The old Northern Bergen Interscholastic League was one of The Messenger's favorite leagues to recap back in the day, in part because the final statistics packet put together by league commish/Bergenfield head coach Howie Conklin was a veritable statman's paradise.
Well, the good news is, Coach Conklin is still the commish of the new Big North-Patriot Divison, so the stat pack lives on... even if the new league is a random amalgamation of old NBIL-1, NBIL-2 and BCSL-American teams.
The Ramsey boys claimed their second consecutive outright league title (third in a row overall), holding off Pascack Valley in a fierce race that came down to a scant few points. This may have been the strongest division in North Jersey, given that both squads won their respective Group championships at the Bergen County tournament, both advanced to the State team finals, and both fielded the two top shooters in Bergen, seniors Kyle Landau (Rams) and Brian O'Flaherty (PV).
Meanwhile, the Bergenfield girls did as TM quasi-predicted in this very corner of the blogosphere last season — the Bears won their seventh straight league championship, with the last three all coming in different conferences (NBIL-2, NBIL-1, Big North-Patriot). Again, Pascack Valley played a pretty mean second fiddle... in fact the Indian girls finished with the exact same divisional record as the boys, which is a slightly eerie coincidence.
And now, for the tasty tidbits from the "Odds & Ends" page of the stat pack: River Dell junior Max Barnett finished the season with 9 straight 200-plus games... In 16 matches, Kyle Landau opened up with a 200 game on 13 occasions... the list of most 200 games on the season — (boys) Bergenfield junior Brian DiMarco 26, O'Flaherty 24, Landau 23; (girls) Bergenfield juniors Sarah Esmenda (7) and Cassidy Fiore (4) and Indian Hills junior Emily Ostapczuk with 4... and, always a fan favorite, the highest "low games" of the year belonged to Landau and O'Flaherty (tie, 160) and Esmenda (133).
Final random nuggets: Pascack Valley junior Tim Frantin rolled a 300 against Tenafly on Jan. 11, becoming the first Big North-Patriot bowler to do so (although DiMarco bowled a perfecto in this leagues quote-unquote "predecessor", the NBIL-2, last season)... although Mahwah struggled this season, junior Kevin Knapp had the team's high average (155) and their lone 200-plus game, a 214. Senior Esther Kim and freshman Allison Homler tied for the Lady T-Birds' high game (184)... nickname of the year may have to be Ramsey freshman Tyler Suser, who goes by "Doc" on the overhead screen (a play on the pronunciation of his last name — think Dr. Seuss). The Landau twins' handles of "R-Lanny" and "K-Lanny" seemed to be fan favorites as well, so much so that Indian Hills dubbed junior anchor Bridget Pyryt "B-Lanny". Go figure...
At any rate, congrats to coach Bill Chesney and the Rams, and to coach Conklin and the Bears, for claiming the inaugural Big North-Patriot titles. The stats:
FINAL STANDINGS (Points Won-Points Lost-Team Average)
| Patriot Div. - Boys | W | L | Avg. |
| Ramsey | 55 | 5 | 957 |
| Pascack Valley | 52 | 8 | 952 |
| Indian Hills | 40 | 20 | 881 |
| Tenafly | 28 | 32 | 861 |
| Bergenfield | 20 | 40 | 836 |
| River Dell | 13 | 47 | 774 |
| Mahwah | 2 | 58 | 714 |
Boys high game: Tim Frantin (PV), 300
Boys high series: Brian DiMarco (B'field), 566 (2 games)
Boys All-League 1st Team w/averages: Brian O'Flaherty (PV), 225.93; Kyle Landau (Rams), 225.81; Brian DiMarco (B'field), 220; Max Barnett (RD), 211; Sam Fogelgaren (T'fly), 203; Marc Solangon (B'field), 199; Ryan Landau (Rams), 198.
Boys 2nd Team w/averages: Joe Farinelli (PV), 197; Tim Frantin (PV), 195; Jerry Azzolini (IH), 188; Andrew Wierzbicki (IH), 185; Jarrett Floyd (Rams), 184; Graham Mulligan (IH), 182; Ethan McGowan (T'fly), 176.31; Andrew Trinidad (B'field), 176.22; Pat Mercogliano (IH), 175.54.
Boys Honorable Mention: Josh Burke (B'field); Eliot Sackler (T'fly); George Kim (RD); Perry Starr (Mah.); Mike Shine (PV); Ronny Wagner (IH); Bryan Boyd (Rams).
********************************** | Patriot Div. - Girls | W | L | Avg. |
| Bergenfield | 56 | 4 | 742 |
| Pascack Valley | 52 | 8 | 686 |
| Indian Hills | 38 | 22 | 643 |
| Tenafly | 25 | 35 | 610 |
| Ramsey | 15 | 45 | 585 |
| Mahwah | 14 | 46 | 570 |
| River Dell | 10 | 50 | 538 |
Girls high game: Emily Ostapczuk (IH), 268
Girls high series: Emily Ostapczuk (IH), 447 (2 games)
Girls All-League 1st Team w/averages: Sarah Esmenda (B'field), 176; Emily Ostapczuk (IH), 173; Cassidy Fiore (B'field), 168; Bridget Pyryt (IH), 159; Claire Reiser (PV), 154; Emma Taylor (T'fly), 146; Samantha Griffenkranz (B'field), 144.
Girls 2nd Team w/averages: Danielle Volpe (PV), 139.93; Danielle Hayes (B'field), 139.56; Sky Davenport (PV), 139.18; Ashley Delaney (PV), 132; Jodi Iannantuano (RD), 131.93; Nicole Schielzo (B'field), 131.00; Carolyn Donnelly (Rams), 129.
Girls Honorable Mention: Melissa Schielzo (B'field); Melissa Ehrlich (T'fly); Sarah Lee (RD); Alise Strauch (Mah.); Maggie Campbell (PV); Harveen Kaur (IH); Laura Dosch (Rams).
