East Islip boys and girls bowling teams win Suffolk titles
East Islip wins the Suffolk girls bowling team championship on Saturday at Sayville Bowlero. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
Brenden Muller and his fellow East Islip seniors had been chasing the feeling of winning the Suffolk team boys bowling title for four seasons.
On Saturday at Bowlero Sayville, they realized what it feels like to be a champion.
Muller had a 667 series in the morning and a 712 series in the afternoon session at the county championships to lead East Islip to its first Suffolk crown since 2021. East Islip finished first with a six-game total of 6,465.
“We worked really hard to show everyone our depth as a squad,” Muller said. “We knew what we were capable of coming in and nothing was going to get in our way of finishing strong. It feels amazing.”
Longwood led after the morning three-game session as Isaiah Jackson bowled a 634 series.
But Muller and Greggory Stephens shot a 246 and 252, respectively, in Game 4 to put East Islip ahead for good. Longwood (6,182) finished second and Commack (6,154) placed third.
East Islip seniors Niko Stavropoulos and Andrew Jacobsen had six-game series of 1,349 and 1,257, respectively.
“We knew we had a good chance this year, but we lost one of our best bowlers to an injury early in the season,” Jacobsen said. “We really had to come together and build each other up and work hard to get here.”
East Islip (14-2) never appeared to miss a step this season.
“Everyone picked each other up quickly. We had two freshman that bowled for most of the season,” East Islip coach Judith Fischer added. “The entire team did their part to accomplish this.”
“It brought our team closer together in the end,” assistant coach Michael D’Ambrosio added.
Freshman Lucas Lawlor rolled a 1,031 series and Lucas Brelsford added a 1,150 series. Stephens also had three-game series of 582 and 681 for East Islip.
Islip’s Gavin Connell had the high game of the championship with a 290 in Game 1.
East Islip will compete for a state title at Strike ‘N Spare Lanes in Syracuse on March 14.
“We’re all really great friends and we work well together,” Jacobsen said. “We’ve grown together as a team and I’m looking forward to competing together as a team.”
Jacobsen, Half Hollow Hills’ Alexander Greaves, Commack’s Luke Jovans, Whitman’s Chris Rinaldi and Harborfields’ Sean McNally will join Longwood’s Tyler Uss — the county singles champion from Jan. 16 — on the Suffolk All-Star team that will vie for a state championship on March 15.
n East Islip girls repeat
The East Islip girls bowling team (11-0) also was perfect in the regular season en route to clinching its second consecutive county championship on Saturday.
Senior Dakota Collins rolled a high series of 675 in the afternoon session as East Islip totaled 5,981 pins in six games to earn the Suffolk title.
“We had high expectations walking in, but we knew if we made spares and stayed clean, we would do fine,” Collins said. “I was just bowling to get strikes and spares and it worked.”
Junior Brooke Andresen had series of 624 and 680 and sophomore Meeya Leaderman shot series of 590 and 595.
“We got louder progressively, and the louder we are, the better we bowl,” Andresen said. “We just kept with that energy and we bowled really well.”
Kaylee Dwyer bowled a high game of 268 in the afternoon for Longwood, which placed second (5,785). Smithtown finished third (5,345).
The East Islip girls also will compete in the state championship in Syracuse on March 14.
“I think I feel more pressure than they do because I get nervous for them,” said East Islip coach Rob Sconone. “They know that they’re capable of and they just go out there and have fun.”
Leaderman, Andresen, Collins, Dwyer, Longwood’s Ava Mazella, and Smithtown’s Trishna Desai will make up the Suffolk All-Star team that will compete for a state title in Syracuse on March 15.
Said Mazella: “While our team struggled a little bit today, it feels great knowing it’s not over yet and we’ll be able to represent Longwood and the county at the highest level.”
