Scotch Plains-Fanwood’s Matt Reynolds sunk into an awkward, twisting crouch as his ball skittered down the lane. The ball spun on the wood floor, barreling toward the remaining pins, and for one fleeting second the world stood still.
In that second, hearts leaped and plummeted, soared and sank. The small but enthusiastic crowd, clustered around the two lanes, drew a collective breath and leaned slightly forward.
Then the ball nudged the remaining pins. They tottered to the ground.
A shout rose from the SPF side.
It was a spare for Reynolds, an exhale for everyone watching—and a win for SPF. Reynolds’s spare, on his second-to-last shot of the match, capped a miraculous final-frame Raider comeback and slammed the door on Westfield. The Blue Devils (7-2, ranked No. 8 in NJ), once in tenuous control of the decisive third game, lost to the Raiders (9-0, ranked No. 4 in NJ) by a thread, 962–949.
“It always comes down to the last shot [against Scotch Plains],” head coach Ralph Corey said. “Nothing new. But they showed heart, and that’s what I’m proud of.”
Westfield did capture total wood, 3012–2997, making it a 4-3 loss. It was Westfield’s second loss to SPF this season, after a 5-2 loss in early December. This match’s total wood triumph was consolation after the disheartening finish.
Tension shifted to melodrama just before the 10th frame, when the lanes briefly shut down. The match paused for a couple minutes. The drama built, reaching intolerable heights (intolerable, at least, for some nervous parents). The Raiders huddled together at the end of the break, seemingly steeling themselves for the challenge to come.
When the huddle broke, Scotch Plains emerged boosted by newfound energy. Sean Ferrone, bowling leadoff, drilled a strike and emitted a roar—a roar that sounded like a lion, a roar so intense Westfield bowlers recoiled and then laughed, perhaps in amusement, perhaps in surprise.
The Blue Devils puttered along, but it wasn’t enough.
A pin here. A pin there. That was the story in the final frame.
“If one of us makes a strike instead of a spare, or makes a spare and gets one more pin instead of zero,” Gabe Dayon said, “we win that game.”
That’s how tight the margins are.
The Blue Devils were buoyed in the final game by a surprise performance from Dylan Scanlon, who posted a 224. Scanlon brought blistering energy in addition to stellar bowling, yelling after every big shot.
“Probably one of the most solid performances in a high-pressure situation for him,” Corey said, “and he handled it really well.”
But a pair of lackluster performances in the final game hindered Westfield.
“We had two players that really didn’t give us that varsity number this last game,” Corey said, “and that’s kind of where we lost the game a little bit.”
Westfield appeared poised for victory midway through the third game. Everything was working. The pins that shouldn’t have fallen were falling. An SPF mother at one point implored, “Why is their last pin falling and ours isn’t?”
Those strong first two-thirds of the third game came after a powerful second game. Westfield maintained a small lead throughout. The buffer shrank, and the buffer sagged, but the buffer never snapped. The Blue Devils pulled away at the end for a 1076–992 win. SPF had won the first game, 1043–987.
Corey and Dayon both mentioned that the lanes eventually dried out, complicating the equation. Because many of the Westfield and SPF bowlers roll the ball at high revolutions, the ball sucks up oil quickly. Dry lanes are not conducive to good bowling. And SPF appears better able to cope with dry lanes.
But Dayon noted that Westfield adapted to the situation.
“Most of us were able to adjust to it,” he said. “That’s why we were able to compete in the third game, because last time we weren’t able to adjust and this time we were.”
The major difference between this match and the first meeting with SPF was the third game’s complexion. A month ago, Scotch Plains shouldered Westfield violently aside to seize the third game and the match. This time, the SPF victory required something more akin to theft.
“Last time, when we split, once we started losing, we just gave up,” Dayon said. “This one, we still battled throughout, and we gave them a run for their money.”
Westfield’s high total wood was another positive takeaway. “Any time we bowl a 3000, it’s a good sign for this team,” Corey said.
Perry Cuccaro led Westfield with a 700 series. Dayon followed with a 656, and Scanlon with a 597. Ferrone led SPF with a 673 series, followed by Louis Messano with a 634 and Reynolds with a 619.
A moment in the first game perhaps exemplified Westfield’s disappointment.
Three pins stood as Dayon initiated his motion. Searching for a spare, he hurled the ball. He stood frozen as the ball twisted down the lane.
The ball struck the first pin with a hollow thunk. The other two stood unbothered. Dayon grimaced. He turned away, picked up a towel and tossed it lightly on the table, frustrated but reserved.
Another night of frustration against SPF.