Please e-mail any/all corrections to NorthJerseyBRG@gmail.com.
Finally, a league where The Messenger doesn't have to get used to some drastic name change. What remains of the old BCSL-American Division has become the Big North-American, which this winter bowled at various houses and typically had crossover matches with the Big North-Patriot.
In the boys division, Dumont emerged as champ behind seniors Austin Bonacum and Marc Reimann — both left-handers, and therefore both sure-fire Parker Bohn III All-Stars. Although give credit to Ridgefield Park... the Scarlets not only made the league a close race, they also finished higher at sectionals and had senior Sean Carmody place 12th in the State individually. Come to think of it, third-place Westwood finished higher than both its chief rivals at Counties, so basically all three of them can claim some sort of bragging rights.
For the girls, Westwood brought home the title in a division that was rife with Q-power... the Cardinals had junior Chelsea Qualliu in their rotation, and runner-up Dumont featured senior Qynn Pascual. (See? This is what happens when TM can't get to any league matches and all he can comment on are his favorite letters). And hey, Cliffside Park hung in there too, thanks to league average leader Nicolette Brenner — who, incidentally, placed 6th at Counties for the second straight year. *Those* are the types of random factoids you'll find only on the NJBB!
Anyhow, congrats to coach Mark Ferrara and the Huskies, and to coach Dan Rattacasa and the Cardinals, for claiming the inaugural Big North-American crowns. The stats:
FINAL STANDINGS (Points Won-Points Lost-Team Average)
| American Div. - Boys | W | L | Avg. |
| Dumont | 30 | 10 | 875 |
| Ridgefield Park | 28 | 12 | 888 |
| Westwood | 25 | 15 | 856 |
| Fort Lee | 15 | 25 | 735 |
| Cliffside Park | 2 | 38 | 598 |
Boys high game: (TIE) Sean Carmody (RP) & David Daniels (FL), 278
Boys high series: Carmody, 492 (2 games)
Boys All-League 1st Team w/averages: Sean Carmody (RP), 216; Austin Bonacum (Dum.), 203; Christian Sontag (WW), 197; Nick Keim (RP), 193; Marc Reimann (Dum.), 191; Andrew Cirillo (WW), 181; Ryan Perez (Dum.), 178.
Boys 2nd Team w/averages: Nick Cytowicz (Dum.), 177; David Daniels (FL), 175; Kei Kase (FL), 174; Mike Benaquista (WW), 171; Dakota Krokus (WW), 170; Dan Buttacavole (RP), 165; Kerlyn Cortinas (RP), 164.
Boys Honorable Mention: Eric Blakeman (Dum.); Ammad Quirashi (FL); Vinnie Bucceri (CP); Ian Woods (RP); Bobby Grimaldi (WW).
********************************** | American Div. - Girls | W | L | Avg. |
| Westwood | 37 | 3 | 690 |
| Dumont | 26 | 14 | 667 |
| Cliffside Park | 25 | 15 | 651 |
| Fort Lee | 10 | 30 | 586 |
| Ridgefield Park | 2 | 38 | 529 |
Girls high game: Mary Schneider (WW), 254
Girls high series: Nicolette Brenner (CP), 490 (2 games)
Girls All-League 1st Team w/averages: Nicolette Brenner (CP), 177; Mary Schneider (WW), 166; Yeliz Inalman (FL), 154; Kirsty Flores (Dum.), 142; Kristen Bonacum (Dum.), 140.18; Kelsey Nobile (WW), 140.14; Chelsea Qualliu (WW), 137.
Girls 2nd Team w/averages: Kristen Connolly (WW), 134; Melissa Reimann (Dum.), 133; Kamber Chaiken (Dum.), 131; Kristen Fernandez (Dum.), 128; Qynn Pascual (Dum.), 124.92; Tiffany Ebanks (WW), 124.88; Sarah Ann Martello (CP), 121.
Girls Honorable Mention: Justine Valdez (FL); Sabrina Johannemann (CP); Chin-Kyong Kim (RP).
Please e-mail any/all corrections to NorthJerseyBRG@gmail.com.
In Peanuts-speak, The Messenger would use the rubric: "It's an NBIL reunion, Charlie Brown!" For all intents and purposes, the old NBIL Division 1 reformed as the Big North-National, minus Bergenfield and Wayne Hills.
Fair Lawn rejoined the others after a one-year "exile" to the stopgap NJTCC and came back with a flourish, winning the girls division title. For the boys, Northern Highlands added to its banner year, bringing home a league title for the first time since– we're not really sure. The Highlanders had a bowling team back in the 1970s, dropped it somewhere along the line in the early '80s, then resurrected the program about eight years ago. So, to borrow a page from TMQ's book of nomenclature, we can say it's the first league championship for Northern Highlands Release 2.0.
Congrats to coach Matt Markman and the Cutters, and to coach Rich Smith and the Highlanders, for claiming the inaugural Big North-National crowns. The stats:
FINAL STANDINGS (Points Won-Points Lost-Team Average)
| National Div. - Boys | W | L |
| No. Highlands | 36 | 4 |
| Ramapo | 32 | 8 |
| Fair Lawn | 21 | 19 |
| Old Tappan | 10 | 30 |
| Demarest | 0 | 40 |
Boys All-League 1st Team w/averages: Mike Carr (R'po), 221.5; Billy Olszewski (NH), 211.1; Kevin Macchia (R'po), 203.8; Ben Schuckman (FL) 195.2; Eric Sibbald (NH), 195.1; Josh Taylor (NH), 187.8; Nick Rossi (NH), 187.7.
