MIAMISBURG — With one team perched atop the standings, and the other barely out of first in their standings, coaches Alicia Simpson and Eric Mrenak like what they’ve seen from the Fairborn High School bowling teams thus far this season.
Both teams claimed solid wins over Greater Western Ohio Conference, American South division foe West Carrollton, Jan. 18 at Poelking South Lanes.
The boys claimed a 2,197 to 1,510 win over the Pirates, while the Skyhawk girls won 1,848 to 1,711.
Mrenak says his boys team is busy fine-tuning their overall play.
“We have a few bumps that we’re dealing with right now, but for the most part they’re doing good and we’re starting to come together as a team,” he said. “The team unity is definitely there, and that seems to be a strong point for us.”
The humor is there as well.
Leading scorer J.T. Cherpeski was rolling along with a perfect game through eight frames when he left the 7 pin in the ninth. After picking up the spare, Cherpeski smiled, walked back to the rest of the team and picked out Dylan Eichman who was no longer sitting where he had been when Cherpeski started his run.
“Dang it, Dylan! I told you to stay here!” he said, pointing at the empty chair.
Cherpeski finished with a 268 game after leaving the same pin in the next frame, grabbing another spare and then closing out with a strike. He rolled a 481 two-game series. Logan Cherpeski (183), James Lewis III (246!), Eichman (172) and Kyle Donaldson (193) teamed with Cherpeski in the first game; Ryan Karr (148), Stephen Spahr (168), Aidan Shearer (129) and “Sub Bowler #1” teamed up with Cherpeski in the second.
J.T. is currently listed no. 12 in the Greater Western Ohio Conference for bowling average at 217.5. Thursday’s 268 game tied his season best game score.
“They look up to him. They’ve all bowled together, and they know J.T.’s abilities. When he shows it, it just brings a nice upward feel to the entire team,” Mrenak said.
Where J.T. leads the boys bunch, girls coach Alicia Simpson has a pair of seniors leading the Skyhawk girls team.
“I think they’re doing really well. We have a a couple returners, but we have a very young —bowling maturity wise —team,” Simpson said. “They’ve been stepping up their game and they’re averaging pretty decent. For that, it makes other coaches look at them as a threat. That’s a good thing to have for them, especially as a newer team.”
Against an overmatched Pirates team, Simpson bowled leader Audrey Renner (214) and No. 5 Hannah Byczkowski (156) in the first team game, with no. 6 Katelyn Byczkowski (99) and Sonya Scott (125) subbing for Renner and Hannah in the second team game.
Nos. 2 and 3 bowlers Callie Shimek and Shyann Predmore each rolled 296 two-game series against West Carrollton; and No. 4 bowler Emily Reichert rolled a team-best 311 series.
Renner is currently ranked No. 13 among the GWOC’s girls bowlers with a 194.6 average.
“There’s a lot of potential with this team,” Simpson said. “I think everyone’s hitting pretty much where we had expectations, and our expectations are set high. Clearly our goal is to get it higher, but for where we’re at, we can’t complain.”
The Fairborn boys (5-4, 4-3 GWOC South) lead Xenia by a game and a half in the GWOC American South standings, and the Fairborn girls (6-2, 6-3 GWOC South) trail Xenia by a half game. So guess who the Skyhawks play next. Yep. Fairborn and Xenia will square off at 4 p.m. on Thursday Jan. 25 at Fairborn’s Bowl 10 bowling house.