Longwood girls, boys win Suffolk bowling championships
The Longwood boys and girls bowling teams celebrate their wins at the Suffolk boys and girls bowling team championships on Saturday at Sayville Bowlero. Credit: Neil Miller
A year later, Longwood finally got the clean sweep it was looking for.
After winning its second straight Suffolk County championship Saturday afternoon, Longwood’s girls bowling team headed to the other side of Bowlero Sayville to check on the boys team.
The Longwood boys entered the sixth and final game up 17 pins over East Islip and 133 pins on Sachem.
It came down to the final frame, when Dylan Dwyer bowled a turkey to cap a 225 in Game 6 to clinch the lead over East Islip.
“I believe that once you get the first strike, the next two will come to you,” said Dwyer, a junior. “After the first one, it felt like I was unconscious.”
But Sachem was on the verge of completing the comeback, sending Longwood’s supporters into a mental math frenzy.
After the final count, Longwood was ahead by 24 pins with a total of 6,279 to Sachem’s 6,255. East Islip (6,204) took third place and Comsewogue (5,978) placed fourth.
It marks Longwood’s third boys bowling title and first since 2005.
Longwood trailed East Islip by 106 pins after the first three games, but knocked down 1,183 pins in Game 4 to take an 89-pin lead.
“It felt amazing to take the lead like that,” senior Joe Kelly said. “But we knew we still had to stay motivated for the last two games.”
Kelly rolled a 266 in Game 4 and led Longwood with a 1,336 series.
Last year, Longwood was in first place entering the final game, but finished in fourth.
“The same thing happened last year where the girls came over to cheer our boys on, but we lost it in Game 6,” said coach Douglas Dwyer, Dylan’s father. “To have their support again was awesome.”
Longwood’s girls had a more relaxing finish.
They led by 324 pins entering the final game and finished with 6,044 pins. East Islip (5,697) took second and Sachem (5,607) placed third.
Even with the large lead, Longwood didn’t let up. Samantha Slocum, Ava Nazella, Samantha Felice and Jolie Penney all bowled higher than a 200 in the final game.
“Before the sixth game, I told them the differential and that it would be difficult for us to lose,” coach David Huey said. “I think if anything it loosened them up and they delivered.”
Slocum finished with a 1,289 series and Nazella had a 1,224 series.
“We have powerful team this year,” sophomore Ava Mazella said. “All the energy and advice we were giving each other in between frames really powered us.”
Both Longwood teams will represent Section XI in the state tournament on Friday, March 10, at AMF Strike-N-Spare Lanes in Syracuse.
Longwood’s girls took second place at the state tournament last year and they can’t wait to go back.
“We bring a lot more to the table this year,” Slocum said. “A lot of the girls have really stepped up to the plate.”
East Islip will send three bowlers to Syracuse as a part of the Section XI girls All-Star team. Kailyn Bloch, Dakota Collins and Brooke Andresen will be joined by Leighanna Tolan (Central Islip), Cira Arcangel (Sachem) and Julianna Caridi (West Babylon).
The boys All-Star team is comprised of Bay Shore’s Jayden Lobasso and Jermaine Daniels, East Islip’s Matthew Sundberg and Brenden Muller, Matthew Grimaldi (Sachem) and Anthony Manetta (Comsewogue). Both teams will compete on Saturday, March 11.