Boys 2nd Team w/averages: Matt Brown (FL), 182; Victor Stickna (R'po), 174.7; Ray Geller (OT), 172.7; Tyler Kammen (R'po), 171.8; Nick Fasolo (R'po), 170.9; Scott Royse (OT), 169.6; Brendan LoDolce (FL), 168.1.
Boys Honorable Mention w/averages: Chris Keane (NH), 166.5; Joe Haverilla (OT), 155.6; Ian Wiese (Dem), 143.3; Shawn Kerestes (FL), 142.3.
***************************** | National Div. - Girls | W | L |
| Fair Lawn | 38 | 2 |
| No. Highlands | 20 | 20 |
| Demarest | 17 | 23 |
| Ramapo | 15 | 25 |
| Old Tappan | 10 | 30 |
Girls All-League 1st Team w/averages: Denise Marain (FL), 157.84; Nicole Munczinski (FL), 153; Ellie Schuckman (FL), 144.87; Tiffany Lee (Dem), 142.38; Shannon Rossi (NH), 140.58; Chelsea Lawlor (FL), 131.50; Carly Bonsignore (R'po), 129.03.
Girls 2nd Team w/averages: Jen Do (R'po), 128.91; Cassandra Weisman (NH), 127.04; Yoojung Kim (Dem), 119.63; Kristina Barila (OT), 115.93; Emily Sposa (OT), 115.83; Cari Gaynes (Dem), 114; Trisha Gregory (NH), 114.
Girls Honorable Mention: Jessica Oviedo (FL); Lauren Scheck (R'po); Amanda Mamunes (NH); Shannon McBride (OT); Mina Choi (Dem).
Please e-mail any/all corrections to NorthJerseyBRG@gmail.com.
Made up primarily of former NNJIL/NJTCC-Bergen denizens, the Big North-Freedom featured a good, close race on the girls side and a not-so-close one on the boys side. Most everyone in this division called Bowler City home, but again, with the amorphous mass that is the new Big North Conference, almost everybody bowled in at least two or three different houses this year.
Anyway, The Messenger was a bit surprised to see Hackensack mixing it up with the big boys at tournaments this year since, well, he was under the impression that the Comets had lost a few key components to graduation. Having observed facts to the contrary, he is not surprised that they are the inaugural boys champs of the Freedom Division.
The girls league chase featured a great battle between Bergen Tech and Ridgewood. The latter got the best of the former at Counties and State sectionals, but the Knights eked out the division title in perhaps the most literal sense — they won both meetings, 3-2, and according to the Maroon folks, the first match-up between the two was decided by something like 8 pins.
Again, with the Big North's decentralized bookkeeping this year, the NJBB was unable to accrue quite the depth and breadth of stats it so ardently pursues. Also, please note that all BN standings we have will include ONLY intra-division matches and *not* crossovers. Nonetheless, TM is happy to be able to present the All-League selections along with the standings:
FINAL STANDINGS (Points Won-Points Lost-Team Average)
| Freedom Div. - Boys | W | L |
| Hackensack | 34 | 6 |
| Ridgewood | 20 | 20 |
| Teaneck | 20 | 20 |
| Paramus | 14 | 26 |
| Bergen Tech | 12 | 28 |
Boys All-League 1st Team w/averages: Rob Gilbert (H'sack), 205.91; Dean Edwards (BT), 193.07; Dylan Laloo (Tea), 190; Dalton Dupree (Tea), 190; John Draney (H'sack), 189.94; Justin Stumpf (Tea), 188.3; Kevin Skettini (R'wood), 185.25.
Boys 2nd Team w/averages: Gordon Chen (Par), 185.1; George Steffani (BT), 184.3; Shane Sassone (Par), 183.5; Kevin Muldoon (R'wood), 180.5; Justin Morin (Tea), 180; Kevin Hamza (H'sack), 177.78; Takuya Tokunago (Par), 176.6.
Boys Honorable Mention: Christopher Cannon (H'sack); Jordon Kotellos (R'wood); Michael Vacarro (Tea); Yuki Ito (Par); Kevin Toledo (BT).
Boys Coach of the Year: Bob Lotz (Hackensack)
***************************** | Freedom Div. - Girls | W | L |
| Bergen Tech | 36 | 4 |
| Ridgewood | 34 | 6 |
| Hackensack | 20 | 20 |
| Teaneck | 5 | 35 |
| Paramus | 5 | 35 |
Girls All-League 1st Team w/averages: Belle Estee Dante (BT), 184.3; Nyasia Williams (BT), 181; Shelby Taylor (R'wood), 179.83; Nicolette Maggiolo (R'wood), 171.19; Jesmarie Reyes (BT), 163.2; Kelly Skettini (R'wood), 162.83; Kendall Tinston (R'wood), 160.67.
Girls 2nd Team w/averages: Rachel Healy (H'sack), 158; Sarah Chirichella (BT), 153.4; Brittany Hovan (Par), 153; Kim Ercolino (BT), 152.43; Brenda Griepenberg (Tea), 150; Stacie Harewood (H'sack), 149; Kelsey Sarro (H'sack), 142.
Girls Honorable Mention: Alex Ptak (BT); Gwen Widicus (R'wood); Cindy Navaro (H'sack); Marissa Guilianti (Par); Billie Jean Kureck (Tea).
Girls Coach of the Year: Joe Prenenski (Bergen Tech)
Please e-mail any/all corrections to NorthJerseyBRG@gmail.com.
As promised, both NJIC divisions that call Wallington Lanes home have been given their own unique season-recapping entries. Rest assured, The Messenger is and always has been a team player... but, as anyone who's ever grown up in a house with multiple siblings knows, it's nice to get some individual attention every once in a while.
