Each of the East Syracuse Minoa bowling teams had crucial matches that would determine where it ultimately stood in the Salt City Athletic Conference Empire division pecking order.

This started Jan. 11, when ESM visited Lighthouse Lanes to face Oswego, and the boys Spartans got a 2-1 win, with Sean Timmons shooting a 242 game and Chris Bayly adding a 229 game. Brett Smith had a 220 game, John Messina a 199 game and Ryan Buffman a high game of 190.

In the girls match, ESM blanked Oswego 3-0, with Emily Petrowski shooting a 521 series and Rachel Deyett adding a 510 set, with a 190 high game. Samantha Robinson’s 192 game led to a 481 series as Jessica Vollmer got a 480 set.

ESM faced Auburn last Monday afternoon, prevailing on the boys side 3-0. Timmons got 10 strikes in a 278 game, nearly perfect as he finished with a 721 series, while Smith’s 246 led to a 696 series.

Messina had a 214 game in his 524 series and Bayly put together a 521 set, all while Auburn’s Ben Morabito nabbed 10 straight strikes in a 289 game that was part of a 730 series.

The girls Spartans lost 2-1 to Auburn, though Robinson stepped up with a 235 game on her way to a 578 series. Deyett had a 491 series, just ahead of America Carhart’s 484 set. Auburn’s Kaylee Hodson had a 268 game and finished with a 637 series as Amber Pidlypchak added a 626 series and Lily Snyder had a 546 set.

In last Wednesday’s sweep of Central Square, the 3-0 boys win included Timmons putting together one of his best series of the season, a 707 that included a 247 game. Bayly finished with a 222 high game in his 572 set.

Meanwhile, the ESM girls won 3-0 over the Redhawks as Robinson shot a 546 series, with Carhart getting a 222 game in her 522 set as Deyett (485 series) beat out Petrowski (481 series).

Fayetteville-Manlius ran up against Liverpool last Monday at Green Lakes Bowl and lost, 2-1, on the boys end. Kevin Winschel again had the best individual series, a 672 that featured a 244 high game. Justin Brooks’ 501 series had a 195 high game.

But the Warriorshad a deeper lineup as Josh Winzens had a 595 series and 246 high game, with Brandon Davis (591 series, 228 high game) and Devin Roberson (589 series, 222 high game) close behind.

In the girls match, Liverpool blanked F-M 3-0, with Hannah Brown and Rachel Hance each shooting 452 series for the Hornets as Kendra Elliott (427 series) and Lydia Chase (405 series) followed. The Warriors’ Makenzi Ormsby shot a 253 game in her 575 series.

F-M met Cicero-North Syracuse a day later. In the girls match, the Hornets lost 3-0, with Elliott improving to a 473 series ahead of Hance (425 series) and Hannah Brown (416 series) as the Northstars got a 553 series from Mikayla Drzodz.

It was the same score on the boys side, F-M falling to C-NS 3-0 as Winschel’s 574 series was ahead of Adam Koss (541 series) and Garrett Brennan (524 series), and all trailed the 663 series from the Northstars’ Kyle Patterson.

On Thursday, both F-M sides lost 3-0 to Liverpool. Chase, with a 454 series, beat out Hance (452 series) on the girls side, but Liverpool’s Ashley Hardy topped everyone with a 242 game and 636 series.

Christian Brothers Academy and Bishop Grimes went head-to-head last Tuesday at Strike-N-Spare Lanes, and the Brothers earned a sweep, prevailing 7-0 on the boys side and 5-2 on the girls side.

John Dodge was outstanding for the CBA boys, earning a season-best 706 series with a high game of 245. Eddie Niles (506 series, 199 high game) offered support as Grimes got a 566 series from Connor Alexander and a 548 series from Jeff Dargiewicz.

In the girls match, CBA’s Anna Ziemba had a 437 series. Gabrielle Zollo had a 376 series and Sophia Schultz a 340 series as Makenna Gadway paced the Cobras with a 381 series..

Before this, CBA was swept last Monday by Homer at Strike-N-Spare Lanes. The 7-0 loss by the boys Brothers included Garrett Bowman putting together a 613 series. The Trojans had a 694 set from Nick Hinshaw. In the girls match, Ziemba shot a 180 game in her 480 series, but Homer won 7-0 as Julia Day’s 529 set paced the Trojans.

Grimes met Altmar-Parish-Williamstown last Monday and swept both sides of it. Connor Alexander’s 622 series (224 high game) highlighted the boys Cobras’ 3-0 win as the 7-0 girls win had Raquel McDonald shoot a 412 series and Katie Knittel add a 401 series.

On Wednesday, the Grimes boys beat Chittenango 3-0, with a 563 series from Dargiewicz and a 530 series from Joe Belton, but then lost 5-2 to Homer on Thursday as Matt Rogers, with a 558 series, beat out Dargiewicz’s 535 set.