The Lowdown!
Poppa Z Looks At The Hopefuls
Section XI 2007 Counties!
OK... its like this. You see, 2 years ago about this time of the year just prior to counties, I get the notion and itch to post my thoughts of the upcoming county event. I had fun with it, posted what I thought about such and such, without what I thought did harm to anyone, and that was that.
OK.... two days later.... MOST of the coaches, parents and friends had no problems with what it is I wrote and some went as far as saying it was "cool" and they enjoyed what it is I had to say. I use the word "MOST" because there were a few that....uh hum.... thought I said a few things that were not appropriate for HS age athletes.
OK.... last year.... I had intended to run a "Lowdown" once again but figured... heck... why bother. Im just gonna piss somebody off and will have to listen to it come Championship Saturday and it WILL ruin my day.... so... I decided to not do a "Lowdown" last year.
OK.... the grief I got! Jesus.... I had people disappointed if you can believe it or not and needless to say, It ruined my day that I had disappointed some peeps and I let the "old ladies" so to speak get to me. Made my decision right then and there, If I were involved in 2006-07 I would do a "Lowdown" once again.
OK.... so..... here it is.
Listen.... its not the word of God ok?!!! What it is is... well... I really dont know what it is but if it is something.... then it is what it is. So be it.
The following is the BOYS Lowdown...the girls? Ah... I dont know if I really want to go there you know.... I mean... touchy, touchy, touchy... I mean afterall..... ONE thing that is written that is not so positive and before you know it.... bingo bango....I am in hot water....
So... here it is.... THE LOWDOWN for 2007.
If you are insulted up to this point.... please click the back tab on your tool bar..... I really, really, really dont want to listen to it come this Saturday.....
On the other hand... lets just read it and take it for what it is. And really... it isnt anything much.
Poppa Z
BTW.... I reallize I am not an English teacher. My grammer most likely is all over the place here. Also, I got tired of spell check... this thing is LONG... I ran out of patience. I need to go to the Mike Lupica school of writing... I know.
In League and finishing order:
League 1
East Islip – Coach Rick Papandrea and Sandy Catalano
The league 1 champs led the league in team average with a 1071 covering 42 games. In addition, EI rolled a 1000+ in 34 of 42 games. Add 13 of 14 matches the team finished 3000+ in total during the season, you can figure out just by looking at those numbers the team will contend for the County Championship. Led by All County Team member Anthony Lafemina, EI received the gift of all gifts midway through the season as senior Nico Apadula came off the bench to average a startling 233 for 15 games that strengthened an already powerful team. The team will also be looking to avenge a bitter slow start and 6th place finish at the 2005 County Championships in what Papandrea describes as “very disappointing”.
Lindenhurst – Coach Michael Cucciniello
The defending 2006 County and State champs Lindenhurst featured a very strong front 4 lineup in All County Team member Tom Greene along with Chris Lange, Eric Gregg and Mike Leo. In fact, Lindenhurst defeated League Champion East Islip both times they faced off during the regular season and defeated them quite convincingly. However, an untimely incident just days after the regular season had ended, Leo went down with a season ending injury that will result in everyone in the lineup this coming Saturday to up their game even higher. Reliable Junior Eric Armbruster and supporting cast all of the sudden have the spotlight on them regardless of them wanting it or not. Lindy will contend. Count on it.
West Babylon – Coach Frank Riviezzo
WB returns to the 2007 County Championships after missing out in 2006. Junior Paul Bajorski leads the well balanced team that includes 7 bowlers that competed in 20+ games during the season along with 4 of those bowlers at 200+ in average. WB put those scores to use when they rolled 3200+ on 4 different occasions this year. Starting the season in sluggish fashion, the team finished the season strong as they won 6 of the last 7 matches of the season that helped secure the 3rd place finish. The only defeat during that stretch came at the hands of EI. However, WB went 1000+ for two of those games in that match vs EI. Team is on a roll and confidence is up.
