MATTYDALE – A long time had passed since the Cicero-North Syracuse boys bowling team lay claim to a Section III championship – nearly 30 years.
But that long drought ended Sunday at Strike-N-Spare Lanes, where on its home lanes the Northstars outlasted a strong field of challengers to earn the sectional Division I team title, its first since 1995. And it earned a berth for C-NS in the March 10 New York State Public High School Athletic Association championships, also taking place at Strike-N-Spare.
The sectional tournament involves a six-game format – three in the morning, three in the afternoon, in conditions typically tougher than what bowlers face during the regular season.
C-NS wasted little time jumping into contention, shooting 1,050 in the opening game, second only to New Hartford’s 1,108. Then it improved to 1,107 and took the lead through two games.
As it turned out, the Northstars’ struggles in the third game might have proved a turning point. Only shooting 890, C-NS went into the break at 3,047, back in third place, while Central Square surged into the lead at 3,070 and New Hartford was at 3,049.
In the pivotal fourth game, C-NS went in front for good, its 1,068 the best score of that round led by Nehemiah Bachmann’s 268. Even more important, though, was the 1,033 fifth game led by a 257 from Garrett Arnold, since Central Square fell out of contention with 876.
Going to the sixth and final game, the Northstars led second-place Auburn by 166 pins. A 923 kept the Maroons from getting closer, which meant that, with a 234 from Jason Krausnick and a team total of 960, C-NS put the title away.
Finishing at 6,108, with New Hartford ultimately taking second place at 5,946. Central Square (5,915) edged Auburn (5,906) for third.
On an individual basis, C-NS’s Jacob Calabria nearly finished on top. He started with a 257, had a second-game 239 and then, with 223 and 238 games in the afternoon, ultimately finished at 1,308, just five pins behind Beaver River’s Ethan Crouse at 1,313.
Bachmann improved throughout the morning until his 268 tied him for second among all individual games behind the 277 from Whitesboro’s Kaidan Fischer and keyed C-NS’s surge to the front. He also had games of 234 and 222 in his 1,264 series, good for ninth place.
Arnold was four pins behind in 10th place, his 1,260 series including that 257 and a 237 in the fourth game. Tom O’Connell put together a six-game total of 1,159 that opened with games of 212 and 215. Krausnick had 774 over four games, while Sam Hoffmann had games of 164 and 179.
Liverpool finished ninth in Division I and eighth in Class A with a team score of 5,414, the Warriors not having any of its bowlers compete in all six games.
Tanner Gist had a five-game total of 907 with games of 205 and 223. Austin Burch shot a high-game 191 in his 879 for five games as Xavier Theetge, in just four games, had 832, concluding with 207 and 237. Grady Foster opened with 216 and got 736 for four games.
