Feb. 7, 2025
By Layla Lundholm
Staff Writer
The bowling team is bringing experience and passion to the lanes for a successful season. As of Feb. 7, the team’s record was 15-4.
The bowlers have one more match remaining in their regular season, which will take place at Bowl O’ Drome in North Arlington on Feb. 10 against Wallington High School.
Senior captain Mark Rigano, who started bowling when he was eight, has been on varsity since his freshman year. He has a 196.90 bowling average, which is the highest on the team.
Rigano said during challenging games, he focuses on encouraging his team.
“I usually just reassure my teammates that we’re fine,” Rigano said. “In the lineup, I [am] last, so all the pressure goes on me, but it doesn’t really affect me that much [because] I just block everything out and go.”
Despite his success, Rigano said he encourages other bowlers not to take the sport too seriously.
“It’s just a game at the end of the day, so just have fun,” Rigano said.
He said he appreciates the encouragement he receives from his parents and brother, who all have bowling experience. He said his other key supporters are his girlfriend, senior Kieran Meehan, and the other members of the bowling team.
“I like being around [my teammates because] everyone’s uplifting and fun to just be around,” Rigano said.
Senior Patrick O’Rourke, who joined varsity last year, brings over a decade of experience to the lanes.
“When I was younger, I [participated in] a summer camp here at the high school, and one of the options was you could go bowling on a certain day of the week,” O’Rourke said. “I did it every week, and that got me interested to join the team.”
O’Rourke said his most successful bowling moment was beating Butler and Hawthorne Christian Academy High Schools to win the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference Championship at Parkway Lanes in Elmwood Park on Feb. 22, 2024.
Even though there was a lot at stake in this competition, he said his team enjoyed interacting with members of the other teams.
“It’s just a game at the end of the day, so just have fun.”
“[We competed against] schools that we had never even heard of or seen, and we were having fun with them, shockingly. They were joking around with us, [and] we were joking around with them,” O’Rourke said.
Like O’Rourke and Rigano, junior Payton Rivezzi, who joined varsity this year, spent her youth bowling.
“My family was brought up around bowling, so my aunts and uncles did it in high school, and then around five [years old], I started off with the little [plastic bowling aid] dinosaurs,” Rivezzi said. “About four or five years ago, my uncle got me my first heavyweight ball.”
Rivezzi said she values the encouragement she receives from Head Coach Offitto, her teammates and her parents.
“They really support us…. It’s amazing,” Rivezzi said. “[Being on the team] means the absolute world to me.”