Bay Shore – Coach Anthony Cantore
Say hello to the leagues top average bowler and All County Team member Junior Jon Trzcinski. Six times during the year Trzcinski went over the 700 mark en route to his league leading 228 average. Sophomore David Rodriguez at 213 give Bay Shore a solid 1-2 punch in the lineup. The team though is wildly inconsistent. Half the time Bay Shore resembles the team everyone thought could contend for a League Championship while the other half, put the team in a position of hanging on for dear life just to qualify for the County Championships. Of the 14 matches Bay Shore competed in this year, 7 of them they rolled a 3000+ total pinfall. That’s the good. It’s the other 7 mathes that resulted in Coach Anthony Cantore tossing and turning at nighttime. That’s the not so good. Bay Shore can compete and the numbers say they can. But there is that other set of numbers that says otherwise. Expect the unexpected with Bay Shore.
League 2
Commack – Coach Patrick Friel
Commack brings to the table the 4th highest overall team average of 1033 led by Sr Miles Bresin and Jr Zach Friedland. The team is for the most part very consistant and is capable of putting up some very impressive numbers as they did vs Sachem North on January 10, 2007 when they posted a 1239 first game which guided them to a season high 3357 pin count that day. For the better part of the season, Commack coasted to the League 2 title which may impact them in terms of on the job intensity. It shouldn’t be a factor. With the exception of a few late season blips on the screen, Coammack is rock solid. Commack should be a contender for the County Championship this coming Saturday. Just too much talent on this team to not be a part of the mix.
Middle Country – Coach Rick Rennard
Middle Country is underrated and doesn’t get the recognition they deserve. Led by a lethal 1-5 punch in brothers Brad Kelsey (206) and Brandon Kelsey (216), MC features lots more in between in Joe Simon (209) and Matt Skalaki (208). Finishing 5th in the county with a team average of 1031, MC rolled a 3000+ total pinfall in 10 of the 12 matches they had during the year. They finished the season on a tear as they averaged 1049 for the final 4 matches and they should be feeling very confident going into the County Championships this weekend. MC always seems to play the role of “Johnny by the door”. This year they may just walk in without needing any help.
Smithtown – Coach John Vanek
Junior Sean Hoffman (220) had a breakout year and stellar year at that as he leads Smithtown into Sayville Lanes in hopes of getting the chance to compete in Buffalo the weekend of March 2-4 for the New York State HS Bowling Championships. Hoffman has help in Sr Matt Bennett (208) along with Jr. Chris Mudugno (201). As is the case with a few other teams competing this weekend, Smithtown will need to have the lower part of the order to contribute bigtime in order for them to contend. For 19 of 36 games during the regular season, Smithtown has finished 1000+ but has only finished over the 3000 mark 5 times. This coming Saturday would be a nice time for Smithtown to put it all together for one single morning and night. The team needs to rally around Hoffman. If they do, the end result may change plans for all of them come early March.
Northport – Coach - Chris Cascone
Northport, the 4th seed in League 2 comes into Sayville Lanes this Saturday with as much as a balanced attack as any other team in the league. However, sometimes it is there and sometimes its not. Sr Steve Demartino (208) and Soph Jake Myers (201) lead the way for NP average wise. Coach Cascone however gets all his bowlers involved and for good reason. He has a good group to select from. 4 bowlers come from the 190+ group and Cascone uses every one of them at different points in time. They key here for NP however is Sr Nick Becker (193). Becker, scorewise, has appeared to be in a season long fog so to speak. However, he does have big scoring ability. Proof of that is his 728 series he rolled vs Commack on January 31, 2007. If Becker gets in the mix, NP could be a headache to all others.
League 3
William Floyd – Coach John Romero
Not much to say here other than the team is deep in all areas. Finishing second in the County with a team average of 1061, WF spent so much time alone at the top of the standings in League 3 it is a credit to Coach Romero he was able to keep the team focused and sharp at the same time. Led by All County team member Jr. Brandon Waldron (221) along with Soph Lou Giordani (212) and brother Sr. Dom Giordani (210), this team can reach onto the bench to find help if needed during the tournament. 9 of the 11 competing team members finished 200+ during the regular season. 31 of 36 times over 1000 for the year and 11 of 12 over 3000. The key to any success Floyd will have in the tournament will be the early going and that is not on the coach, rather the players. Lots of experience here in WF. Its showtime.
