Rebels Rolling Into Postseason

Unlike some of their other winter sports brethren, the Howell bowling teams have completed their regular seasons and are now looking forward to postseason glory. 

For the girls team, they have plenty of momentum going forward as they wrapped up their B Central schedule with an impressive 37-8 record. This is the second straight year the girls have won the division and 10th in the last 11 seasons.

Coach David Clampffer said the title was the result of a strong overall team effort with the Lady Rebels featuring some of the best bowlers in the conference. Senior Ashley Buck was the leader of the team with an average game of 187.

That high of a score was good enough for third best in the conference, just three pins better than her nearest competitor, teammate Shanne Kelly. Unlike Buck, Kelly figures to be back next year hoping to help her team complete three titles in a row. 

While those two set the tone, they were not the only consistent contributors on the roster. Senior Allison Savoye had a season average of 175 which was good enough for third best on the team and eighth best in the conference.

Junior Kendall Patterson was the fourth bowler on the team with an average score of 170 which was still good enough for 10th in the conference, and sophomore Jamie Kelly was fifth with a solid average of 167.

 The girls team was rounded out with Leanne Reed rolling an average score of 161 and Alexandra Garcia rolling a 152.

For the boys team, they may not have brought home the division title, but with a strong record of 30-15 they were right on the heels of the champions from Jackson Memorial. 

The Rebels were led by junior Jake Kaplan who averaged a 208 score on the year which also put him as the second best bowler in the conference. Junior Frank Vitarelle was not far behind him with an average score of 204 which was good enough for eighth in the conference.

Those two bowlers may have been the only ones in the top 10, but there were plenty of other bowlers making legitimate contributions every time they went to Howell Lanes. 

Sophomore Kyle Manick averaged a game score of 197, which was three pins better than fellow sophomore Max Stalter. Senior Steve Kelly was right behind them as he averaged a score of 189 when taking to the lanes. Rounding out the scoring was fellow senior Jon Pszczola who averaged a score of 182 for the year.

Since both teams finished in the top two in the division, both squads earned a trip to the Shore Conference Tournament next week at The Lanes at Sea Girt. The tournament will run on Thursday and Friday where the Rebels will get an up close view of where they stand in compared to their competition.

Prior to that, the Rebels will feel right at home at the Monmouth County Championships on Feb. 8 as it will be held at 3 p.m. at Howell Lanes. 

This Saturday the girls will head to the Carolier lanes for the state sectionals while the boys sectionals are set to go off next Saturday. If either of the teams advance to the state finals, they will be held on Feb. 14, 16 and 18.