The Garfield G-Men bowling team delivered a pair of victories against Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference Grey Tier rival Campbell Memorial, as the girls remained undefeated by winning 1964-905 and the boys captured their first victory of the season by defeating the Red Devils 2098-1782 last Friday at the Skylane Bowling Alley in Garrettsville.
“They made their spares per say most of the time,” girls’ Coach Joe Brigham said. “They did a good job of that. They can do better though. There is always room for improvement.”
The G-Men girls were paced by sophomore Joy Justice, who knocked down 383 pins, followed by senior Makenna Guyette who bowled a 323, junior Sierra Foy recorded a score of 321, senior Alexis Phillips took down 295 pins, junior Alexandra Garlich knocked down 114 pins in the first game and freshman Scarlett Adkins bowled an 111 in the second game.
According to 25-year coach, although the G-Men girls graduated two of their top five bowlers from last year, they are still talented at the top with sophomores Justice and junior Foy return as the top two bowlers.
Brigham said that Guyette is rounding into form as the third bowler, but the G-Men’s depth is still being tested early as they seek to replace the two holes left by graduations.
“We are still capable of getting it done because Joy can pop off some big games and Sierra can pop off some 200 games,” he noted.
On Friday, the G-Men girls raced out to a 1547-691 lead against Campbell Memorial, as in addition to converting most of their spare attempts, Garfield capitalized on its advantage by fielding five bowlers compared to only four for the Red Devils.
The G-Men girls kept rolling in the three Baker Games, scoring 417 while Campbell Memorial only tallied 214, cruising to its second straight league victory of the season. The G-Men girls are undefeated and sit atop of the standings at the as they seek to repeat as MVAC Grey Tier champions.
Brigham said that while the G-Men girls are intent on defending their league title, they are also setting their sights on advancing all the way to the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division II State Tournament, after just missing out on a state berth by 40 pins last year at the district tournament.
“They are determined,” he added. “They let that bother them and I hope it did bother them, it should make them strive to better.”
On the boys’ side, they rebounded from a season-opening loss to triumph against Campbell Memorial to even their record at .500.
“They did pretty well,” said Coach Howard Moore. “I expect us to be .500 this year, we are kind of in a rebuild, my top three bowlers graduated so that when that happens you are kind of in a rebuild year.”
Junior Parker Broadwater fueled Garfield by bowling a 338, followed by freshman James Weaver who took down 331 pins, freshman Colten Workman who knocked down 324 pins, junior Colin Cupples scored 284, sophomore Jaden Landsberry-Forman knocked down 146 pins in the second game and sophomore Jordan Portman bowled a 134 in the first game.
On Friday, the G-Men boys held an early 798-597 lead in the first game and still lead after the second game despite being outscored 783-759 by the Red Devils, taking a 1557-1380 advantage into the Baker Game series.
The 25-year coach acknowledged that his team missed too many spare attempts but widened the gap with a dominant first Baker Game, outscoring Campbell Memorial 202-116, increasing their lead by 86 pins.
“For some reason, they always bowl well in Bakers,” Moore noted. “They only have to throw one frame at a time, so they try to do their best for that one frame.”
Garfield outdueled the Red Devils 541-402 in the three Baker Games to clinch their first victory. According to Moore, while the G-Men boys do not have any seniors on the roster this year, it bodes well for their future as they expect to return everyone next year while adding some more talent from the junior high school level.
“My goal is to get to the district tournament because then you are only one step away from going to state and somehow if you get hot at the district tournament, then you are good to go. My goal every year is to make it to the district tournament,” he added.
Following a home duel against Crestview on Monday, the G-Men will return from the Thanksgiving holiday break when they host Champion at Skylane Bowling Alley on Dec. 1 at 4 p.m.