Longwood – Coach Dough Dwyer
The 2005 County Champions are back. Just like Chuckie. The team got off to a bit of a rough start through the first 5 matches of the season and Coach Dwyer may have put the long term solution (gearing the team for the Counties) ahead of the short term goal (winning the league 3 crown). Whatever was in Dwyer’s mind only he can know for sure. However, what transpired after week 5, we could be witness of a team that has come together and paid the price for a reason during the process. Led by Sr Dan Brezo (219) and Sr Ed Gocinski (211), Longwood for the past few years has bought into the no nonsense like approach of Dwyer. While the team finished 5th in the county with a team average of 1030. they also finished 2nd in both HG for the year with a 1251 along with a 3374 total pin count series vs Ward Melville on January 4, 2007. The team believes in Dwyer and Dwyer believes in his team. Watch out.
Patchogue Medford – Coach Bob Sconone
Do you want to know why you don’t judge the book by the cover? Patchogue Medford is the reason. Its tough to get excited over a team that finished 3rd in the division and for a part of the season looked very uninterested. But here is why we open up the book to read what is in between. For two stretches during the season, one being December 18, 2006 through January 8, 2007, 9 games and the other being January 11, 2007 though January 18, 2007, 7 games, PM averaged 1036 and 1048 per game respectively during that time. Even with those stretch of games, the overall team average of 1007 however says they have stretches where have been downright ugly. Led by Sr RJ Iovino (214), PM has more than enough ability to become one of those teams that can contend for the title this weekend. The question however, is do they feel they are more or less the team that resembled the 16 game stretch or do they feel they are more or like the other 26 games? Guess we will find out Saturday.
Connetquot – Coach Nick Sturtz
Connetquot finished the regular season on a high note as they averaged 1011 for the last 4 matches. Sr. Nick Windschuh (214) and Soph Matt Gorman (200) lead the talented group of bowlers into hometown territory of Sayville Lanes. The catalyst however for Connetquot may just have been the performance of Jr Tommy King (198). King has appeared to have come into his own during the season and he finished the season 600+ in 5 of the last 7 matches. With the addition Jr Joe Franza (196) and Soph Matt Westenberger (191), you just never know how high this group can go in a 6 game format. A young team with Windschuh being the only graduating Sr. the team however has been in tact long enough and the past experiences of County competition is going to help them this coming Saturday.
League 4
Bayport – Coach Philip Turano
Say hello to the League 4 champions. Deservedly so. Sr Connor Druhm (207) leads the BP team into the County Championship after a long absence. Druhm teams with Jr Trevor Schwall (190) and Jr Chris Reilly (193) that give Bayport a good 1-2-3 combination to get things going. From the 4th spot down however, Bayport will need a career day out of the bowlers in order to stay in the hunt. The team topped the 1000 mark on 12 different occasions during the year so the talent is there. Sustaining that momentum however has been a problem with Bayport as they topped the 3000 mark only once during the season. The team however clinched first place on the last day of regular season play unexpectedly and they could possibly carry that momentum over to this Saturday. Would be a heck of a time to do so eh? The team will say good bye to mainstay Melissa Banks (172) for good come this June. It’s a treat for all Banks will get her chance at the Counties once and for all.
Islip - Michael Pace
For the better part of the season, Islip had things pretty much in control during the regular season and was destined to the League 4 crown. They started out of the gate by winning 21 of the first 27 games on the schedule that left them with a W/L mark of 8-1. Its not how your start by how you finish and Islip can tell you that first hand. In match #12 they lost to a desperate Bellport team and in the final week of the season and match #14, they lost to Comsewogue costing them a chance at the League 4 title. Islip doesn’t survive on the “star” system but they do have a marvelous blend of talent on the team. With every bowler on the team roster competing at one point in the season, Islip is led by Fr James Rosa (198), Sr Bryan Manzola (195), Jr Nick Cooley (194) and Soph Kenny McKeever (190). The bench is pretty solid and Coach Pace can rely on any one of those bowlers to fill in the 5th and final spot.
