Hawks Boys Bowlers Win South Group II Championship

The Manchester Hawks boys bowling team recorded its second straight NJSIAA South Group II Championship at the South Jersey Sectionals on Feb. 12. 

Junior Ryan Kenny contributed a high series of 634 as the Hawks finished ahead of Deptford Township by 172 pins.

Andrew Kettmann added a team-high individual game of 239, shooting 42 pins over his season average.

The strong outing helped propel the Hawks into the state finals at Carolier Lanes in Milltown on Feb. 18.  There, the Hawks would need to overcome the loss of junior Christian Robinson and his 196 average due to illness. He was replaced by freshmen Dan Piskowski, who added a 200 game to his team’s efforts.

Kenny was again a major player for his team, starting the tournament with 10 straight strikes, before ending his first game with a 289. Kenny also had the highest series for the Hawks, scoring a 504 in the first two games. All five participants bowled two individual games, and then the third  was a five game baker game, where the bowlers took turns bowling different frames to contribute toward an overall score.

In the five-game set the Hawks scored 952 pins.

For the tournament, Manchester had a total score of 2,971.  The Hawks finished third in their tournament group.

In an e-mail, coach Bryan Vargas said, “While we're disappointed we didn't win our group, we are very proud of the season these boys gave us. We accomplished a lot this year and hope to return here next year.”

Alan Garcia  contributed the highest average during the regular season with a 213 per game score over 48 games.