Again, quick overview the current Patriot Division residents and where they finished in their 2010 leagues: Bogota (5th in BCSL-Olympic), Hasbrouck Heights (6th, Olympic), Hawthorne Christian (8th, Olympic), North Arlington (3rd in BCSL-National), Palisades Park (9th, Olympic), Park Ridge (3rd, Olympic), St. Mary of Rutherford (2nd, National), Wallington (4th, National) and Wood-Ridge (1st, Olympic). Sadly, Ridgefield dropped its program this season, and just after TM moved into the borough... to avert future occurrences of such an unfortunate circumstance, he plans never to move back to his old home towns of Franklin Lakes or Midland Park for any reason — or, to any other town with a high school bowling team in this state.
As with our NJIC-Colonial review, all of the NJIC-Patriot's top scorers for the season are listed below, but we will reserve this paragraph for the top shooters on their respective teams that did not make any of said lists... HASBROUCK HEIGHTS: Mark Robinson, 186. HAWTHORNE CHRISTIAN: Isaac Marcinuk, 161. NORTH ARLINGTON: Matt Glarner, 182. PALISADES PARK: Kevin Lee, 160. WOOD-RIDGE: Craig Jasionek, 179... special 180-plus mention also for St Mary's Evan Downey (180 even)... special random mentions for Hasbrouck Heights' Matt Marinelli (171), whose father just celebrated a milestone birthday (39 was it?), *and* for the almost-aptly named Giuseppe Tartaglione of Wood-Ridge — yes, he only bowled one game in the league (142) and two in the North 1A sectional tournament (167, 165), but c'mon, how often do reporters get to cover athletes that have (almost) the exact same name as we? Or, at least a similar name to TM's alter ego.
Anyway, congrats to head coach Blair Boscarino and the Park Ridge Owls for swooping up the inaugural NJIC-Patriot championship. The stats:
FINAL STANDINGS (Points Won-Points Lost-Team Average)
| NJIC - Patriot | W | L | Avg. |
| Park Ridge | 78 | 2 | 754.7 |
| St. Mary (Ruth.) | 67 | 13 | 772.3 |
| Wallington | 52 | 28 | 703.9 |
| Wood-Ridge | 51 | 29 | 682.6 |
| North Arlington | 32 | 48 | 612.4 |
| Hasbrouck Hts. | 31 | 49 | 622.4 |
| Hawth. Christian | 22 | 58 | 595.7 |
| Palisades Park | 14 | 66 | 584.2 |
| Bogota | 13 | 67 | 544.7 |
High game: Dan Wuhrman (Park Ridge), 290
High series: Dan Wuhrman (Park Ridge), 510 (2 games)
Boys high average: 1. Dan Wuhrman (PR), 212.68; 2. Mike Wuhrman (PR), 205.33; 3. Stephen Marciniak (SMR), 202.34; 4. Nikko Deliantis (SMR), 195.68; 5. Chris Ferrara (Wall.), 195.56; 6. Rey DeJesus (SMR), 193.34.
Girls high average: 1. Jaclyn Yurus (HC), 148.65; 2. Leeann Butterfield (HC), 128.29.
Joe Fiegel Sportsmanship Award: Chris Ferrara (Wallington)
Please e-mail any/all corrections to NorthJerseyBRG@gmail.com.
Wallington Lanes was home to this reincarnation of the old Bergen County Scholastic League — in fact, the erstwhile BCSL National and Olympic divisions essentially became the NJIC Meadowlands and Patriot divisions, with only slight modifications.
Granted, both new leagues still bowl together and have their stats kept by the same folks, but The Messenger decided to shake things up a bit and give each one their own recap.
Before we get into this year's final numbers, a quick review the current Meadowlands Division residents and where they finished in their 2010 leagues: Becton (6th in BCSL-National), Harrison (7th, National), Leonia (4th in BCSL-Olympic), Lyndhurst (5th, National), New Milford (2nd, Olympic), Queen of Peace (whoops, they came over from the BCSL-American, couldn't find the standings), Rutherford (also BCSL-American) and Secaucus (1st, National).
As with our NJIC-Colonial review, all of the Meadowlands' top scorers for the season are listed below, but we will reserve this paragraph for the top shooters on their respective teams that did not make any of said lists... LEONIA: Robert Zimbaldi and June Park, 180. NEW MILFORD: Matt Trento, 168. HARRISON: Robert Archibald, 160 (boys) and Adrienne Middleton, 142 (girls)... special mention also for Becton's Seif Fahmy (191) and Paul Kuprat (188), Lyndhurst's Paul Ulrich (184), Rutherford's Brandon Moore (190) and Secaucus lefty Austin Masser (196 and automatic induction into the Parker Bohn III All-Stars) for averaging over 180.
Congrats to head coach Marc Caprio and the Becton Wildcats for claiming the inaugural NJIC-Meadowlands championship. The stats:
FINAL STANDINGS (Points Won-Points Lost-Team Average) | NJIC - Meadowlands | W | L | Avg. |
| Becton | 63 | 7 | 778.9 |
| Lyndhurst | 53 | 17 | 759.4 |
| Rutherford | 47 | 23 | 726.6 |
| Leonia | 39 | 31 | 690.2 |
| Secaucus | 38 | 32 | 689.2 |
 | 30 | 40 | 693.3 |
| New Milford | 7 | 63 | 587.8 |
| Harrison | 3 | 67 | 527.1 |
Boys high game: Austin Masser (Secaucus), 279
Boys high series: Dean Hansen (Becton), 502 (2 games)
Boys high average: 1. Hansen, 208.53; 2. Max Gruttaduria (Ruth.), 204.41; 3. Dante Iyer (Sec.), 199.86; 4. Joe Bocage (Bec.), 199.48; 5. Kyle Bonser (Lynd.), 198.57; 6. Bryan Valentin (QP), 198.25.
Girls high game: Lexus Lopez (Lyndhurst), 278
Girls high series: Nikki Villani (Lyndhurst), 463 (2 games)
Girls high average: 1. Lopez, 196.53; 2. Villani, 179.94; 3. Taylor Maurer (QP), 171.13; 4. Katherine Lee (Leo.), 161.42; 5. Krystal Toledo (NM), 147.21; 6. Sarah Schrenzel (NM), 146.42.
