The boys bowling regionals are on. Naperville Central is one of 13 teams competing in the Joliet Central regional at Strike n Spare. The Redhawks are looking to qualify for the sectionals tournament for the sixth consecutive season. They will have to get past teams such as Joliet West, Lockport, and Hinsdale South. The top four teams will advance to sectionals on January 25th. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
Joliet Central boys bowling regionals begin with Pierpoint and Lee
Central gets off to a nice start in the top four as Spencer Pierpoint breaks through early with this strike to get the Redhawks flying.
Back in the lineup from injury is Aidan Lee who gets rolling in game three with a huge strike to put him in the top 30 after the morning session. He ends that game with his best of the day at 227.
Lockport Township would stay in the top three all day as Austin LiCausi, Evan Charest, and Nate Cantrall finish inside the top seven individually. The Porters are moving on to Sectionals with a third-place finish.
Going into the break, moving ahead of Central is Lemont. They get into the top four with a 1,035 game two score with Karson Shoup and Aaron Schmeltzer battling near the top 10 individually. They sit just two pins ahead of Central heading into the afternoon session.
Mulvey, Newcom, and Kradenpoth get Naperville Central boys bowling buzzing in the afternoon session
In the afternoon, Sophomore Sean Mulvey steps in for Pierpoint, and the Redhawk is solid on this pocket shot for the strike as Central battles back.
Also stepping up for the Redhawks is junior Josh Newcom who makes this shot count in game four to keep Central within reach. Later, Newcom again is on target, with another strike in game five as Central moves back into the top four overall. Newcom finishes fourteenth individually.
The top Central bowler for much of the day is Tommy Kradenpoth. He helps Central back into the top four after his game-five performance of 257.
The battle at the top for much of the day was between Joliet West and Joliet Central. Central’s Garrett Johnson, David Reyes, and Anthony Kantor lead a charge for the Steelmen, challenging their crosstown rivals.
However, Joliet West would hold its own with senior Tyler Macdonald rolling each game over 215. His 1,444 series propels the Tigers well into the afternoon session, as they try to hang on for the win.
An intense ending sees Naperville Central secure the final sectional qualifying spot over Lemont
Looking to secure themselves in the top four ahead of Lemont, the Redhawks have a clutch tenth frame in game six. Nate Taverna ends strong with back-to-back strikes to put the senior at an even 200 game and push him into the top 30 to end the tournament.
Also finishing strong is Kradenpoth who rolls a double in the tenth to get the Redhawk crowd more energized. It gets the team on the verge of a sectional berth!
Lemont continues to battle with Central for the last spot as Shoup, Schmeltzer, and sophomore Alex Pawlikowski end with an 882 in game six to challenge for the last spot.
Joliet West claims the boys bowling regionals in back-to-back years with a 6,230 score. Joliet Central takes second while Lockport finishes in third. Claiming the fourth, and final spot with a 5,759 score is Naperville Central over Lemont, as the Redhawks qualify for their sixth consecutive sectionals appearance. Winning the individual title is Tyler Macdonald from Joliet West. Garrett Johnson from Joliet Central takes second with a 1,337, while Tommy Kradenpoth takes third with a 1,312 overall series.
For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page!
