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Consistency needed for Amherst boys bowling With seven of its eight starters returning, Amherst coach Jason Beckman is hoping his team can be competitive with most squads in ECIC Division III. But in order to do that, his team has to be consistent. "Consistency is the key word for us," said Beckman, whose team finished 2-9 last year. "We can't afford to have one kid bowl above his average and another to bowl 20 pins below their average. When somebody bowls above their average, everybody else has to be at their average or better. We've got to be at our best and get some timely shots." The Tigers have already displayed some clutch shots this season. In the first game of its 4-3 home opening loss to Tonawanda at Airport Lanes last Wednesday, junior Justin Garus struck out in the tenth frame and junior Dean Snyder converted a spare to win points for the Tigers' "A" and "B" teams. The Tigers' "A" team won its second game but Tonawanda took the remaining four points, including total pinfall by 175. "Midway through the second game we left a lot of splits and that was really the difference," said Beckman. Garus led Amherst with a 506 set including games of 203 and 212. Eighth-grader Eric Michalski had high set (615) and high game (264). Seniors Kyle Schmidt and Chris Oliver rolled games of 220 and 222, respectively. Senior Brandon Jeffords rolled a 555 set. "In a dual match, we need these scores happening at the same time," said Beckman. "Our problem is we go from a 222 to 150 the next game and that is what ends up hurting us as a team." Amherst's starting "A" team is, from leadoff to anchor, Schmidt (184 average, 168 last year), Jeffords (176 average), Michalski and Garus. The "B" team will feature Oliver, junior Sean Stein, freshman Steve Bardo and Snyder. Bardo is the only new bowler out of the starting eight. Every other starter has been with the team for either three or four years. Schmidt has improved his average from 168 last year to 184 this year. Garus, last year's team MVP, and Michalski are the team's top two top bowlers. Garus, a left-hander, edged Michalski, a right-hander, 189.24-187.27, for top average last year. Garus bowled 16 games over 200 to Michalski's 15. Garus had a high game of 256; Michalski rolled a team-high 676 set. Garus is averaging 198 this year; Michalski is hovering at 187. Beckman said both have the capability to average over 200. "Eric probably throws with more power than Justin but for both of them it's a matter of consistency and making the right adjustments at the right time," said Beckman. "It's something we've been working on in practice." Jeffords, a co-captain with Oliver, another left-hander, is averaging 176. Oliver shot a 222 against Tonawanda but is only averaging 165. Stein averages 141, Bardo averages 157 and had a 500 series against Tonawanda. Snyder averages 175. Bardo and Snyder are left-handers. Amherst opened with a 23rd place at the Maryvale Holiday Tournament on Dec. 3 at Airport Lanes. Garus led the Tigers with a 636 series with games of 235 and 234. Snyder (203), Schmidt (204) and Michalski (209) also bowled well. They also lost 6-1 to Maryvale on Monday at Airport Lanes.
Amherst took 14th out of 51 teams at last year's Section VI Championships and fifth place in Class B. |
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