BY ROBERT ELKIN | Sophomore Michael Spencer turned in a better performance in the third and last game when he rolled a 215. But he didn’t have complete support from his Xavier High School teammates at Astoria Bowl in Queens in a final match in the Catholic High School Athletic Association junior varsity championships.
Their opponent, Archbishop Molloy of Queens, remained undefeated in regular season competition by defeating Xavier to capture the citywide title.
Over the past years, Molloy seemed to bowl much better and is a little too strong for its opponents to handle, both on the varsity and junior varsity levels.
Spencer had rolled games of 188 and 184 prior to his career high of 215. Teammate Nick Tucker bowled a 145 and 147, Clark Sevcik threw a 172, followed by Nick Kane, who threw a 142. Brian Reilly tossed a 122 and 143. Joe Abbruzzese and Michael Schaefer round out the roster.
Spencer was nervous during his first two games but he came on strong in his third and last game.
“At the beginning of the season we were in last place and worked our way up,” Spencer said after the finals competition. “We finished as division champions and then entered the playoffs. I shot pretty well today.
Both Molloy and Xavier turned in exciting seasons. Xavier finished with a 9-5 record in match competition.
At the beginning of the season, the coaches felt that this Xavier team had the capabilities of going to the citywide finals. However, there was a lot of work to be done to go deep into the playoffs and be in contention to win the whole thing.
“We had a great season. They work very hard, and we’re happy to be here,” said Coach Chris McCabe. “We practice at Shell Lanes in Brooklyn. We compete in Yonkers. It’s a trip to and from the lanes. It’s a big commitment.”
Brian Reilly is the team’s most improved bowler.
“He bowled a 68 at the start of the season,” McCabe said. “He didn’t do too much in the championship match. He did bowl over 200 during the regular season.”
Then there was Clark Sevcik, who also improved as the season went along.
“He never bowled before this year,” the coach noted. “Now he’s bowling in the upper 100s and even going over 200… . And Spencer improved a lot.”
The student athletes on the team hail from all over the metro area, including New Jersey.
“We’re very satisfied with the season,” McCabe added. “We started out…slow. We started out in eighth place among the 11 squads in the league. That was in week four. Every week we kept on building until we reached the divisional championships.”
Xavier carries a roster of seven players on the J.V. team and six on the varsity. Everybody should be back near year. There will be practices and workouts during the off-season in Brooklyn.
“Going into a championship match with all these kids is very exciting,” said Jose Aquino, a faculty member at Xavier representing the athletic department. “Last time we won a championship was, I believe, 2005.”
“We’ll definitely be back,” said Coach McCabe. “I’m extremely proud in what they have done and I can’t wait until next year.”
