Jason Donovan gets high of 279 as Seaford takes fourth at state Division II bowling tourney
Jason Donovan and teammate after Seaford boys took fourth in state Division II bowling tournament in Syracuse on Fridy, March 11, 2022. Credit: Heather Ainsworth
SYRACUSE — X marked the spot for Seaford’s Jason Donovan Friday at AMF Strike 'N Spare Lanes.
Donovan littered the scoreboard with 11 stikes in Game 5 of the state Division II boys bowling tournament, and finished with the highest game of the championship with a 279. Donovan had the fifth-highest series of the tournament (1,275) and led Seaford to a fourth-place finish with a six-game total of 5,662 pins. Section VI’s Maryvale won the title with a total of 6,325.
"I was locked in. After every shot I was screaming and yelling to fire myself up. I wasn’t going to let anything stop me from getting that 279," Donovan said. "I wish that 10 pin would have fell in the sixth frame, but I threw a bad shot and didn’t deserve it. I was able to pick up the spare and moved on to the next shot."
Seaford was in third place after three games with a total of 2,874 pins. After an hour lunch break, the Vikings rolled a 906 in Game 4, a 999 in Game 5 and an 883 in Game 6. Matthew Mele bowled a 234 in Game 2, DylanVassilio rolled a 210 in Game 1 and Andrew Ceraulo had a 210 in Game 3.
Donovan was the only bowler remaining from Seaford’s team that finished fifth at the state championship in 2019. The Vikings would have been making their fifth consecutive appearance at the state championships if the COVID-19 pandemic did not cancel the event in the previous two years.
"Having been up here before I kind of knew what to expect. I tried to help my teammates remained focused if they threw a bad shot," said Donovan, a junior. "I did not bowl that great as an eighth-grader, but it’s important to believe in yourself and stay positive after a bad frame."
Seaford had six seniors graduate from last year’s team and were able to retool for the 2021-2022 season. The Vikings won the Nassau Division II county championship for a fifth consecutive season Saturday, Feb. 5 with a six-game total of 6,262. The score was the best of any school in both Division I and Division II.
"We did not know what to expect coming into this year. The three seniors [Vassilio, Jack Zuckerman and Ryan Reeves] did not start bowling until a couple of months before the season and decided to join the team. They bowled amazing and I couldn’t be prouder of these guys," Donovan said. "I think we can use this year as a learning experience and come back even stronger next season."
