On Nov. 26, the boys bowling team swept Evanston in a high energy match.
The team started the week with a close loss to their strongest competitor, Vernon Hills, but the boys were able to rally the following day to take down the rival Wildkits.

Junior Max Blake, one of three captains for the team, saw the win as a huge success. He credits no individual, but rather the whole team.

“Our last match against Evanston was by far the greatest achievement of the season. We swept them taking 9 points for the regular season total. Everyone bowled their best, no one person carried the team,” said Blake.

Junior and fellow captain Matt Booden agreed with Blake. He saw this match as a great step forward across all levels.

“The Evanston match was a turning point for our season. We were able to clean sweep them on all levels, and varsity averaged over 200 for every game,” said Booden.

Blake noticed a large amount of support at the Evanston match. Energy from the crowd motivated the team and really got them working as one.

“Everyone had family and friends supporting us at the Evanston game and everyone was fired up and ready to go. I can’t stress enough the importance of support. Everyone was firing on every cylinder,” said Blake.

Although bowling is an individual sport, the team aspect is the most important component. The boys rely on each other for motivation and scores. Blake bowled his best of the season against Vernon Hills and Evanston but to him it’s more of a team effort.

“Personally I bowled two of the best days I ever have in these last two matches, but personal bests mean nothing if the team can’t make something as a whole,” said Blake.

Having two tough competitions back to back wasn’t easy for the team, but junior Nick Henner, another captain, enjoys the stress and believes it makes him perform better.

Since the team bowled both nights at Classic Bowl, their home turf, they had the opportunity to learn from mistakes during the Vernon Hill match and be able to use that in the Evanston match.

“In some ways bowling back to back matches helps me, especially when we are bowling at the same alley, because on the second day I can reflect on how the lanes played the previous day and I am already in the competition mindset,” said Henner.

Like any sport, it can be mentally challenging when they have many matches and few practices. The team counts on everyone to keep morale high and make sure everyone knows not every match can be your best.

“The best thing to do to get through these kinds of weeks, is to be a team. Support each other and pick each other up. Because bad days happen, and you just have to keep moving,” said Blake.

The bowling season moves faster than most sports. Despite only being in season for a little over a month, they are already half way done. Henner has noticed some ups and downs this season. But overall he is confident in the future.

“We have been bowling really well with a couple of tough losses and I think we can improve even more in the second half of the season,” said Henner.
In the boy’s first tournament they won the silver division which was a huge achievement early in the season. Along with that, Blake and Booden have both bowled 300s during practice. Junior David Gormanous sees these as two big steps towards success for the team.

“I think some of the team’s biggest achievements are winning silver division in our first tournament this season and having two people with 300 games, which is extremely hard for even professional bowlers, so it’s crazy to see two juniors do it this season,” said Gormanous.

The team is excited for the postseason. It has been a few years since the team has been to state but they are hopeful. The boys think this will be the season they make it because of how different this team is from past years.

“This team is a little different from other teams because it is a much younger squad than in recent years,” said Blake. “In the game of bowling it’s important to take what you can and improve on what’s needed. Most importantly though, is the team. Nothing is more important than the team.”