Marcus Alaimo, Chaminade bowling come out on top again
Marcus Alaimo of Chaminade rolled a 218 in Game 2 to help the Flyers to another CHSAA championship. Credit: James Escher
Chaminade has been the class of CHSAA boys bowling for the past eight years, winning eight consecutive league titles.
But after having lost two matches early in the season, the Flyers found themselves in unfamiliar territory, and entered the CHSAA championship ranked as the second seed behind St. John the Baptist.
“For the first time we were underdogs,” senior Marcus Alaimo said. “We lost a lot of good bowlers last year, and good leaders. I knew that I had step up and coach the younger kids.”
In a back-and-forth battle that came down to the third and final game, Chaminade defeated top-seeded St. John the Baptist, 5-4, Thursday evening at Wantagh Lanes. The Flyers (13-2) knocked down 57 more pins (3,480-3,423) than the Cougars (12-2) and improved their record to 54-2-1 in the last four seasons, according to Chaminade coach Terence Fitzgibbon.
“Being able to perform and win while being underdogs shows how tough this team is,” Alaimo said. “I did not want to let down the guys from the previous years.”
Alaimo rolled a 218 in Game 2 of a 617 series and fellow senior captain Christian Freel had a 226 in Game 1 of a 625 series. Freel finished with the top average in the CHSAA with a 208 and was named both the regular season and playoff MVP. Nick DiScala bowled a 243 in Game 1 and a 238 in Game 2 of a 682 series for the Cougars.
“It was a big deal to win this, it’s been a long time since we lost a championship,” Freel said. “It would have been tough to lose and for the rest of my life be thinking about how the tradition was over. Luckily I don’t have to worry about that.”
“From the very beginning I relied on both Marcus and Christian to essentially act as a second and third coach,” Fitzgibbon said. “The strength of our team has always been the ability of our guys to remain humble and remain team-focused.”
Fitzgibbon went on to say that the losses his team suffered to St. John the Baptist and Kellenberg had its pros and cons.
“They were certainly down points for our bowlers but also motivating for them,” Fitzgibbon said. “For the first time in a long time they realized their own vulnerability and knew they couldn’t take anything for granted.”
