Teamwork leads Skippers, Cardinals to sectional crowns

Bowling is widely considered an individual sport, and for the most part that’s true.

One person, one ball, one lane and 10 pins to knock down. There’s no one to blame but yourself if the pins don’t tumble.

But a serious case was made at Wickliffe Lanes on Feb. 17 for bowling being a team sport. That’s where dozens of boys and girls bowling squads gathered for the Division I and Division II sectional tournament.

A tournament that calls on each team to roll six “Baker” games — where teams are required to bowl in sequential order to formulate a game score — first bowler bowls the first, second bowler bowls the second frame, and so on.

So for the seven teams — four Division II teams and three Division I teams — that advanced to the district level, bowling was very much a team sport over an individual sport on Feb. 17.

“Agreed. Agreed,” said Mentor bowling coach Mike Phillips. “This is a team. We are all team members.”

Mentor breezed to the Division I sectional championship with an aggregate score of 3,879 between their three individual games and six Baker games.

North (3,452) and Garfield Heights (3,440) also clinched team berths to the district tournament by finishing second and third, respectively.

In Division II, Fairport took first with a 3,626, followed by Wickliffe (3,559), Lakeview (3,522) and Padua (3,334).

Qualifying individually were Mayfield’s Nick Vecchione (a 547 in Division I) and Berkshire’s Wilson Jackson (a 540 in Division II).

“You’re only as good as your weakest link,” said Fairport sophomore Mike Rentz. “In Baker games, you really have to perform at a high level. Spares are important.”

A team could have two bowlers who throw strikes every ball they throw. But if the other three aren’t at that level and leave open

frames, that team is in trouble.

Mentor showed just how important the ability to pick up spares, as well as strikes, in its six Baker games. The Cardinals’ high Baker games were 212, 224 and 196 — three of the four highest Baker games in the entire Division tournament.

“We have varying styles on this team,” said Phillips, who used eight bowlers in the Baker games. “Two are two-handed bowlers, five aren’t. I can almost adapt to any lane condition by changing up our lineup.”

Mentor had a comfortable 300-pin lead after the individual portion of the tournament, but then added to its lead with a dominating performance in the Baker games.

“We all have the same goal, to win a state championship,” Phillips said. “And yes, it’s a realistic goal. We were eight last year and we have more talent this year.”

Mentor graduated four seniors from last year’s team, but has three juniors, three freshmen and a sophomore on this year’s team.

About the only team maybe younger is that of Fairport, which has one senior, one junior and the rest are freshmen and sophomores.

“We’re used to the pressure,” said Michael Chipps, the Division II individual champion. “We actually like it. It’s exciting to keep going and hopefully make it to state.”

Finishing just behind Fairport was Wickliffe, which bowled better in the Baker games than Fairport. The Skippers just had a bigger lead going after the individual portion.

Adam Velichka’s 571 topped the Blue Devils heading into the Baker games.

“This only the second time in 11 years we’ve made it out to districts for the boys team,” said Coach Don Hill. “It’s a major step forward for the program.”

North was runner-up in Division I, with Jaylen Look’s 585 series finishing second to individual champion Evan Lewis of Mentor (644).