Forty-six teams, hundreds of athletes, four state championships, one bowling alley; everything was on the line as teams lined up for their shot at becoming state champions. Tensions were high across the board, but so were hopes. The Blue Devils hoped to avenge their loss from last season. A grueling loss of nine pins. They competed valiantly but ultimately fell short, finishing sixth in this year’s Group 3 state championship.
Obviously, being the state tournament, this wasn’t your average bowling event. Each team would have only three games and switch lanes after each game for oil pattern purposes. At the end of the three matches, the team with the highest overall score claimed victory and the tournament trophy.
For the first game, Westfield was paired with Woodbridge. The Blue Devils got off to a blistering start with two quick strikes from seniors Gabe Dayon and Kyle Brunt. The motivation for the boys was simple. Keep chasing and be clean. As the match progressed, however, the Blue Devils struggled to be clean. Westfield left numerous frames open and consequently numerous points on the board. The Blue Devils pulled ahead with the aid of Brunt and co-captain Dayon, who got off to hot starts, as well as a late-match surge from co-captain Perry Cuccaro and substitute Dylan Scanlon. Cuccaro’s 20 mph fast ball, as well as Scanlon’s much-needed strikes off the bench, helped Westfield finish with 885 and a promising start to the day.
Game two began with Westfield’s best play of the day. The Blue Devils quickly picked up where they had left off from the game before. Led by Dayon, the Blue Devils dominated early, picking up strike after strike and cleaning the alley of any spares. Dayon finished this match with 8 of his 10 frames resulting in strikes and a staggering 244 points. At this point anticipation was high and the Blue Devils’ success was determined by the right arm of Dayon. Momentum was in Westfield’s favor, and one could now see Jackson Memorial, the leader, within reach. It wasn’t until the team’s last frame that a trophy seemed out of reach. Despite struggles, Westfield finished with its tournament high of 953.
“The third game, just couldn’t get it rolling,” said Dayon. “You don’t want to lose it your senior year because you only get so many opportunities for a state title as a player.”
Despite a promising first game and a dominant second, the Blue Devils could not overcome the overwhelming deficit created by Jackson Memorial. Jackson, which scored over 1000 in each of their matches, ultimately won the Group 3 championship. Jackson went undefeated this season and was the favorite going into the tournament as the reigning champion.
“I mean, we bounced back while everyone had their best game, the second game. And then in the third game we just couldn’t get it rolling,” said Dayon.
Although Westfield came up short, head coach Ralph Corey was very pleased to win a Union County Tournament championship. The emotional coach also mentioned how much he is going to miss this senior-heavy team next year, and how important the seniors were to him.
“They’ve made me excited to come to work every day and coach,” Corey said. “Every practice, they’ve been focused, they’re working hard, they push one another. Most importantly, they enjoyed being around one another. And I’m just super excited for all this success over the last few years. It’s been a pleasure working with them.”
