In anticipation of the first Varsity match in early December, it is the perfect time to  preview what promises to be a very good season for the Jesuit Bowling team.

After coming very close to reaching the state tournament for the first time since 2020, the Rangers are looking to avenge last season’s heartbreaking result at regionals. With a strong performance under their belt last year, the Rangers have only gotten stronger, returning seven of the eight bowlers on the regional roster. This will be a huge benefit and ensure continuity and consistency throughout the season.

William Martin ’24. Source: Jesuit Athletics

Jesuit Bowling will look a lot different this season, as the team will have new home lanes. USA Bowl has closed, and the team will play their home matches at the Bowlero on Belt Line. The away matches will be held at AMF Lewisville. In addition to the new home, the team is under new management this year. Long-time assistant coach Matt Shoemaker will step into the head coach position. The team will also have three new captains senior William Spicer ’24, junior Corbin Hicks, and junior Jack Golembeski.

Coach Shoemaker was excited about the team’s prospects saying, “the goal this year is to qualify for state and qualify lots of people for regionals as individuals.”

“The goal this year is to qualify for state.” – Coach Shoemaker

In terms of scoring, it will not be a problem for the Rangers. This is a very well-rounded team with close to ten players who are capable of knocking down pins. Top scorer Chase Hollman ’24 is back for his senior season after averaging 175 last season. Junior Kevin Martinez is also returning posting an average of 166. That duo is as good or better than anyone the Rangers will play in the district matches and will be able to take on and likely beat the opponent’s top players.

Top scorer Chase Hollman ’24. Source: Jesuit Athletics

While the top two are sensations, what makes this iteration of the team so good is their depth. As mentioned above almost all of the regional bowlers are back. Varsity bowlers Chris Ellis, William Martin, and William Spicer are now seniors. They are looking to improve further and bring up their junior averages of 159, 157, and 157 respectively. Captain William Spicer in particular, took his game to the next level this summer and is primed for his best season yet.

Kevin Martinez ’25. Source: Jesuit Athletics.

In addition to the fantastic senior class, this team has some extremely talented juniors ready to step up. Captains Jack Golembeski and Corbin Hicks were on the regional team last year and hope to continue on an upward trajectory. Adding to the tremendous depth this year will be senior Burke Martin, who will make the jump to varsity. Sophomore Joseph Kohout will also be in the varsity mix after a standout freshman season.

This season will feature a change in strategy for the Rangers in how they approach the games. What has been a strike-heavy team in the past will now shift to primarily trying to pick up spares. While striking is always ideal because of the double scoring, spares are just as integral to keeping the score count throughout a game. This was the downfall of the team last year and must be corrected if they want to reach their goals. Captain Corbin Hicks spoke on this saying “It’s very important that we take care of the little things. Every pin matters and we need to clean up every frame.”

Senior William Spicer is going into his fourth and final year as a Jesuit bowler and he was unanimously voted captain by the rest of the team. I was able to talk to William about the upcoming season and his outlook on what he hopes to be a great season, below is my conversation with William.

Captain William Spicer ’24. Source: Jesuit Athletics
Q: What does it mean to you to be a captain on this team?
A: Being team captain, I have been allowed to lead. It is a big responsibility, but I would like to give the team all I have this year and truly be the leader that the team needs. I am up to the challenge and am ready to lead this group to the best season we’ve ever had.
Q: Watching you bowl over the summer and now into the school you’ve clearly taken it to the next level, what is your mindset going into the season and what are your personal goals?
A: Looking at myself bowl over the summer, I have seen great improvement in my form and how I look at each frame. My goal this season is to go into each match with the thought that I can improve my average and make state, but also stay calm throughout each game. Staying calm is the key to truly taking my bowling to the next level so I am able to recover from any mistake I make and keep hitting pins.
Q: What are your team goals for this season?
A: Currently our team goal is to qualify for the state tournament. Yes, this is a lofty goal, however, it is achievable if we stay focused on the target and make the adjustments in practice so we may win throughout the season.
Q: What do you think will be the team’s biggest challenge this season?
A: Being completely honest I think the team’s biggest challenge will be bringing in the right mindset. As long as we bring the right mindset to practice, we can definitely win out, but we need to stay locked in. We are all capable of great things this year if we keep our heads in the game.

 

Consistent with the rest of the people I have spoken to and the team in general, William is going into this season with optimism and an unwavering belief in this team. While certainly a big goal, this team is a close-knit group, and they have all the tools to make it back to state.

 

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