The inaugural Chagrin Valley Conference bowling tournament is in the books. The Berkshire Badgers’ bowling squad performed admirably with the girls finishing in third place by knocking down 2692 pins and the boys placed fifth by bowling a 3602 last Sunday at the Skylane Bowling Alley in Garrettsville.
“It was a big accomplishment, and I was very proud of them,” said Coach Kevin Johnson. “They worked very hard this year and the girls had three make the first and second all-tournament teams. That was impressive. It was a very special tournament. It was the top teams in our league, and we showed we could compete with any of them.”
The Berkshire girls were paced by senior Mac Conrad, who knocked down 534 pins to finish as the league’s runner-up, followed by sophomore Alie Richalski who scored 413 to place fifth, junior Meagan Passow bowled a 395 to take seventh place, senior Abby Bartholomew knocked down 330 pins and freshmen Cecilia Kaplan scored a 307.
According to the third-year coach, the Badger girls were missing two starters but Passow and Kaplan each stepped up to propel the team to a third-place finish in the first-ever CVC tournament.
After bowling a 657 in the first game, the Badgers rose to first place by knocking down 707 in the second series.
“They were on fire and making their spares,” Johnson noted. “That was the big thing which was the spares, and they were filing frames. Mac caught fire throwing a lot of strikes but they just all came together as a team and it showed.”
Berkshire dropped to third place by bowling a 615 in the third game but maintained their grip at the top of the standings by scoring 713 in the Baker games. Ultimately, despite being short-handed, the Badger girls showed they were one of the deepest teams in the CVC by having three place in the top ten.
For Conrad, a dominant third series propelled her to take second place overall by bowling a 202.
“She had four crucial strikes in a row to keep up,” Johnson said. “That sealed it for her to get runner-up. In the first two games, she was there but just missed a couple of spares. If she would have made those spares she probably would have been at the top but that is how bowling is.”
The Berkshire boys were sparked by junior Noah Valentino, who scored a 622 to finish in third place, followed by junior Ryan Kessinger who knocked down 528 pins, junior Levin Rohl scored 511, junior Mario Romagni bowled a 500 and senior Owen Zaumeyer knocked down 447 pns.
“It was a tough day, but it was a good day,” Johnson said. “Noah stuck with it through all three games and carried us to keep the momentum going. In that second game Owen struggled quite a bit and Ryan missed a few spares. Levi and Mario were struggling, and the lanes were transitioning and they just could not get it.”
Valentino was sharp, bowling over 200 in each frame to keep the Badgers afloat.
“He has put a lot of hard work even into the offseason bowling,” Johnson added. “We were laughing because last year he averaged 140 pins and this year he is already at 178 so there is almost a 30-pin jump from last year.”
A strong first series put Berkshire in third place by scoring a 900 but struggled in the second game, only bowling a 785 to drop to fifth place. The Badgers picked it up in the third game, knocking down 923 pins but still stayed in fifth.
They continued struggling in the Baker games and despite bowling a 205 in the final Baker game, it was not enough to close the gap.
“We struggled in the Baker games, and it was just spares,” Johnson said. “We did not fill frames. We just did not do it. We had a couple of easy spares that we missed so that was heart-breaking because I know they can make those spares, but we stuck with it, and they were resilient and kept the spirits up which I was very proud of.”
Following a regular season finale against Geauga County rival Kenston on the road on Wednesday afternoon, the Badgers will compete in the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division II sectional tournament at the Wickliffe Lanes on Saturday morning beginning at 10 a.m.
“The kids are excited, and I know we talked about it a little bit the other day at practice, and they are looking forward to it,” Johnson said. “A couple of kids think that we can come out of there and make it to the next round. Anyone can come out as individuals but as a team it is their goal that they would make it to the next round.”
