Tyrrell, Meyer roll Suffolk All-Stars to title
The Suffolk girls pose after winning the Sectional All-Star bowling championship. From left to right, Brianna Meyer (Longwood), Kelly Skalacki (Middle Country), Jessica Calandra (Patchogue-Medford), Amanda Tyrrell (Middle Country), Melissa Sherwin (Middle Country) and Lori Greenblatt (Islip). (March 4, 2012) Credit: Stephen Haynes
WAVERLY, N.Y. -- When Brianna Meyer threw her last ball, she immediately spun around and began clapping as she was rushed by teammates . . . before a pin was even struck.
She left two of them up on that shot, by the way.
And it didn't matter -- the Suffolk girls were golden.
"I'm not that good at math, so I wasn't completely sure we'd won," Meyer said, "but I knew we had a lead and figured we had it locked."
She figured correctly.
The Suffolk girls toppled 5,883 pins to capture their first Sectional All-Star championship since 1998 Sunday at Waverly's Valley Bowling Center. Suffolk led from the get-go and threw a 1,025 in Game 6 to hold off hard-charging Section VI (5,790). The Nassau girls finished sixth with 5,221 pins.
Middle Country's Amanda Tyrrell rolled a 1,213 series and Longwood's Meyer shot 1,196 -- second and third best in the tournament, respectively. Middle Country's Melissa Sherwin had a 1,162 series.
"We came in confident," said Patchogue-Medford's Jessica Calandra, whose 222.4 average this season set a girls record. She had 1,178 Sunday. "We weren't cocky, but we believed in ourselves and that mind-set helped us."
It did in the sixth game, when Section VI bowled a 1,035 and their fans and Suffolk's fans began what Meyer called "competitive cheering," trying to drown out each other's chants. Tyrrell ended the back-and-forth with a 245 in Game 6.
Islip's Lori Greenblatt had 1,092 and Middle Country's Kelly Skalacki 1,021.
"This group was so close-knit and that made it more fun," said Tyrrell, who transferred from Miller Place to Newfield before the season to bowl for Middle Country. "These are the six best girls I could've come upstate with."
Emily McLaughlin (Island Trees) led the Nassau girls with a 1,114 series. Plainedge's Meghan Wing shot 1,016, Dhara Kadakia (Carle Place) 1,015, Jessica Spindell (Clarke) had 1,006, Great Neck North's Shannon Formas (966) and Bethpage's Elizabeth Ferraro a 938.
Suffolk boys take second
Suffolk, last year's champion, just missed out on a repeat as the All-Stars dropped 6,252 pins, behind Section VI's 6,372. Nassau boys placed seventh with 5,749.
Smithtown's Gregg Reed, who set the Suffolk mark with a 233.8 average this season, rolled a 1,340 series, second in the tourney. Central Islip's Matt DiGiantomasso was third with a 1,331. Suffolk's other All-Stars: Lindenhurst's Josh Sposito (1,192), Sachem East's Nick Caruana (1,152), Bellport's Sean Millsap (1,132) and Islip's Mike Kovarick (1,071).
"Would've preferred one with a little darker shade," Reed said, pointing to the silver medal, "but we'll take it."
Matt Farber, the Plainview JFK senior who set a Long Island record with his 244 average, rolled a 1,244 to lead the Nassau All-Stars. Roslyn's Samuel Kaplan (1,165), Sewanhaka District's Tommy Genova (1,160), Bellmore-Merrick's Thomas Bianco (1,090), Lawrence's Nick Mayo (1,029) and Bethpage's Jeff Rosenheck (1,001) rounded out the scores.