Please e-mail any/all corrections to NorthJerseyBRG@gmail.com.
The NJIC-Colonial brought varsity bowling back to Parkway Lanes in Elmwood Park this winter. Once upon a time, an Official Brother of The Messenger bowled for Indian Hills (circa 2000-03) when the old NBIL was stationed at Parkway and lane conditions were often, um, subpar.
In recent years, the lanes at Parkway have been redone, and it sure looks like the scoring has gotten a boost, at least for some. *And*, point of order, an Official Cousin of TM bowled for the Midland Park JV there this season — although the general NJBB rule of thumb is that if you carry an average lower than The Messenger (127... ish), we'll "spare" you (ahem) the indignity of being so noted. Sorry, Joe — if you really want a name drop, try starting your own blog and challenging TM to some kind of showdown, a la his pal Hanna Jane.
Anyway, this division is basically the former Bergen-Passaic Scholastic League, plus the addition of a first-year program at former B-PSL member Glen Rock, plus NBIL expatriate Pascack Hills. And wouldn't you know it? Head coach Glenn Priddy's Cowboys ran away with the first-ever NJIC-Colonial championship, winning every match and dropping just one game all year to runner-up Pompton Lakes, which had its streak of four consecutive league titles come to an end.
All the season's top scorers are listed below, but for the benefit of those teams whose top bowlers did not make any of said lists, here are the top shooters from said squads... POMPTON LAKES: Nick Oddo, 179. MANCHESTER: Justin Floyd, 171. ELMWOOD PARK: Chris Meyerhoffer, 157. MIDLAND PARK: Kyle Cairns, 139.
FINAL STANDINGS (Points Won-Points Lost-Team Average) | NJIC - Colonial | W | L | Avg. |
| Pascack Hills | 88 | 2 | 912.2 |
| Pompton Lakes | 70 | 20 | 847.2 |
| Glen Rock | 67 | 23 | 811.3 |
| Garfield | 60 | 30 | 792.4 |
| Hawthorne | 49 | 41 | 738.1 |
| Manchester | 48 | 42 | 724.9 |
| Eastern Christian | 27 | 63 | 614.8 |
| Elmwood Park | 24 | 66 | 644.0 |
| Midland Park | 12 | 78 | 588.4 |
| Mary Help | 5 | 85 | 566.3 |
Boys high game: Jason Prezant (Pascack Hills), 300
Boys high series: Bryan Kist (Pascack Hills), 556 (2 games)
Boys high average: 1. Kist (PH), 228.06; 2. Tyler Blind (Glen Rock), 215.19; 3. Jake Rollins (Glen Rock), 204.87; 4. Prezant (PH), 204.44; 5. Peter Bruinooge (Hawthorne), 182.83; 6. Shaun Dunning (Garfield), 181.46.
Girls high game: Elizabeth Mulcock (Eastern Christian), 246
Girls high series: Elizabeth Mulcock (Eastern Christian), 391 (2 games)
Girls high average: 1. Mulcock (EC), 144.70; 2. Natasha Edwards (Garfield), 142.90; 3. Marla Auslander (Glen Rock), 135.46; 4. Sarah Butera (Manchester), 128.84; 5. Paula Redmon (Mary Help), 128.31; 6. Tiffany Badawy (Glen Rock), 128.22.
E-mail any and all corrections to NorthJerseyBRG@gmail.com.
If you're looking for the definition of irony, we have it here on the NJBB. As per The Messenger's postseason preview entry a couple of weeks ago, yesterday (3/24) was supposed to be the grand launch of our first-ever "Grid Of Champions," and today (3/25) was supposed to be an "off day" of sorts – reason being that TM works on a weekly newspaper deadline of Thursday mornings and has almost no time for extracurricular activities on those days.
Well, this week, TM had to get everything done ahead of time on Wednesday and now has a nice, easy go of things on Thursday. Go figure.
The NJBB is still planning to run its varsity season farewell tomorrow, although with all of the school-budget turmoil going on in the Garden State, TM has heard rumblings that various high schools may be forced to drop their bowling programs... a sad circumstance, indeed, so if any news on such occurrences comes down in the offseason, the NJBB will be sure to update.
Today, though, is a time for happier thoughts and reflections upon the season past. The Messenger already has written up recaps on many of the leagues in North Jersey, and of course the boys team, girls team and individual State finals. For those to whom he was unable to give a salutatory tip of the cap, comes now the inaugural list of all the league and county winners the NJBB could find.
Top O' The Blog to you! That's about as Irish as The Messenger gets, since his ancestors hail from other parts of Europe. Happy St. Patrick's Day nonetheless — hope you enjoy the yarn we're about to spin as you enjoy your corned beef & cabbage, bangers & mashed, soda bread or (at the rate we're going) the leftovers thereof.
In a recent post, the NJBB alluded to the magical season had by Ramapo; not only that the Green Raider boys had won their first-ever NBIL Division 1 championship (the girls got one in 1997), but also the tale of sophomore Kevin Macchia's 300 game and fifth place finish in the State individual finals. (This is the last time we're going to link said story, and we do so for those who are as forgetful as The Messenger can be). Both Macchia and head coach Pat Noto gave me a ton of great stuff when I interviewed them for the story — so to kick off our NBIL recap, I'm simply going to let the Green Raiders give you their story in their own words:
“[At] the beginning of the season, we thought we had a pretty good team. And we started off a little slow – we were in fourth place by the time the Christmas break happened. Then, right before the Christmas break, Ramapo had a pep rally, and everybody goes into the gym… it just so happened that the bowling team sat under the bowling banner. And, I looked up at the banner, and it was the only banner in the gym that did not have a championship on it…
“So the kids went on the break, and then when they came back, this was their mantra: they wanted to win a league championship; nothing else mattered to them. And, actually, from the time we came back from break [on Jan. 4], we only lost one match for the rest of the season.
