Thomas Tufano propels Sewanhaka to Nassau boys bowling team championship
Thomas Tufano of Sewanhaka District reacts after a strike in Game 5 of the Nassau boys bowling large schools team championship at AMF Garden City Lanes on Saturday. Credit: James Escher
After surrendering a 52-pin lead in the final game a year ago, Sewanhaka was determined to leave no doubt in its ability this time.
The Sewanhaka boys bowling team knocked down 6,517 pins over six games to earn the Nassau Division I team championship at AMF Garden City Lanes on Saturday. Thomas Tufano had a 1,324 six-game series.
“We all powered through it today, it was a great performance by the entire team,” Tufano said. “We just told each other, 'let’s do this, get those strikes and don’t miss easy spares.' ”
Sewanhaka trailed East Meadow by 36 pins after two games but took a 120-pin lead after Game 4. Peyton Hughes rolled a 252 in Game 5 and Joshua Agliam rolled a 233 as Sewanhaka extended its lead to 286 pins.
“After the first game with East Meadow, we gained momentum and it didn’t stop,” Agliam said. “The energy of the team and everyone around us really pushed us forward.”
Tufano capped off his day with a 277 in Game 6, giving him a 735 series over the final three games. Sewanhaka totaled 1,166 pins in the final game, the highest single-game mark for any team in the championship.
“The last three games were unbelievable,” Sewanhaka coach Jay Hegi said. “These kids bowled their tails off, I couldn’t be prouder.”
Seaford wins seventh straight title
After cruising to a win last year, Seaford endured a fight this time around.
The Vikings totaled 1,027 pins in Game 6 to finish with a six-game total of 5,900 to win the Division II team title. Andrew Ceraulo rolled a 222 in Game 6 of a 1,198 six-game series.
Seaford led by 158 pins after Game 4, but Wheatley cut the deficit to just 50 pins after Game 5.
“After Game 5, we were feeling just how close things were,” Ceraulo said. “It was either going to be our last game or we had to pick it up and everybody came up clutch in the end.”
Matt Mele bowled a 208 in Game 6, Ryan Falta rolled a 203 and Brendan Dennehy had a 201 as Seaford closed things out.
“I’ve been very confident in this group because I know they’re all good bowlers,” Falta said. "I’ve only been bowling for a year and a half and they’ve taught me so much. I put all my trust in them.”
Sewanhaka and Seaford will represent Nassau (Section VIII) in the state championship in Syracuse at AMF Strike 'N Spare Lanes. Seaford will compete in the Division II championship on March 8 and Sewanhaka will compete in the Division I championship on March 10.
“There were a few huge momentum shifts,” Falta said. “We had a pep talk before the last game and everything took off from there.”
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.