Smithtown boys bowling is second in state championships

SYRACUSE — Timothy Schiraldi, Joshua Bholan and Kyle Perillo have been the nucleus of the Smithtown boys bowling team for the last handful of seasons.

Schiraldi was the team manager in eighth grade and officially came aboard as a freshman in 2018. Perillo has been on squad since seventh grade (2016) and Bholan joined as an eighth-grader in 2017.

The trio of seniors had their high school bowling journey culminate on Sunday at Strike ‘N Spare Lanes with a second-place finish at the Division I state championship. Smithtown totaled 6,133 pins and finished 92 pins behind Section I champion North Rockland.

"For us to come so close and be the first Smithtown team to make it here in a long time [since 1994] means a lot for the school," said Schiraldi. "It was awesome that we had the chance to be here, represent Suffolk and roll into second place."

Schiraldi threw the highest game of the tournament with a 289 in Game 2. He finished with a six-game series of 1,256. Freshman Jeremy Holcomb added a 265 in Game 2 of a 1,301 series, Perillo bowled a 235 in both Games 1 and 3 of a 1,245 series and Bholan threw a 258 in Game 1 of a 1,238 series.

Smithtown knocked down 3,389 pins in the morning session of the championship and led the field by 363 pins entering the afternoon session. Unfortunately, that lead evaporated over the final three games and the Bulls were unable to capture their first state title.

"The energy that we had in the beginning of the day came from us stringing together strikes," Perillo said. "We just couldn’t do that in the second half of the day. We were leaving splits and there was a bit of a disconnect that ultimately led us to our doom."

Perillo added: "I have been part of such a great program for the last six seasons. Smithtown has consistently been one of the top teams in Suffolk, and we have had great teams throughout the years. I am just truly honored to be a part of this team."

Sewanhaka boys place eighth in Division I

Brandon Hughes was spectacular all season long for the Sewanhaka boys bowling team. The senior led Nassau with a 233.27 average and guided his team to a county championship and a state tournament appearance.

Hughes rolled a 224 in his final game as a high school bowler to finish with a 1,211 series, as Sewanhaka placed eighth in Division I with a total of 2,669 pins. Brian Morreale rolled a 226 in Game 3 of a 1,123 series and Isaiah Washington threw a 243 in Game 1 of a 1,067 series.

"It wasn’t the way we wanted to bowl today, but we had fun," Hughes said. "There are a lot of good teams up here and the competition is tough. I learned over the years that you’re not always going to win and I’m just grateful to have had the opportunity to be up here."