“The other thing that goes along with this is the fact that everybody on the team participated. Even though Rob Andresen, who’s the captain – and he’s been the best bowler on the team for the last four years – even though he’s the leader, if he had a bad game, Kevin Macchia came through, or even [one of the more inexperienced] bowlers on our team came through…
“It came down to our last two matches. [Against Northern Highlands on Feb. 8], Nick Fasolo was actually the one who saved us. We couldn’t afford to lose any points in this one, and he ended up bowling a 225 and a 185… he’s got a 165 average. And he sort of carried the first game for us, then the kids came through in the second game, and we ended up taking all 5 [points].
“Then, in our last match against Old Tappan [on Feb. 9], it was Paul Singman who came through and bowled a 225, and we won the first game. And that’s all we needed at that point, just to win one game to win the title…
“So then, Kevin got the opportunity to go down to the States for our team. And there we are – all the boys from our team are there, they’re all watching him bowl, and he bowls a 300 in the first game. It was just incredible… and again, that was just like the perfect end to the whole season.”
—Ramapo head coach Pat Noto, as told on 2/24/10
Macchia had plenty to add when TM spoke with him later that day. The stuff that didn't make the paper:
“I was a little nervous at first, because I was going to go practice [at Carolier Lanes] the day before [the State finals on Feb. 17], but I couldn’t because it snowed. So I went into the day not knowing how the lanes would be, because I’d never bowled there before…
“I just kept throwing the ball, not really thinking about what was happening – and then, as it got later in the game, I’m like, ‘Oh geez, I have the first 8 or 9, this could be a 300,’ which would be my first one ever. And our senior captain [Andresen], who came to watch me – [and] who didn’t qualify, which I was very bummed about – he literally grabbed me by my collar and was like, ‘You need to stay focused. This is a normal 10th frame, don’t worry about what happened before, just go up there and throw like you normally do.
“So, I thought, ‘I need to do this, because it’s just a good experience, and it would be a very nice story to tell to my kids.’
“[On the first ball of the 10th frame], I hit the pocket a little light, and the 4 pin knocked over the 9 pin, but it happened so slowly that I didn’t know what was going to happen… the 4 actually fell over toward the 7 and then sort of rolled slowly into the 9, and it just tipped over. I heard all the parents in the background yelling, ‘Get down! Get down!’ And then as soon as it went down, it was just like an uproar…
“It didn’t even feel real after it happened. I literally walked back and sat down at the table with a group of my friends and teammates. And they’re like, ‘Dude, you just bowled a 300!’ I said, ‘I know, but it doesn’t feel like I did, it feels like this is all a dream. It was crazy.”
—Ramapo sophomore Kevin Macchia, as told on 2/24/10
As I said, the words pretty much speak for themselves. So on we go with the recapping...
After tying Indian Hills for the Division 2 title a year ago, the Ramsey boys (91-34) upped their team average by 35 pins and held off Pascack Hills (87-38) to claim this year's NBIL-2 championship outright. The Rams' trio of twins Kyle (league-high 227 average) and Ryan (206) Landau and Jarrett Floyd (200) — all juniors, btw — was a big reason for that, and if they show the same improvement curve from this season to next, as they did going from 2009 to 2010, this team could be scary good next winter. Remember, they sat in 2nd place in Group 3 through two games at sectionals, and missing out on such a goal often has a way of making returning players that much hungrier to "Git-R-Done" the next time around. Incidentally, Indian Hills (68-57) finished third in this division, so I'm sure it was no small consolation to the Braves that they were the ones who overtook Ramsey to earn a trip to Carolier.
Now to the girls. Trivia question: which team repeated as NBIL Division 1 champion this season? Answer: None of them! Trick question (sorry, had to)... with conference realignment whisking away defending champ Fair Lawn to the NJTCC, there was a shakeup in the NBIL alignment as well. So, after bringing home the Division 2 crown in 2009, the Bergenfield girls (113-22) moved up to Division 1 and cleaned up, taking the title by 20 points over Ramapo and Holy Angels (both 83-52). And, since TM does not recall pointing it out in this corner of the blogosphere before, the Bears' top two bowlers, Cassidy Fiore (173 average) and Sarah Esmenda (163) are both sophomores. Cleary, he has mentioned both of them on the NJBB, he just wasn't aware that they have two more years to carve out a pretty fine legacy — which, as a matter of fact, they've already begun doing. Lefty Samantha Griffenkranz (150) and Danielle Hayes, both juniors, will also be back next year to help Bergenfield shoot for its third different league title in three seasons (Big North, beware) and seventh straight overall.
Finally, as the boys Division 1 race came down to wire, so did the battle for the NBIL-2 girls championship, which went to Indian Hills (117-18) over Pascack Hills (115-20) by 2 points. The Braves beat Mahwah on the final day of the season — seriously, it was the final NBIL match to be made up on Feb. 24 due to all the snow — to lock up the title (P.S. that was their sixth consecutive victory via sweep). TM is actually a bit bummed that IH and Bergenfield were not in the same division this year, as his 2009 postseason prediction of a "burgeoning rivalry" between the two teams' anchor bowlers did not necessarily play out head-to-head. (If you didn't feel like clicking, to refresh your memory: Fiore and Indian Hills' Bridget Pyryt were named All-Suburban co-Freshmen of the Year, or at least they would have been if The Ridgewood News had an All-Suburban bowling team.) Come to think of it, I easily could have written the same thing about the Braves' sophomore duo of Pyryt (169 average) and Emily Ostapczuk (174) as I did about Fiore and Esmenda in the previous paragraph. IH seniors Brana Parian, Heather Hoffmann and Tracy Galek chipped in this season, but since only its No. 4 and 5 bowlers are returning next season, it remains to be seen who will have Pyryt and Ostapczuk's collective "back."
