With an increase in interest and numbers for the bowling team, both the girls’ and boys’ bowling squads showed improvement this season as both advanced beyond the first round of playoffs.

Unlike in past seasons when postseason play was based on tournament play, this season’s playoffs were determined by a bracket.

Finishing the season with a 15-7 record, the girls’ squad swept Lindenwold in the first round of playoffs and West Deptford in the second round before falling to Barnegat in the semifinals. The boys’ squad came back against Collingswood to win the series after losing the first of three games against the Panthers in the first round of playoffs. In winning the second two games in the series, the boys advanced to the second round of playoffs and faced Manchester, where they concluded their season with a record of 10-11. 

According to Head Coach Al Miller, the team’s improved success this season can be attributed in part to past experience and the level of commitment shown by its members. For some bowlers on the squad, it is a year-long sport.

Junior Noah Jacquet led the boys’ team with the highest average, 160.14 while senior Skyler Erick was the team leader on the girls’ side with a 135.70 average. Sophomore Jon DePhilippo had the highest single game of the season with 214 and senior Dianna Hess’ highest-scoring game was 183. 

Nearly doubling in size since last year, there are 40 total bowlers between the two teams. Despite the increase in size, the team has formed a strong bond amongst its players.

“…a lot of people that join the team are friends with everybody on the team and it’s like a community we have,” sophomore Ian Jungblut said.

Sophomore Ellie Malave echoed Jungblut’s sentiment and said the encouragement amongst the girls this season helped them succeed.

“We had a lot more spirit, and I think my team pushed each other a lot more,” Malave said. “We even have little chants to encourage others to do better.”  

However, because of the large size of the team, there were also some challenges incurred.

“The real challenge is that there are a lot of new players… and everyone’s getting really good but [with] so many people… it’s hard to fit everybody on the team,” freshman Henrik Farmer said. 

Of the large team, eight are seniors and will be graduating in June.  

“It’s definitely our seniors who stand out the most,” Miller said. “On the boys’ side that’s Petros Mantagas and Nathan Evers and on the girls’ side it’s Skyler Erick and Dianna Hess.”

While Miller said he will miss the seniors’ skills and leadership, he acknowledged that the team shows a lot of potential in its underclassmen, which is composed of a balance of freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. 

“In terms of a lot of promising youth, Alianna Miller is a freshman who is the four or five average on [the] team [and] Elliana Malave, a sophomore who’s come a long way since freshman year,” Miller said. “And so many solo badges on the boys’ side, [including] sophomore Chase Gallant and freshman Henrik Farmer.”