“Hard works beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard, but when you have talent and work hard, that’s a dirty combination.”
The Jesuit bowling team exemplifies this quote, as while there is certainly plenty of talent on the team, everyone on it continues to work hard to hone their craft. This hard work paid off on Tuesday, January 22nd, as Jesuit dominated L.D. Bell with a score of 14-1, while also becoming the district champions with an undefeated 8-0 record with two matches left in the season.
Individual Matches
The duo team of Bryce Clark ’19 and Matthew Vincent ’20 defeated Andrew Silva of L.D. Bell, 255-244, as they secured Jesuit’s first point in the match. Then, the pair of Hayden Montpas ’22 and Silas Hartman ’20 defeated Phi Dinh of L.D. Bell, 317-282, with a strong 191 game from Montpas. Austin Montpas ’19 defeated Coung Tran 340-295, winning the third point for Jesuit. Colby Hensley was able to steal a win off of Parker Leining ’19, with a score of 305-325, winning a point for L.D. Bell. Then, Jack Corrales ’20 capped off the individual matches with a resounding victory against Leigton Scott, with the score being 469-338. Corrales’ score included a spicy 269 game, which included 9 strikes in a row as he set two new records in the highest score and series of the year in the district. The Rangers then moved into the baker matches with a 6-1 lead.
Baker Matches
Jesuit made sure to end the match early, winning the first baker game 137-129 as they secured the win. The Rangers proceeded to win the next two games 158-392, and 152-138. With the Rangers sweeping the baker games, the score of the match was 14-1.
The baker matches and the match in general went well for the Rangers, and their confidence and excitement of winning the match was shown when Hayden Montpas ’20 exclaimed “who do you think you are, I am,” quoting Hall of Fame bowler Pete Weber after he won the U.S. Open in dramatic fashion.
JV Individual Matches
While the varsity team secured the district, the JV team had some unfinished business with L.D. Bell, as the Blue Raiders are the sole blemish on their otherwise perfect record. Will Mina ’22 started things off for the Rangers, defeating his opponent 292-185, as he scored two excellent games in the high 140s. Will Risinger ’20 and Nico Boling ’22 followed this up with another win in their split match, with the score being 209-167. Ethan Blum ’20 and Weston Smith ’22 narrowly lost their match 262-269, despite a season high 157 for Blum. Joey Berven ’20 and Victor Martinez ’22 also lost their match, with the score being 247-250. Connor Lester ’22 concluded the matches for the Rangers, as he lost his match 249-269. The Rangers then moved into the baker matches, with a narrow 4-3 lead.
JV Baker Matches
The JV team won their first baker game 135-124, as the game came down to the final frame where Jesuit was able to secure the clutch win. With this momentum in hand, they won the second game 135-127, guaranteeing them a win. They then lost the meaningless third game 95-137, as the final score of the match ended up being 8-7, Rangers.
After the close baker matches, Joey Berven ’20 reflected back on these matches saying “We had some clutch moments when we needed them the most, with Victor consistently delivering what we needed alongside my clutch 3-10 spare to set up the anchor to secure the first baker and build momentum to close out the second baker.”
Reflections
After the JV team’s pivotal win, Ethan Blum ’20 said “Although this was our last home game, I loved to see the effervescent energy around our team as we cheered on every player that bowled no matter what.”
Continuing, he said “I truly saw the positive team atmosphere emerge from the JV Team, creating an uplifting exposure for our 8-7 win.”
Varsity bowler Silas Hartman ’20 said “I am again impressed with the way that we dominated solos and got the necessary baker win.”
The Rangers next roll into action on Saturday, February 2nd, at AMF Sparetime Lanes. Check back with The Roundup for more bowling and other news!
