Alex Fiorillo leads Chaminade to CHSAA boys bowling championship
CHAMINADE BOYS BOWLING. Alex Fiorillo, top row and center, led charge to hold off St. Anthony’s by 61 pins to win CHSAA championship. Credit: Neil Miller
With tension building and the score tied at the CHSAA boys bowling team championship, Chaminade’s Alex Fiorillo cranked up the energy when it mattered the most.
Fiorillo rolled high series of 659 to help No. 2 Chaminade rally past defending champion and No. 1 St. Anthony’s by just 61 pins (3,455 to 3,394) and secure a 5-4 win at Wantagh Lanes on Thursday.
“They were getting loud and we just responded with our own energy,” Fiorillo said. “Energy is one of the biggest things. It can throw you. It got us down in Game 2 but got us back up in Game 3.”
Fiorillo closed out the final game with six straight strikes, rolling a 253. His performance set the stage for Sebastian LoGuidice, who roared after also rolling three consecutive strikes in the final frame for a 190 for Chaminade (12-2).
St. Anthony’s (13-1) was led by junior Gavin Wlodarczyk, who had a high game of 268 in a 638 series. Anthony Mahoney rolled a 168 in Game 2 for a 515-514 win to help the Friars earn a coveted lane point.
“We fell apart and had that one-pin loss in Game 2 and it was a little disheartening, but we played with that motivation,” Fiorillo said. “Once we started using it, I knew we had it in us to win.”
Fiorillo, who led the CHSAA with a 206 average, was named the league’s MVP and also won the Bob Hamilton Boys Bowler of the Year award, in honor of the former CHSAA chairman and St. John the Baptist boys coach of 30 years who passed away in September from brain cancer.
ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST GIRLS. Charlotte Mardiney, second from left in top row, led way with 512 series. Credit: Neil Miller
With St. John the Baptist and Kellenberg tied heading into the third and final game of the girls bowling team championship, Charlotte Mardiney knew exactly what had to be done.
The junior, who led the Cougars with a 512 high series, closed out the final with a spare to help No. 2 St. John the Baptist defeat defending champion and No. 1 Kellenberg, 5-4, to claim the CHSAA girls bowling title on Thursday at Wantagh Lanes.
“Once I hit that I was so excited,” Mardiney said. “I was just hoping I could get . I just had to let it roll. It felt amazing.”
Mardiney rolled off three total spares and five consecutive strikes for a Game 3 score of 210 as St. John the Baptist (11-1) won by 22 pins to clinch the victory.
“I told the girls that they needed to get those spares, because that’s what it was going to come down to,” St. John the Baptist coach Lauren Haines said. “Before that third game, [Charlotte] told the team, we’re getting those spares and we’re winning, and that’s exactly what she did.”
Kellenberg (10-2) standout Kerri Callahan bowled a 206, 183 and 215 for a championship high series of 604. Callahan was named the Bob Hamilton Girls Bowler of the Year.
St. John the Baptist captured its second CHSAA title in the last three seasons.
“I think everyone cheering each other on really helped us this season,” Mardiney said. “When we bowl together, we just make it happen.”
