Spindell leads Clarke girls in opener

They're well on their way.

Clarke's varsity girls bowling team opened up its season with a 502-477, 632-514, 658-572 win over East Meadow in Nassau Conference IV Tuesday.

"It feels great to get off to such a good start," coach Courtney Castle said. "We want to do great things this season."

Jessica Spindell bowled a 474 series with a high of 211 in Game 3 to lead the Rams.

Junior Megan Gratta led East Meadow, which has no seniors on its team, with a 450 series and a high of 166 in Game 3.

In the first game, East Meadow was leading through six frames, but Clarke was able to put together a string of strikes and spares to mount a comeback.

The Jets also kept it close in Game 3, down by just eight pins through six frames. But Spindell had three straight strikes in the seventh, eighth, and ninth frames and picked up a spare in the 10th to help the Rams pull away.

SEE PHOTOSClarke 2, East Meadow 1

"It's great to get a win like this over East Meadow because we know they're one of our top competitors," Castle said.

After finishing second in the conference last year behind Hicksville, Castle said she has high expectations for this season.

"With the amount of experience we have, we're hoping for a perfect season. That's our goal this year," she said.

Along with Spindell, seniors Carlie Mendoza and Jen Raichel bring a wealth of experience to the team. Raichel bowled a 426 series with a high of 154 in Game 2.

Mendoza, who has been bowling for Clarke since the seventh grade, bowled a 460 with a high of 179 in Game 2. Her sister Christina, a freshman, bowled a 432 series with a high of 161 in Game 3 in her first career varsity match.

The Rams have to deal with the loss of senior Brooke Wood, who will miss the season after undergoing hand surgery. Despite the loss of one of her top bowlers, Castle remains confident in her outlook for the season.

"I was feeling a little down after losing Brooke," she said. "But this match showed me that we still have what it takes to be a top contender."

And her girls are just as confident.

"I think we're the best in the league right now," Raichel said. "We've been doing great in practice and we did great today, so we're looking to go far this season."

Clarke boys also win. Mike DeStephano bowled 247 in Game 2 of a 642 series and Glen DeGennaro rolled a 631 series to lift Clarke (1-0 Conference IV) in 737-806, 810-750, 831-754 comeback win over East Meadow, giving the Rams a sweep on the day.