Cranford Falls to Raiders 7-0

Cranford's bowling team went into Monday's game knowing that Scotch Plains-Fanwood was one of the teams to beat in the newly-formed Union County Conference. So it came as no surprise when the young Cougars squad fell to the Raiders 7-0.

"Yeah, they're definitely good," said Cranford coach Richard Goldstein. "This is our new competition this year, being in the new league, so we're going to have to start taking it up a notch."

Cranford continues to build for the future with sophomores and juniors taking center stage. They just need to take it one pin at a time.

Meanwhile, Goldstein remains optimistic because he's seeing good things from his young bowlers, including sophomore Scott Belmont, who rolled a 185 in his first game.

"I like Scott, because he practices year round and tries his best. He's one of the up-and- comers in the next couple of years" said Goldstein. "He's a sophomore, he's got two years ahead of him, I'm looking for him to increase his average, practice a lot more, and be a role model for the team in the future."

Another bright spot was Tim Coda, who bowled a 184 in his final game. Chris Juliano paced the Cougars with a 520 pin total, with a 180 and 188 in his first two games. Mike Milwicz, Jason Fried and Thane Vollbrecht round out the Cranford varsity squad. 

Nick Slawicki helped lead the Raiders when he rolled a team-high 234 in the first game, followed by a 208 and 188 in games two and three respectively for a total of 630 pins, which led all bowlers. He says staying focused has been the key.

"I just get in a zone with the rest of the team and I get ready to roll" said Slawicki. "We have good chemistry this year. All of us are bonding really well. I just hope we place high in the conference this year and maybe win the Union County Tournament."

Teammate Mike Tufaro continued his consistent run, with three straight 200-plus games to finish with 608 pins on the hardwood, finishing with a 203, 200 and 201 for his three games.

"I had a little trouble today finding a good first ball, so I had to make all my spares" added Tufaro. "I havn't shot a game under 200 all season, and I just want to keep that going".

And Tufaro feels the best is yet to come.

"I think anybody on this team, in any given game, can shoot 250," he said. "It's good to know that you can come up with that at anytime, especially in tournaments."

SP-F also received strong performances fro Peter Citera who rolled a 195 and 201 (549 total). Greg Budis bowled a 195 en route to his total of 564, and Katerina Nier finished with a total of 473, capped by her 168 performance in the final game.

Cranford will next face the No. 1 team in the league, Roselle Catholic, on Wednesday. Scotch Plains-Fanwood will face Arthur L. Johnson in a much anticipated early-season matchup.