Hawks bowling lose two to Mariners in second meeting this season

With one-third of the season behind them, the Manchester Hawks boys varsity bowling team hoped to put their early season woes to rest against the Toms River North Mariners.

"We're looking to avenge some of our losses. Some were painful," said Manchester Coach Bryan Vargas.

Before play began, Vargas had hopes of repeating the 3-0 sweep of North that his Manchester squad achieved just weeks ago, but he admitted that the Hawk's opponent was a better team today. These games could go either way.

"Neither team bowled to their potential," he said of their first meeting. "Either team could have easily lost. And North, they're improved since the first time we bowled against them."

Coming into the Dec. 21 match, Vargas noted that his team has a knack for closing out matches with a third game victory, even if the first two games did not go as well.

"The third game, we haven't lost all year. We're 7-0," he said. "It's the first and second game that had really put us down."

North was prepared to ruin that streak.

The first game saw both squads briefly take narrow leads and ended with the teams tied at 817 going into the tenth frame. Manchester was able to take the 993-961 victory, led by junior Alan Garcia's 215 performance.

Game two played out similarly, as the teams battled for a slight edge. Though the Hawks took a 10 pin lead in the ninth frame, the Mariners responded by pulling ahead by 10 going into the final frame and won 698-939.

The Hawks ran into problems during the third game. By the fifth frame, North had taken a 502-420 lead, which they grew into a 1087-942 victory.

That final game loss was "a combination of us struggling and them doing really well," Vargas said. "We weren't catching any breaks. We put it right in the pocket – pins weren't falling. That's how it goes sometimes."

Now 12-9, the Hawks are tied with Toms River East for second place in the Shore Conference A South, behind Brick Memorial. At 8-13, Toms River North is in fifth place, tied with Toms River South. 

The Hawks are still short senior Andrew Kettman, who has been benched with a stress fracture in his foot and has missed now a total of nine games.

"It's very frustrating," Kettman said. "It's hard to see everyone else out there and not being able to contribute."

But Kettman, who may return after a mid-January reevaluation, said the team is managing well in his absence. "I think they're doing good. A lot of the JV guys are stepping up."

Coach Vargas agreed, saying that junior Christian Robinson "has stepped up very well. He fit right in."

"While we do miss him, we're able to move on, keep it going, so when he does come back it's like we never skipped a beat," Vargas said.

The Hawks will use the upcoming winter break to hone their consistency. "We'll be practicing in between, so hopefully we can come back and keep going like we've been," Vargas said.  

Manchester will next face Brick Memorial on Jan. 4, 3 p.m. at Ocean Lanes.