Marino made up the Howell team.
Runner-up Manalapan was led by Joe Cardello, whose 666 series was third behind Drum and Marino.
Freehold Township, which was fourth in the team standings (2,684) was led by Eric Hasenpusch, who had the third highest game of the tournament (245).
For the Howell girls, it was another day at the office. This season the Rebels regained their division supremacy by capturing the Shore Conference B Central Division title with a 42-3 record. It was Howell’s ninth division title in the last 10 years and caused Clampffer to call this squad “a special team.”
“The girls are never satisfied; their hunger and determination to be better bowlers turned the season around,” the coach said.
That hunger drove the Rebels to want more than just the B Central title and they got more by winning the Monmouth County crown.
Howell’s Jessica Henri was the individual champion with a 614 series (258 high game). Her teammates Allison Savoye and Ashley Buck tied for the third highest series at 541. Savoye’s 219 was the second highest game behind Henri, and Buck tied Freehold Township High School’s Vicki DiGiamo for third highest game, 201.
DiGiamo led Freehold Township to a fifth-place finish (2,022) in the team standings.
Henri, Buck, Savoye, Arianna Mattera and Shanna Kelly were the quintet that brought the county title back to Howell.