Kettering’s Kretzer snares a pair of regional Bowler of the Year awards

What could be better than being tapped as a PBA50 Regional player of the year? How about earning the honor for two different regions in the same season.

Kettering bowler Brian Kretzer earned 2017 PBA50 honors in both the Central and Midwest regions — a second consecutive time in the Central Region.

“Any time you win player of the year, it means a lot, but especially as you get older,” Kretzer said. “I’ve got a lot of trophies and a lot of titles but, when you get to be my age, you don’t know when you’re going to win another one.”

The 51-year-old won three PBA50 Regional events — the Victory Lanes Midwest/Central open in Kankakee, Illinois; the Mel Westrich Memorial Central/Midwest Open in Delphos; and the Baldo Campana Memorial Open, in Lorain. All three tournaments were combined Central/Midwest regional events, which gave him points in both regions.

But his tournament wins weren’t limited to those regions as Kretzer also won a tournament in the South Region and placed second in five tournaments in four regions. In all, Kretzer competed in events in five different regions, averaging 222.81 for 307 games in 21 events.

Add in a pair of wins in 50-and-older tournaments in Phoenix and Las Vegas, and it was a banner year.

“I bowled a lot last year, so it’s nice to bring home titles,” he said. “There are probably only about eight or 10 guys who bowl as many tournaments as I do, but there are probably 20 guys in any given tournament with a good chance to win.”

While it is an honor, the

Contact this contributing writer at djuniewicz@gmail. com.