Congratulations to King Division champion Garfield and Carpenter Division champ Pompton Lakes for winning the final titles in Bergen-Passaic Scholastic League history. Lots of nostalgic feelings at Fair Lawn Lanes on Tuesday — well, at least for TM, since this was the first league on which he ever reported — although its descendant that begins play next season, the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference, will take over Fair Lawn as its home alley.
For Pompton, the Carpenter title was its fourth straight and fifth in the last five years, and once again the Cardinals got it done in impressive fashion: they went 15-1 in matches (75-5 in the points standings) and lost only two games all year. Anchor Jason Scott had himself a day with a 225-243–468, solidifying his 206 average, which ranked first in the division and second in the B-PSL. He also recorded the league's high game (277) of the season.
Garfield, meanwhile, entered the position round already assured of its King title, but I'm sure the Boilermakers were happy to dish out a bit of poetic justice to Manchester, which beat them out for the division championship on the last day of last season. Lefty Raphael Sanchez (Parker Bohn III All-Star alert!) had the high series for Garfield, going 181-218–399 to lead a 5-0 victory over the Falcons. Manchester senior Jaylin Floyd, who has enjoyed a brilliant four-year career, ended with an uncharacteristic 352 series, but may find consolation thusly: he took home league awards for high average (210) and high series (516) and still has the North 1-B sectional tournament to look forward to on Feb. 13.
And now, because The Messenger is an equal-opportunity blogger (and because he just got a sweet idea for another NJBB meme), we'll close the book on the B-PSL by taking a dip in:
The Stream of Consciousness... After starting off the season 4-6, Hawthorne put together a strong finish, winning 5-of-6 and sweeping its last three opponents. Peter Bruinooge (203-182–385) led the way on Position Day, and in beating the same opponent twice in the last two matches, three different Bears rolled deuces, including Michael Young (202) and Kevin Grudzinski (200) on Feb. 1. Who was their victim in those two matches?... Elmwood Park, which came within 16 points of winning its last game against the Bears in the finale but fell short. Still, one could use the old "goes-around-comes-around" chestnut, since in the first Position Day meeting between these two teams on Jan. 12, EP anchor Alex Cheski tossed his best game (256) and series (448) of the season... Midland Park enjoyed a bit of a resurgence this winter, winning six matches and finishing second in the Carpenter Division. Of course, that also meant the Panthers had to bowl Pompton four times (including Position Rounds), but in Tuesday's finale, senior Shaun Cairns stepped it up with a 190-200–390, throwing two strikes and an 8 in the 10th frame to reach the coveted double-century mark. Has The Messenger mentioned that the next 200 game he shoots will be his first?... After Immaculate Conception dropped its bowling team in 2008, Mary Help of Christians stepped in to assume the mantle of the B-PSL's "girl power" team. The Blue Jays won their first Position Day game against Eastern Christian before falling, 3-2. Anchor Lauren Sedeyn had a sweet 2-6-10 split pickup in the 10th frame of Game Two, while MHCA's Paula Redmon was one of the more enjoyably expressive bowlers to watch on the day (TM loves players that remind him of, well, himself)... however, it is the Eagles of Eastern Christian who get the last word, and for the following reason: sophomore anchor Elizabeth Mulcock had the honor of rolling the last ball in B-PSL history — it was a strike. THAT is how you write a final entry in the history books!
FINAL B-PSL STANDINGS (Points Won-Points Lost-Team Average)
| King Division | PW | PL | Avg. |
| Garfield | 68 | 12 | 855 |
| Manchester | 51 | 29 | 770 |
| Hawthorne | 39 | 41 | 730 |
| Elmwood Park | 31 | 49 | 662 |
| Carpenter Div. | PW | PL | Avg. |
| Pompton Lakes | 75 | 5 | 902 |
| Midland Park | 26 | 54 | 661 |
| Eastern Christian | 24 | 56 | 652 |
| Mary Help | 6 | 74 | 632 |
One final note: Tuesday not only marked the end of the B-PSL, it also brought to a close the commissionership (if that's a word) of Andy Antista, who served the league for many years and got a well-deserved round of applause at the conclusion of the awards ceremony. Incidentally, he was also the first coach The Messenger ever interviewed in his bowling-reporting career — in essence, if you want to trace back to the roots of the NJBB's creation, he is the one to blame! And by "blame," I mean "thank"; rarely have I had as much fun covering a sport as I have with bowling. Thanks, Coach...
–TM
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