Bowling places 12th at states
photo by Peyton Such
Sept. 29,, bowling wins against Crooms bowling.
On Nov. 5, the boys bowling team placed 12th in the FHSAA 3A state championships, falling 21 points short to Eau Gallie High School. The team had made its way to sixth place out of 22 teams during the qualifying rounds, with junior Jacob Daleandro leading with an individual score of 888 pins.
Their top performers included Daleandro, placing 16th, and junior Dalton Taylor placing 58th. “During the entirety of our morning qualifying, we were really hopeful, ” Taylor said.
Aside from the team competition, Jacob Daleandro captured 16th place in the first four-way tie in the FHSAA championships. He was also the only bowler from Seminole County to place in the championships.
“It was really exciting for me,” Daleandro said. “I wasn’t expecting to bowl that well going into it and ended up doing really well”.
However, as the day progressed, their momentum slowed during the second round of the team bracket, resulting in a loss to East River.
While the bowlers were able to defeat Tampa Bay during the consolation bracket, they were defeated by Eau Gallie, only 21 points short.
“The most disheartening part of states was during our last Baker,” Dalton said. “We had a chance but lost it.”
Nonetheless, the match represents the team’s efforts all throughout the season despite the unavoidable shortcomings such as the availability of practice and a shortage of players.
“Even though we couldn’t have everybody there, we were prepared for the championships,” said Dalton.
The pandemic had made it more difficult for members of the team to practice and attend games, but they were able to adapt to the circumstances and surpass their expectations.
“At one point, we went up against Apopka High School, and we weren’t expecting to beat them because they were six-time champs,” Daleandro said, “but we absolutely crushed them and it put us all in a great mindset.”
Leading up to the championships, the season had been a streak of victory against Lyman, Lake Brantley, Winter Springs, Crooms, Lake Howell and Seminole. The boys ended with a 7-1 season record.
Their winning streak was abruptly interrupted by a close loss against Oviedo during districts, ultimately placing second. Despite the loss, it proved to be the most memorable game of the season due to the history of the rivalry, and the team later overcame them at Districts.
“Oviedo was an important match because we came pretty close and the team was having a lot of fun,” Dalton said.
The entirety of the season proved to be both a partial winning streak and a learning experience for the team, despite their losses.
“It is easy to only focus on yourself, because bowling is a very individual sport,” said head coach Jacob Colquhuon. “This season forced them to think about the team and put each other first”.
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