Amherst's boys 'A' team narrowly loses to Depew
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter

Amherst Central closed out its 2006-07 season with a 6-1 home loss to Depew last Friday at Airport Lanes, but Tigers coach Jason Beckman felt the score was deceiving.

"It came down to the last game (on 'A')," said Beckman. "I'm happy with the way the kids bowled overall."

Amherst's "A" team lost game three, 728-720. The Tigers took its only point from Depew in game one on "A." Led by Dean Snyder's 233 and Eric Michalski's 208, Amherst won, 803-693. Snyder finished with a 593 set. Michalski was not far behind with a 598. Amherst's "A" lost by two total pins, 2213-2211.

Depew's "B" team won the match. The Wildcats won all three "B" games by a combined 461 pins, 1994-1533. Depew's Steve Bukowski led "B" with a 602 set. Kevin Alajko led Depew's "A" team with a 653 set, including a game-high 248.

"It was a total team effort," said Depew coach Adam Nagy.

The win improved Depew to 6-6 and qualified the team for the Section VI Championships on Friday at Thruway Lanes.

Amherst was also without Justin Garus, who has qualified for sectionals as an individual with a 187.07 average, and Kyle Schmidt. Despite not having a winning record, Amherst has advanced to sectionals because their top-five averages are better than other teams that did not qualify with a .500 record. It's also dependent on how many lanes are available on the day of sectionals.

"I'm happy with our improvement the kids made all year," said Beckman. "They're a good group to work with, they take instruction well and they support each other, so it makes it fun for a coach."

Before the Depew match, Amherst lost to Maryvale 7-0, Cheektowaga, 6-1, and Pioneer, 5-2.

Amherst's "A" lost to Cheektowaga, 2248-2315. The "B" team lost by 12 pins in game three. Garus led the Tigers with a 618 set, including games of 225 and 203. Michalski rolled a 582 with games of 213 and 203. Sean Stein, who averages about 145, shot a 170 and 175. Chris Oliver rolled a 202.

Garus shot 234-596 on "A" against Maryvale. Corey Rotterman had a 189, 193 and 193 for a 575 set on "B".

Led by Michalski's 211-581, Snyder's 202 and Garus' 207, the Tigers "A" team took both points against Pioneer.

Amherst girls

The Lady Tigers have also made great strides this season. Despite finishing 1-10, including a 7-0 loss to Depew, coach Dennis Illig has seen much improvement.

Illig said Lauren Williams, who two months ago was averaging 78, shot all three games against Depew at least 33 pins above that, including a 168. She finished with a 392 set.

Katie Fowler was below 100 and has steadily improved, Illig said, with games of 121, 125 and 146 against Depew. Kristin Ortman (142-365) and Stephanie Mohr (159-419) have also improved, said Illig.

Like the boys team, Illig thought his girls were a couple of marks away from taking some points against Depew. Carolyn Trabert led Amherst with a 446 set.

Amherst was supposed to compete in sectionals this Thursday, but it was changed last Friday to only teams with a .500 record.