Bowling Team Wins One, Loses One in Bi-Regional Tournament, Four Singles Advance to State

The 2017-2018 bowling team after Bi-Regional play: (back row, from left) Assistant Coach Chris McCabe, junior Adam Francis, senior Gerard Miller, senior Mason French, senior Alex Barron, junior Jake Stiegler, junior Alex O’Neil, Coach Todd Bourgeois ’88, (front row, from left) Bowling Team Mom Lynette Greco, junior Bradley Fugetta, junior Grant Greco, senior Trent Greco, freshman Ben Hunn, pre-freshman Luke Wood, and pre-freshman Brennan Barry
The Jesuit Varsity Bowling team rolled into All-Star Kenner lanes bright and early to compete in the Louisiana Bi-Regional Tournament on Tuesday, March 27.
Match 1 – Jesuit Vs. St. Paul’s School
After a hearty breakfast at IHOP, the No. 10 seed Blue Jays went head-to-head in their first match up against No. 7 seed St. Paul’s School at 11:00 am. Jesuit handily beat the St. Paul’s Wolves with an impressive score of 24-3. Senior Alex Barron and freshman Ben Hunn started off game one blazing down the lanes with a 231 and 220, respectively. Following close behind was junior Jake Stiegler with a 191. This put the Jays and Wolves neck-and-neck in the first game of the match, each seeing wins from three bowlers. Jesuit won game one 5-3.
Outscoring St. Paul’s by 119 pins in game one, the Jesuit bowlers really hit their strides in game two, winning six out of six match ups. Five of the six bowlers fired off scores above 200 – senior Trent Greco (201), junior Alex O’Neil (208), Hunn (214), Barron (222), and Steigler (257). By the end of the game, the bowlers had outpaced the Wolves by 280 pins, nabbing all of the bonus points for a 0-8 win.
The Blue Jays held on to their lead seeing five out of six bowlers victorious over their opponents. Junior Adam Francis led the way with a 188 game that included a “Chicken Sandwhich” (a strike, three spares, and another strike), followed closely by senior Mason French with a 180 game that included a “Turkey” (three consecutive strikes). Jesuit beat their opponents in the final game with a 7-1 victory, solidifying a Jesuit match win by 3404 pins to St. Paul’s 3001. Francis finished with a 521 series and O’Neil with a 562 series.
Match 2 – Jesuit Vs. Holden
The Blue Jays, after a quick twenty-minute break between matches, went straight into their second match up against the undefeated No. 2 seed Holden Rockets at 1:00 pm. Holden won the best-of-27 point match, 23-4, in a match much more competitive than the final totals.
It was a boisterous event filled with loud encouragement from both the Rockets’ and the Blue Jays’ fans. Each strike and spare made was met the with resounding sound of clapping and cheering. Holden, with a fresh set of bowlers having had a bye for the first round of the tournament, took game one 6-2, edging out the Jays by just 96 pins. Leading Jesuit in game one was Francis and O’Neil who fired off a 198 and 209, respectively, each earning a point.
The Blue Jays picked up speed in game two with three Jesuit bowlers scoring over 200 – O’Neil (208), Greco (224) and Stiegler (259). Stiegler bowled a clean game (only strikes and spares) with four front strikes and a back string of strikes–striking in frames 8 and 9 and ending with a turkey. But even Stiegler’s impressive showing of 259 was no match for Holden’s top bowler who scored an almost perfect game with a 279. The Rockets extended their lead with 233 pins and ended the game with all six of their bowlers earning points for a 0-8 win.
Undeterred by Holden’s lead all the Jesuit seniors –Gerard Miller, Mason French, Alex Barron, and Trent Greco– stepped up to bowl for their final game as Blue Jays. Jesuit rallied with two senior bowlers, French (194) and Greco (238), outscoring their opponents. Three of the Jesuit bowlers finished off the game with an impressive series total of over 550 – Barron (569), Stiegler (606), and Greco (632). Despite the Blue Jays strong efforts in all three games, the Rockets tallied more pins at the end of the game three. Snatching two points for all three games’ team total and then winning three extra bonus points for overall pin count. The final pin count stood in Holden’s favor beating Jesuit 3755 pins to 3388 pins.
While the Blue Jays as a team are out, four bowlers placed for singles — Barron, Greco, O’Neil, and Stiegler — and will advance to the State Championship Singles Tournament in Baton Rouge on Friday, April 6th. Barron, Greco, and Stielger also have received All-District 2nd Team awards for their season averages — 189, 188, and 190, respectively.
Galleries
Bowling Bi-Regionals, All-Star Lanes, March 27, 2018
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The Jesuit Bowling Team enjoys breakfast together at IHOP before the meet.
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Before the match the Blue Jays line up for the The Star-Spangled Banner.
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The Seniors are honored before the match.
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Coach Todd Bourgeois ’88 calls for a team huddle to give words of encouragement before the first Bi-Regional match.
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Assistant Coach Chris McCabe and Bowling Team Mom Lynette Greco, keep track of the team scores.
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Junior Adam Francis let's one fly down the lanes.
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Junior Adam Francis takes careful aim for the last remaining pin.
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Junior Adam Francis celebrates his Spare.
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Smiling senior Mason French, along with his teammates juniors Grant Greco and Bradley Fugetta, watch the first game of the Bi-Regional match.
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Junior Bradley Fugetta is determined to get a spare as he gets ready to launch one down the lane.
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Junior Bradley Fugetta glides one down the lane.
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Pre-freshman Luke Wood takes care to mark down scores and pins missed.
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Juniors Alex O’Neil and Adam Francis, along with freshman Ben Hunn, watch the competition as they wait their turn to bowl.
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Senior Mason French lines up his shot.
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Juniors Grant Greco and Bradley Fugetta congratulate senior Mason French for a job well done.
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Junior Grant Greco winds up to launch one down the lane.
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Junior Grant Greco smiles as his bowling ball hits home.
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Senior Gerard Miller takes aim.
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Junior Adam Francis congratulates senior Gerard Miller for getting a strike.
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The team has a quick huddle in between matches.
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Junior Jake Stiegler let's one fly down the lane at the Bi-Regional Tournament.
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Senior Alex Baron high fives senior Jake Stiegler for landing a strike.
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Senior Alex Barron rolls one down the lane.
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Junior Alex O'Neil winds up.
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Junior Alex O'Neil fires one down the lane.
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Senior Gerard Miller and juniors Adam Francis and Alex O'Neil chat in between turns.
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Senior Gerard Miller keeps the mood the cheerful during the second match.
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Senior Trent Greco prepares to bowl by wiping down his bowling ball to remove excess oil.
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Senior Trent Greco hurls one down the lane with careful aim.
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Freshman Ben Hunn sets his sights on the one remaining pin.
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Freshman Ben Hunn celebrates his spare.
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Freshman Ben Hunn all smiles.
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There was not short supply of great sportsmanship as both teams shook hands at the end of the match.
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There was not short supply of great sportsmanship as both teams shook hands at the end of the match.
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Coach Todd Bourgeois ’88 calls for the final team huddle of the season to wish everyone a job well done.
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The 2017-2018 bowling team after Bi-Regional play: (back row, from left) Assistant Coach Chris McCabe, junior Adam Francis, senior Gerard Miller, senior Mason French, senior Alex Barron, junior Jake Stiegler, junior Alex O’Neil, Coach Todd Bourgeois ’88, (front row, from left) Bowling Team Mom Lynette Greco, junior Bradley Fugetta, junior Grant Greco, senior Trent Greco, freshman Ben Hunn, pre-freshman Luke Wood, and pre-freshman Brennan Barry