Jesuit Bowling locked horns with several district rivals this weekend, earning a hard-fought second place against competitors Lake Dallas, Flower Mound Marcus, and DFW Central. Additionally, the bowling team also celebrated Senior Night to commemorate Seniors Burke Martin, William Martin, William Spicer, and Christopher Ellis for their hard work this season.
Senior Day Celebrations
Like other Jesuit sports, the districts saw the Jesuit seniors celebrated for their hard work and achievements throughout their years of bowling. The players walked up to give their parents flowers, and Coach Shoemaker was also given praise for his leadership of the bowling team throughout the season.
“Senior night meant a lot to me,” said Varsity member and team Captain William Spicer, “it was great to see all the seniors in the district for the last time in the competition, and I am very glad that we were able to all be recognized together.”
“It was great to see all the seniors in the district for the last time.”
Commenting on season highlights, Spicer said the following:
“My favorite moment over the season was rolling a 244 against Flower Mound Marcus opponent Jackson Blackwell. We went back and forth striking against each other, but in the end, I came out on top. I must say that I also had an amazing time getting to lead the team as its captain this year. Leading such an extraordinary group of young men has been incredible, and I am glad that I have been a part of their formation into men for others.”
William Martin has been bowling for four years, inspired by his older brother Matthew’s (Class of 2016) participation in the sport. Senior year, according to Martin, was “a lot of ups and downs, but beating Flowermound Marcus in the head-on-head match by two points was a lot of fun. The team is the best part of bowling for me, they’re inspirational and they’ve kept me going.”
“The team is the best part of bowling for me, they’re inspirational and they’ve kept me going.”
Burke Martin stated the following: “I had a lot of fun over the last two seasons, bonding with the team and even progressing to state! Coach Shoemaker really stepped up this year and used his mental games along with the other bowling tricks he had to help us do very well, the whole team is very proud of him. I wish the best for Coach Frazier next year!”
“It was an honor,” said Junior Kevin Martinez, “to see such leadership from the Seniors.”
The Matchup
The District championship was set up in the “Baker” style of play, essentially where there are 7 games, in between which the teams have to transition to a new lane to begin bowling again. The Rangers fielded six Varsity members, with five of them playing in any given game. Seniors Burke Martin, Christopher Ellis, William Martin, and William Spicer stepped up, as well as Junior William Martinez, rounded out by Sophomore Joseph Kohout.
After a warm-up session, the Varsity team arrayed for their first set, which saw the Rangers start slow with a decent beginning to the match. The Rangers initially struggled to find their tune as the lanes had oil that caused the bowling balls to spin or curve unpredictably. Jesuit had not trained at the location of the venue, AMF Lewisville Lanes, which also added to the slower start to the match.
“Next set we’ll start rolling,” said Kevin Martinez as the boys packed up to go to the next game. He would be proven right as the Rangers struck back with two strikes, with Joseph Kohout and Burke Martin scoring big. Jesuit Bowling Head Coach Matt Shoemaker called William Spicer – who helps manage the team rosters – to put in Joseph and Burke.
“Next set we’ll start rolling.”
Set three saw Martin and Kohout win three strikes, with Martin’s left-handed curve securing a beautiful strike near the end of the set. The Rangers continued to gather momentum but they hit a rough patch in game four, putting the Rangers at risk of being outpaced by the surging Flower Mound Marcus. By now, the Rangers were in third place and being outpaced steadily by their competitors.
However, the Varsity rallied by set five, with William Martin securing a spare, followed by Martinez, Ellis, and Burke who all followed his lead. The strike remained elusive until William Spicer struck a beautiful shot that helped surge the Rangers ahead of Marcus, who at this point were neck and neck with Jesuit. Kohout pushed the Rangers to 130 points, and Martinez was called in to round out the Rangers lineup.
The nature of districts meant that the last player on any team’s lineup could garner multiple opportunities to bowl so long as they earned a strike by their first throw. Jesuit elected to have Kevin Martinez be the final bowler, and he quickly secured a strike and followed up with two more that enabled Jesuit to round out with a 148 against Marcus’ 143. Jesuit was now in second place, and Marcus was all that remained.
“Martinez… secured a strike and followed up with two more that enabled Jesuit to round out with a 148 against Marcus’ 143.”
Set six saw Burke, Martin, and Ellis secure spares with Ellis also snatching a strike towards the end of the set, but Marcus began to surge with an impressive 172 to finish up.
Set seven saw Jesuit continue to move up with William Martin and Joseph notching impressive strikes. After the seventh set, the tournament moved to the “positional” round where a number of point magnifiers and variables are set in that place the teams against their nearest opponent, so then 1st place vs 2nd place, 3rd vs 4th, etc.
Jesuit, being second, locked horns with the leading Marcus for their positional round. The Rangers performed well with William Martin and Burke Martin securing a series of strikes. Even with the strong effort, Marcus, unfortunately, secured first place by a narrow margin.
Overall, Jesuit Dallas Varsity earned second place, while in the JV division, Junior Varsity Gold secured first place and JV Navy earned fifth place.
The Rangers put on a strong performance and have continued to perform at Regionals and State. Here at the Roundup, we wish the Jesuit Bowling team the best of luck, and stay tuned for more Jesuit Dallas sports coverage!
