March 16, 2024
By Emma Bannon
Editor
Striking down its competition, the bowling team finished its season on Feb. 24 with a 21-2 record.
Among the highlights of the season was junior Mark Rigano’s performance at the Feb. 8 match at North Arlington Bowl-O-Drome against Wood-Ridge High School.
Bowling his best match, Rigano bowled a 768, with a 256 average per game. LHS won the match 7-0.
Rigano, who has been on varsity since his freshman year, said the bowlers showed substantial improvement since last season, which concluded with a 10-9 record. He said he and his teammates had a successful season because they maintained a winning mentality.
“We don’t really have to handle tough situations because we are always confident in ourselves to always win and succeed,” Rigano said. “When we do face an obstacle, we just lock in and don’t let it get to us.”
He said the team benefited from having eight returning bowlers with varsity experience.
“Besides myself, I feel [seniors] Jake Kuenzle and Shane Keeler [were] the top performers for this season’s team because they have improved a lot from last season,” Rigano said. “Also, [junior] Patrick O’Rourke has improved a lot from last season and the beginning games of this season.”
“Other teams are loud when they get hyped, but we [made] sure to get louder.”
Kuenzle, who has been on varsity since his freshman year, said the team’s chemistry has contributed to its success.
“[Our] dynamic [was] electric,” Kuenzle said. “Other teams are loud when they get hyped, but we [made] sure to get louder.”
Kuenzle said he attributes his improvement this season to his new pre-match tradition of eating a jawbreaker, which he calls his good luck charm.
“With my average last season being only 159, there’s been a huge improvement this season with my average being 188,” Kuenzle said.
O’Rourke, who joined varsity this year, said he credits the team’s achievements to six-year Head Coach Offitto’s strict coaching style.
“Coach [Offitto was] harsher if we [had] a very bad game. [That] help[ed] us massively,” O’Rourke said.
He said this season’s matches were especially fun because the bowlers had a strong connection and were performing at a high level.
“We’ve all improved our averages a lot since last year, and we all look massively better,” O’Rourke said. “We are exactly where we expected to be, towards the top where we belong.”