Bellport – Coach Rana Fetcher
Bellport comes to the counties for the second straight year as they are led by Soph Antero Machin (206). The Clippers should some guts down the stretch by holding on to the 3rd and final spot that gains entry into the Championships from League 4. BP won 13 of the last 18 games en route to winning the match in all 6 contests. The team is still relatively young with Soph Anthony Muglia (199) and Soph Keith Bradley (192) leading the way with Machin. Bradely however needs to reclaim his form of last year if Bellport is to have any chance of winning this weekend. As a fresham, Bradley averaged 209 during the regular season and his drop of nearly 17 pins is alarming if not baffling. The good news is he has impressed 3 of his last 5 weeks during the regular season. Included was a 706 vs Comsewogue on January 16, 2007. Timing is everything isn’t it.
League 5
Rocky Point – Coach Chet Eichler
All County Team Member Soph Darren Andretta (223) leads RP into the County Championships for the second consecutive year, this time as League 5 Champions. For two consecutive County Championships, 2005 (Westhampton) and 2006 (Rocky Point), league 5 has produced Cinderella and last year, RP made its presence felt by finishing 5th overall. And guess what, they are all back. Although the team average of 969 seems rather low to even consider RP as a threat to the title, keep in mind RP had things wrapped up in league 5 so early in the season, Coach Eichler was afforded the luxury of inserting some of his younger players into the lineup for much needed experience for the years to come. Andretta however is what makes RP rock n roll. He does have help though in the trench area as 3 of the remaining starters all average over 190. Jr Ed Cheslak (196), Johnathan Passaro (192) and Kyle Egan (192) balance out the attack for RP. In fact, Andretta and Cheslak combined to average 470 for the 6 game championship round in 2006. The team is intense yet they are led (Andretta) with a positive frame of mind. Nice mix. Could be heard from again this Saturday.
Westhampton – Coach Guy Buckley
Well, here we go again. Here comes Westhampton and Guy Buckley. WHB took the tournament by storm in 2005 as they placed 3rd in the event nearly winning it as well. A lot has changed since then however, the one thing that seems to never change is Buckley’s roster. Loaded with underclassmen with Sr. Paul Mccabe (187) being the only bowler Buckley will lose to graduation this year, the team had performed remarkable in lieu of almost not being part of the Section XI program this year. With home house Westhampton Bowl closing and resulting in WHB not having a home house, the team had to gather its pieces quickly in order to find a home house for the season. Competing in literally 12 “road” matches a year, WHB was still lead by Jr Mark Mcburnie (192) and Jr. Joe Tortorice (188). In a way, perhaps the team from way out east will find a home in Sayville Lanes just as they did in 2005 and make noise once again. Nice things happen to nice people and Coach Buckley is a nice person. Hey… you never know.
Mt Sinai – Coach Brian Nordberg
Coach Nordberg has his second year team Mt Sinai in the County Championships mostly on the behalf of Sr Danielle Locurto (202). Quite possibly, no other bowler in the Section XI HS program means more to the team as Locurto means to Mt. Sinai. This is not to suggest that Sr John Puppelo (188) hasn’t done his share of contributing to the team making the county championships, it is not even a slight of all the All County team bowlers for 2007. However, Locurto is a difference maker on a team that needed and one and her accomplishment is entitled to kudos. To keep proper perspective of Mt Sinai and to appreciate the job Coach Nordberg has accomplished, every bowler on the roster has competed in match play and if there is one team that deserves a trip into the County Championships its MS. As for Locurto, she now gets a chance to be on display in front of literally hundreds of spectators and it is a fitting way for her to say “good bye” to a team she helped put on the map. Remember though… League 5 DOES have that knack of shaking things up at Counties. The word “dramatics” comes to mind. Do you think?