CENTRAL NEW YORK – When the two best Salt City Athletic Conference boys bowling teams clashed last Monday at Strike-N-Spare Lanes, big things were expected – but few anticipated what would happen.
Cicero-North Syracuse bowled quite well against East Syracuse Minoa, yet still found itself on the wrong end of a 5-2 defeat highlighted by Zach Kassel’s remarkable performance for the Spartans.
Having opened with a 246 game, Kassel then converted strikes on all 12 shots he faced in the second game for a perfect 300, and he kept going from there, ultimately converting 21 consecutive strikes.
Though not quite perfect in the third, Kassel’s 278 gave him an 824 series, the best in Section III this season, and a difference maker when ESM’s pinfall was 3,829 to C-NS’s total of 3,668.
Alex Locke (672 series) and Mike Saunders (664 series) also lit it up, Locke closing with a 246 and Saunders putting up a 257 to overcome what the Northstars put on the board.
Games of 239, 204 and 224 gave Jacob Calabria a 667 series, just ahead of Nehemiah Bachmann, whose 262 came in the second game where Kassel had 300 as Bachmann concluded with a 662 total.
Sam Hoffmann’s 207, 210 and 221 led to a 638 series, with Garrett Arnold steady in a 600 series and Jason Krausnick opening with a 226 on his way to a 599 series.
C-NS’s girls lost, 7-0, to ESM that same afternoon, with Delanie Lombardo shooting a 418 series and Trinity Short adding a 414 series, behind the top 486 set by the Spartans’ Alana Tuberville.
This exciting week concluded for C-NS with a trip to Falcon Lanes Friday to face Auburn, and despite a total pinfall edge of 3,478-3,432, the boys Northstars lost 4-3 to the Maroons.
Calabria started slow, but then got a 220 second game and 10 strikes in a third-game 279 for a 695 series. Hoffmann went 202, 224 and 216 for a 695 set as Arnold opened with a 258 but followed with two 167s in a 592 set. Caleb Pidylpchak (645 series), Jack Sliwka (643 series) and Eric Barski (635 series) led Auburn.
At least the C-NS girls were able to shut out the Maroons 7-0 to move its record to 5-7. Short had games of 200, 185 and 167 for a 552 series as Jennifer Draper’s second-game 214 and 170 were part of a 537 set. Melody Schwartz earned a 443 series.
When Liverpool got its turn against ESM on Thursday at Strike-N-Spare, it saw the Spartans’ Kyle Nissen finish with 11 consecutive strikes in a 290 third game that was part of a 670 series.
No other Spartans bowler got to 600 (even Kassel cooled off to a 583 series), but ESM still beat the Warriors 5-2 despite some fine individual efforts on Liverpool’s side.
Mykey Hatherill shot 219, 198 and 217 in his 634 series, while Kyle Lake opened with a 224 and closed with 205 on his way to a 595 total. Tanner Gist’s second-game 223 highlighted a 571 series as Grady Foster contributed a 534 series.
In the girls match, Liverpool also fell to ESM by that 5-2 margin, even though Sara Conover led all individuals, opening with 211 and following up with 170 and 173 in a 554 series.
Sarah Daniel shot her own 211 in the second game of a 494 series, with Alainna Deyneka adding a 464 series. ESM got a 497 series from Jewelianna Hallock and 467 series from Nicole Baker.
