Megan Reder spurs Seaford to fourth place in state girls bowling tournament
Megan Reder of Seaford reacts during the NYSPHSAA bowling championships at AMF Strike N Spare Lanes in Syracuse, N.Y., on Friday. Credit: /Kayla Bartkowski
SYRACUSE – Seaford girls bowling continued to make strides at the state championship and Megan Reder spearheaded the charge.
Seaford took home a fourth-place finish with a six-game pin total of 5,037 in the Division II girls bowling state championship at AMF Strike ‘N Spare Lanes on Friday. Depew (Section VI) placed first with a 5,376 total.
Reder put on a show in the final game, earning strikes through the first nine frames. The junior finished with a 267, tied for first among high games throughout the day.
“I was trying to focus on cheering on my team, so I wouldn’t think about it so much,” Reder said. “It would’ve been cool to throw a perfect game. When I threw the ball in the tenth frame, I knew the ten pin was going to mess things up.”
Reder finished with a 1,229 six-game series, her big game 6 catapulting her to the second-best pin total of the event.
“I watched Megan strike every frame and I was in awe,” Ava Caruso said. “I went after her and obviously I wanted to roll a good game, but I wasn’t going to follow up that performance.”
Seaford has shown improvement in each of its last three appearances at the state championship. In 2022 the team earned a seventh-place finish and last year placed fifth. The Vikings also improved on their 4,734-pin total from their appearance at last year’s event.
“You see everyone crowding around out the corner of your eye or when you turn around,” Reder said. “It’s the best feeling to see everyone cheering you on, it motivated me more.”
The Vikings started the day in fifth place after knocking down 831 pins in game 1. They hit 895 pins in game 3, their high total for the day, placing them in fourth at the halfway mark. Caruso rolled a 206 in game 3 and Joanna Bello rolled a 179.
“We were pretty sure going into the last game that we weren’t going to accomplish our goal of third place,” Caruso said. “I’m still grateful and happy that we improved and hope we can do even better next season.”
The Vikings captured their sixth county championship in the past seven seasons, with a performance that saw them finish 700 pins ahead of second place. With no seniors on their talented roster, they will surely be the frontrunners to come out on top next season.
“I’m excited for next year, but it’ll be bittersweet since it’s our last together,” Caruso said. “I want to have a good time, but personally I’d love to leave the school with a state championship.”
Christopher Matias covers high school sports for Newsday after spending time in Athletic Facilities and Operation at St. John’s and in Sports Information at CUNY York college.