A few quick tasty tidbits before we move on (courtesy of NBIL commish Howie Conklin, *HUGE* thanks for the work he does on the stat pack): Galek, Mahwah's Kris Jergensen, Prerna Kunte and Janice Kim and Northern Highlands' Lukas Favale all had their highest game of the year in the very first game of the season, while Jergensen, Kim, Kunte, Highlands' Danielle Wurtzell and Demarest's Jeff Sabo all had their highest series of the year in their first match of the season... Pascack Hills' Bryan Kist and Marina Consalvo, Old Tappan's Charles Clifford and Paramus Catholic's Marcia Gailes all had their highest game of the year in the final game of the season, while Clifford, Old Tappan's Scott Royse, Ramapo's Lauren Scheck, Ramsey's Floyd and Demarest's Kelly Bergman all had their highest series of the year in their final match of the season... Kist averaged 231.5 over a 12-game stretch early in the season, while PC's Steve Natoli averaged 226 over his final 12 games of the winter. Kyle Landau may have taken the cake, though, closing out the season with 25 consecutive 200 games, averaging an other-worldly 234 in that span. As a public service, The Messenger must advise these three gentlemen that Holiday Bowl has requested their help in getting the scorch-marks off its lanes... I'm looking right at the sheet, and I still can't believe it — Landau's 227 average was not only the highest in the league this season, it ranks as the highest in NBIL history... Also, if I'm reading this correctly, Bergenfield's Brian DeMarco became the first NBIL bowler to shoot a 300 since Bergenfield's Steve Sinko did so in the 2002-03 season. TM meant it when he said beware of the Bears... Props to Pascack Valley's Brian O'Flaherty, too, as his 555 series tied the highest in league history. Also, given his surname and the fact that his team wears green, TM will denote that as the "perfect end" to this St. Patrick's Day wrap-up...
FINAL NBIL STANDINGS - BOYS (Points Won, Points Lost, Team Average)
| Division 1 | PW | PL | Avg. |
| Ramapo | 95 | 25 | 950 |
| Paramus Catholic | 93 | 27 | 967 |
| Northern Highlands | 81 | 39 | 917 |
| Bergenfield | 40 | 80 | 868 |
| Old Tappan | 36 | 84 | 850 |
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| Division 2 | PW | PL | Avg. |
| Ramsey | 91 | 34 | 935 |
| Pascack Hills | 87 | 38 | 922 |
| Indian Hills | 68 | 57 | 897 |
| Pascack Valley | 65 | 60 | 902 |
| Mahwah | 14 | 111 | 766 |
| Demarest | 5 | 120 | 754 |
High games: DiMarco (B'field), 300; O'Flaherty (PV), 297
High series: O'Flaherty (PV), 555; Kyle Landau (Rams), 541 (remember, it's a 2-game league)
High averages: 1. K.Landau (Rams), 227; 2. Kist (PH), 221; 3. Andresen (R'po), 213; 4. O'Flaherty (PV), 212; 5-tie. Macchia (R'po) and R.Landau (Rams) 206; 7. DiMarco (B'field), 205.
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FINAL NBIL STANDINGS - GIRLS
| Division 1 | PW | PL | Avg. |
| Bergenfield | 113 | 22 | 727 |
| Holy Angels | 83 | 52 | 701 |
| Ramapo | 83 | 52 | 705 |
| Paramus Catholic | 70 | 65 | 682 |
| Northern Highlands | 55 | 80 | 659 |
| Old Tappan | 8 | 127 | 550 |
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| Division 1 | PW | PL | Avg. |
| Indian Hills | 117 | 18 | 750 |
| Pascack Hills | 115 | 20 | 740 |
| Pascack Valley | 88 | 47 | 682 |
| Ramsey | 47 | 88 | 625 |
| Mahwah | 20 | 115 | 562 |
| Demarest | 11 | 124 | 558 |
High games: Fiore (B'field), 246; Consalvo (PH), 243
High series: Fiore (B'field), 430; Pyryt (IH), 421
High averages: 1. Ostapczuk (IH), 174; 2-tie. Fiore (B'field), Ana DeLeon (PC) and Megan McNally (PH), 173; 5. Pyryt (IH), 169; 6. Alex Hubelbank (NH), 168; 7. Esmenda (B'field), 163.
Again, a heaping helping of über-thanks to coach Conklin (gratitude for the statitude, perhaps?), a mathman after my own heart... special thanks also to IH coach Mike Michels for running off photo copies of said stat-pack for us and sending them in — clearly, a messenger after my own heart.
–TM
Alas! Time did not permit The Messenger to make a stop at Wallington Lanes to catch any Bergen County Scholastic League action this winter (although some who have rolled there ostensibly wish the same fate had befallen them). Pessimistic postings aside, the National and Olympic Divisions of the BCSL have produced some of North Jersey's most consistently outstanding bowlers in recent years — hence, the title. Otherwise, there are very few connections with the 1995 Kevin Spacey crime thriller of the same name... I mean, if you think about it from the pins' perspective, several of the gentlemen we are about to mention could represent a Keyser Söze-type figure in some roundabout way. But then, the pins aren't alive. So let's end the connections there.
Ok, hail to the champs time: one year after finishing a single point behind rival North Arlington for the National crown, Secaucus came back with a vengeance and took the title by 12 points over St. Mary of Rutherford and 13 over NA. Secaucus not only employed bowlers with three of the top seven averages in the entire league (Dylan Caruso 206, Dante Iyer 196, Corey Czechowski 195), but the North 1-B, Group 1 champ also was led by the BCSL's Sportsmanship Award winner (Caruso). Actually, TM does recall watching Mr. Caruso reach the finals of the North Jersey Singles Classic AND combine with Czechowski to post the team's two highest series at the State boys finals... he now wonders how Caruso and crew would have fared if there was an actual Hudson County tournament that includes the county's BCSL entrants.
