According to Berkshire Badgers boys’ bowling coach Kevin Johnson, when everything is clicking, his squad can bowl with the best of them. Berkshire looked the part when it defeated Mayfield 2036-1496 last Thursday afternoon at the Rosewood Bowling Lanes in Oakwood.
“We put them away early and really did not even give them a chance to come back,” Berkshire’s third-year coach said. “Mayfield is a young team, but we came out of the gate and junior Noah Valentino shot 204 and everyone else was up in the high 190s and 180s except for my freshman, but everybody bowled well so that set the tone early for them.”
Valentino paced the Badgers (3-2, 0-1) by knocking down 402 pins in the first two games, followed by junior Mario Romagni who bowled a 370, junior Ryan Kessinger knocked down 370 pins, junior Levi Rohl bowled a 324, freshman Ethan Miller knocked down 104 pins in the first game, and senior Owen Zaumeyer scored 91.
Berkshire bowled a combined 1619 in the first two games while the Wildcats only knocked down 1133 pins, carrying a 486-pin advantage headed into the Baker games. In the Baker games, each bowler rolls two frames and the Badgers continued to excel, scoring 178 in the first Baker game, knocking down 417 pins in the Baker game series, outscoring Mayfield by 41 pins to clinch the victory.
Johnson said Valentino sparked Berkshire’s quick start when he knocked down 204 pins in the first game.
“That set the tone real early for the team,” he added. “It seems when one of us starts they all start, it is just who is going to start first and fill the frame and start the team, It is like dominoes, once one or two succeed they all succeed.”
Berkshire had four bowlers roll in two games each but Miller only bowled in the first game and Zaumeyer took his spot in the second game.
Johnson said that the Badgers’ senior had dealt with some injuries at the beginning of the season so he has shared time with Millerm but when Zaumeyer gets healthy, that will only make Berkshire a deeper squad.
“This is Ethan’s first year and he has come on really strong to help with the camaraderie,” acknowledged Johnson. “We are more cohesive. He brings that to the team too so that is a big key factor but we are definitely huge with Owen healthy.”
While Valentino was the only Badger to knock down more than 200 pins in the first game, his three fellow juniors each bowled higher than 180 while Mayfield’s top bowler only scored 145 in the first game.
Johnson said that the Wildcats resembled Berkshire in a lot of ways when the team was first starting out, being comprised of several underclassmen when Johnson first took over the program.
Despite being a varsity sport for only five seasons at Berkshire, the boys’ squad is the best it has ever been, with the junior core of Valentino, Romagni, Rohl and Kessinger having all been starters since their freshman year.
“I am just excited because they are doing things they have never done before,” Johnson noted. “They have bowled games they have never bowled before because they are getting better and learning more and more about the insides of the game instead of just throwing strikes and throwing the ball and are throwing shots and spare techniques and different ways of attacking the lane.”
Johnson said that the growth of the junior core has made the Badgers a versatile team which can score in a variety of ways. He added that Berkshire’s victory against the Wildcats on Thursday was a glimpse into what the Badgers are truly capable of when things are going right.
He acknowledged that the Badgers’ biggest challenge this season has been consistency, including converting spare opportunities. Berkshire has done well recording strikes but has frequently missed the one-pin spares.
“We miss easy single pin spares we should make,” Johnson said. “We should be making shots, but we miss them. I do not know if it is a mental lapse. We should be making more spares but when that comes, we should go far in the district and regional tournament. I don’t see why this team cannot go far.”
In addition to seeking a deep postseason run, Berkshire is also striving to clinch the first-ever Chagrin Valley Conference bowling tournament championship, which will take place at the end of the regular season.
“The boys are definitely wanting that banner,” Johnson said. “That would be the culmination to everything. If they could bring home a CVC title, then that would be great. We lost to Wickliffe by 100 pins and Villa Angela-St. Joseph by 40 pins earlier this season and that was because the boys struggled.”
Following a home dual match against Bedford on Tuesday evening, the Badgers will return to the lanes to compete against Eastlake North on Dec. 19 at Skylane Bowling in Garrettsville.
