Boys Bowling: Lockport, Minooka roll past crowded field to state
By Dick Goss dgoss@stmedianetwork.com January 23, 2013 8:20PM
Lockport's Brian Hodolitz competes during the Plainfield North boys bowling sectional at Bolingbrook Lanes Saturday, January 19, 2013. | Brett Roseman~Sun-Times Media
BOYS STATE BOWLING
WHEN: Friday and Saturday
WHERE: St. Clair Bowl, O’Fallon
AREA TEAM QUALIFERS
LOCKPORT: Matt Davis (Sr.), Brian Hodolitz (Sr.), Jonny Kamba (Sr.), Patrick Karli (Sr.), Shane Matejcak (Sr.), Larry Novak (Sr.), Alex Wilmsen (Sr.) and David Wysocki (Sr.).
MINOOKA: Nick Beeler (Sr.), Justin Shepard (Sr.), Ryan Duggins (Jr.), John Kauffman (Jr.), Zach Segatto (Jr.), Chris Dombrowski (Soph.), Dylan Pickett (Soph.) and Jack Russell (Soph.).
AREA INDIVIDUAL QUALIFIERS
Bryan Blair (Sr.), Plainfield Central; Josh Glover (Jr.), Lincoln-Way West; Brandon Nathan (Sr.), Lincoln-Way East.
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Updated: February 25, 2013 12:07PM
For bowling enthusiasts unable to travel to St. Clair Bowl in downstate O’Fallon this weekend for the Boys State Tournament, Saturday’s Plainfield North Sectional at AMF Bolingbrook Lanes was the next-best thing.
Lockport and Minooka finished 1-2 in what arguably was the state’s toughest sectional, punching their tickets to state. But the third through seventh finishers — Plainfield Central, Lincoln-Way West, Bolingbrook, Romeoville and Oswego — and perhaps Streator, Plainfield North and Plainfield East, all were strong enough that on a different day they could have been qualifiers.
“You knock out a lot of very good teams here,” said Minooka coach Derrick Rapsky, whose team shot 6,268 and finished 49 pins behind Lockport. “This is our third time going to state, and we’ve been the ones taking third place, too.
“I feel bad for Plainfield Central and the other good teams here. You finish third here and you probably are one of the top five or seven teams in the state.”
“The kids bowled their hearts out. I’m proud of them,” Central coach Gerry Oshita said. “We had a chance to qualify as a team. But we had two bad games. Unfortunately, it was the last two (976 and 981 after averaging 1,057.3 over the first four).”
Plainfield Central senior Bryan Blair, who finished second behind Minooka junior Zach Segatto, advanced as an individual, along with Lincoln-Way West junior Josh Glover. The top two teams and top two individuals in each sectional qualified for state, along with six at-large individuals statewide.
The Joliet area’s only other qualifier was Lincoln-Way East senior Brandon Nathan, who rolled a 1,301 total for six games at the Sandburg Sectional and is an at-large qualifier. Nathan finished 25th in the state last season, Segatto 30th and Blair 36th.
Lockport averaged 210.6 per bowler per game in winning the sectional, thus qualifying for state for the sixth time, its best finish second place in 2009. Coach Jeff Wyatt’s all-senior lineup included Jonny Kamba (219.7 average for six games), Brian Hodolitz 219.5, Alex Wilmsen 209.2, Shane Matejcak 208.5 and David Wysocki 196.0.
As impressive as the numbers sound, the Porters, whom Kamba noted were supported by “a sea of maroon,” may have something better left in the tank.
“This wasn’t our best day,” Wyatt pointed out. “We shot 6,746 when we won the conference (SouthWest Suburban Blue at Town & Country two weeks ago). Our lowest game that day was 1,102.”
Segatto won the sectional with a 235.2 average and beat Blair, who averaged 232.2, by 17 pins. Glover was third with a 224.0 average. Bolingbrook junior Gio Montecinos and Plainfield Central senior Ray Ciangiola shot 1,322, a 220.3 norm, yet are staying home this weekend.
The Minooka lineup behind Segatto included junior John Kauffman, senior Justin Shepard and sophomore Dylan Pickett. Junior Ryan Duggins rolled the first two games and sophomore Chris Dombrowski the last four.
“We asked Dylan and Chris to step up and they did,” Rapsky said.
Stepping up has happened through the years with area state qualifiers. To wit, Plainfield South won the championship in 2010 after Lockport’s runner-up finish in 2009, and the Porters’ Kyle Anderson became the first two-time champion when he won state in 2010 and ’11.