We do know this: North Arlington senior Matt Priore (217 average) has very clearly stated his case to be considered one of (if not the) best bowlers ever to come through this league. Although the NJBB has no definite knowledge of the situation, we are convinced it would be a George Mason-esque upset if he were not named the North Jersey Boys Bowler of the Year. FYI, his classmate-slash-teammate Ashley Johnson (184 average) may well be the best non-IHA girls bowler in Bergen County.
As for the Olympic Division, Wood-Ridge was clearly the head of the class, overtaking last year's co-champs, Leonia and New Milford, for the 2010 title. And, as long as we've opened up the "bowler of the year" can of worms, don't think Blue Devils senior Alex Prell doesn't deserve some consideration as well. Looking strictly at league play, his average (204) was lower than Priore's. Looking strictly at County play, Priore (Bergen champ, 1,399 in six games) gets the nod over Prell (tied for fifth, 1,314) again. Looking strictly at State singles play, Prell decided to play the Vanessa Williams card (saving his best for last) and blast a 1,390, finishing third overall, although Priore's 12th-place 1,330 was, in a word, stupendous — only 43 pins separated him from the stepladder. We could go on for paragraphs, so The Messenger will float this notion in The Record's direction. Can you say, Right-handed Bowler of the Year (Priore) and Left-handed Bowler of the Year (Prell)? Again, just throwin' it out there...
A few last nuggets to chew on: Park Ridge junior Mike Wuhrman, who helped the Owls reach the State team finals in '09, was the third BCSL bowler to average over 200 on the winter (and he had the Olympic's top game, a 279). Wood-Ridge senior Nick Roman (199 average) came within a pin of being the fourth, and he registered the Division's high series, a 503... Let's not forget Wallington junior Chris Ferrara (194), who joined the varsity 300 club this winter. Needless to say, he led both divisions in the high game department... when he finished 8th at sectionals and earned a trip to the State individual finals, Joe Bocage of Becton prompted TM to wonder, "who's that?" Again, things that he could have learned by catching some BCSL play in person: Bocage led the Wildcats in average (184), finished 12th in the league in that category, and helped an underclassmen-dominated squad finish with a winning record (65-50) amid some fairly heady competition... a few entries ago, The Messenger opined that Lyndhurst had the greatest percentage of girl power in the BCSL, with lefty Nikki Villani (173 average), frosh Lexus Lopez (171) and soph Angie Sammarone leading the way. He meant to say "more girl power than anyone in the National Division." Leonia gets the nod in the Olympic Division, thanks to Jess Ragone (172), Kathy Lee (164) and Maleyna Marks (163).
Once again, a reminder: the only BCSL results mentioned in this entry were those of the National and Olympic Divisions because the NJBB has been unable to unearth much info on the league's third division, the American. We would LOVE to recap the action from Lodi Lanes, but TM needs a bit of help. Send any standings and stats from the BCSL-American to NorthJerseyBRG@gmail.com. If you have them, and you don't send them... well, don't complain.
FINAL BCSL STANDINGS (Points Won, Points Lost, Team Average)
| National Division | PW | PL | Avg. |
| Secaucus | 100 | 15 | 773 |
| St. Mary-Rutherford | 88 | 27 | 710 |
| North Arlington | 87 | 28 | 726 |
| Wallington | 83 | 32 | 728 |
| Lyndhurst | 76 | 39 | 705 |
| Becton | 65 | 50 | 701 |
| Harrison | 23 | 87 | 573 |
| Weehawken | 0 | 115 | 466 |
High game: Ferrara (Wall.), 300
High series: Iyer (Sec.), 493 (remember, 2 games in this league)
High boys average: 1. Priore (NA), 216.80; 2. Caruso (Sec.), 205.64; 3. Iyer (Sec.), 196.24; 4. Czechowski (Sec.), 194.76; 5. Ferrara (Wall.), 193.84.
High girls average: 1. Johnson (NA), 184.43; 2. Villani (Lynd.), 172.72; 3. Lopez (Lynd.), 170.76; 4. Jessica Calabrese (SMR), 169.81; 5. Adrienne Middleton (Harr.), 145.19.
Joe Fiegel Sportsmanship Award: Dylan Caruso (Secaucus)
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| Olympic Division | PW | PL | Avg. |
| Wood-Ridge | 96 | 24 | 741 |
| New Milford | 81 | 34 | 696 |
| Park Ridge | 77 | 43 | 732 |
| Leonia | 68 | 47 | 674 |
| Bogota | 52 | 68 | 613 |
| Hasbrouck Heights | 30 | 85 | 567 |
| Ridgefield | 27 | 88 | 558 |
| Hawthorne Christian | 17 | 98 | 531 |
| Palisades Park | 10 | 100 | 534 |
High game: Mike Wuhrman (PR), 279
High series: Roman (W-R), 503
High boys average: 1. Prell (W-R), 204.17; 2. Wuhrman (PR), 200.47; 3. Roman (W-R), 199.13; 4. Anthony Karalian (NM), 191.02; 5. Matt Lajoie (NM), 184.05.
High girls average: 1. Ragone (Leo.), 171.98; 2. Lee (Leo.), 163.94; 3. Marks (Leo.), 163.41; 4. Sarah Schrenzel (NM), 153.14; 5. Amanda Vittetoe (Ridg.), 130.55.
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That's all for today. Since the snail mail came through for us, full NBIL recap on Wednesday! Also, the part of the Kevin Macchia story that you didn't get to hear (well, from the NJBB, anyway). The season wrap-up sequence is underway...
–TM
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