Jard Ballaro rolled a 637 series and high game of 258 in Patchogue-Medford’s win over Longwood.

**** Babylon 751,790,808 West Islip 788,722,756 Bellport 811,863,854 Ward Melville 912,805,836 East Islip 1077,1084,1006 Connetquot 915,985,815 Middle Country 973,1018,913 Smithtown 907,898,856 Harborfields 819,787,944 Northport 794,897,931 Patchogue-Medford 892,925,977 Longwood 904,883,897 Rocky Point 878,838,884 Port Jefferson 740,829,800 Floyd 852,1002,919 Miller Place 960,966,817. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 12 Dec 1996:

Keith Lindahl bowled a 246 and a 646 series for Longwood in a win over Ward Melville. Mike Brunjes had a 653 series for Longwood with a 236 high game. Boys Bowling Babylon 780,1054,1057 North Babylon 985,851,943 Connetquot 885,927,808 Bayport-Blue Point 704,742,739 Harborfields 954,983,910 West Islip 824,846,857 Longwood 1064,1004,897 Ward Melville 901,766,738 Patchogue-Medford 867,952,968 Miller Place 873,867,895 Riverhead 762,786,820 Shoreham-Wading River 790,703,725 Sachem 969,947,1046 Middle Country 903,869,1005 West Babylon 977,891,920 Northport 851,763,814 Westhampton 802,915,845 Mattituck 727,763,682 Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 17 Dec 1996:

Boys Bowling Syosset 905,789,785 Hicksville 730,787,776 Lawrence 736,744,689 Port Washington 557,637,588 East Meadow 787,761,803 Mineola 759,849,777 St. Dominic 872,869,752 St. Mary’s 882,825,766 Riverhead 925,937,939 Mattituck 885,804,849 Sachem 877,952,1005 Bay Shore 910,832,927 Harborfields 936,1016,984 North Babylon 940,931,958 Longwood 974,957,925 Miller Place 969,863,688 Smithtown 934,1062,935 Connetquot 861,887,907 Bellport 956,1001,985 Floyd 840,968,898 Girls Bowling Plainview JFK 583,625,608 Uniondale 335,355,340 Hicksville 691,605,584 Syosset 439,482,429 Mineola 651,578,564 East Meadow 622,569,665. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 19 Dec 1996: 

Joe Buscemi rolled a 242 high game and Jared Vollaro had a 604 high series as Patchogue-Medford beat Rocky Point . . . Mike Brunjes rolled a 226 high game and a 646 series to lead Longwood over Miller Place. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 19 Dec 1996:

Keith Lindahl had a 646 series with games of 223, 215 and 208 to lead Longwood over Port Jefferson . . . Vinny Mazzurco rolled a 596 series and Jay Federico had a 227 high game to lead Middle Country past Bay Shore. Jan. 9

Rich Mercorella bowled a 237 high game and a 640 series, and Kevin Sosnicki bowled a 236 high game and a 626 series as Floyd topped Longwood. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 14 Jan 1997

Stephen Gregg had a 255 high game and a 665 high series to lead Longwood over Bellport.  Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 16 Jan 1997: 

Mike Brunjes rolled a 684 series on games of 223, 225 and 238 for Longwood in a win over Miller Place. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 25 Jan 1997:

Chris Dodorico rolled a high game of 244 and a 605 series as Miller Place defeated Ward Melville in boys bowling. Bill Chitty (MP) bowled a high series of 657 for the Panthers. John Lyons of Ward Melville bowled a 223 high game . . . Jason Kanner rolled a 231 high game and a 670 series to lead Longwood over Port Jefferson . . . Colin McKenzie had a 667 series to lead Shoreham-Wading River over Mattituck. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 29 Jan 1997:

Jason Kanner bowled a 642 series with a 237 high game as Longwood defeated Floyd to tie the Colonials for the League III boys bowling title. Both teams finished 11-3. Keith Lindahl rolled a 227 in the first game for Longwood. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 01 Feb 1997:

Sachem Sweeps Bowling Crowns:

By Gary Glancy. STAFF WRITER. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 09 Feb 1997

It’s another sweep for Sachem.

Both the girls and boys bowling teams led from start to finish yesterday and won their second straight Suffolk team titles at Sports Plus in Lake Grove. No obstacle was too great for either team.

“We felt we had nothing to lose,” said senior Joe Annunziato, whose team is the defending state boys champion. “People said we were underdogs after {graduating} three of five starters, but the guys came through today. It’s a great feeling.”

“It feels a lot better the second time around,” teammate Matt Sokoloff said.

Sachem was challenged all day by League I champ Lindenhurst, which was making its first appearance in the county tournament since 1990 and featured Suffolk’s top bowler, Don Perillo, who bowled a 677 series in the three-game morning session to keep the Bulldogs within 59 pins.

But after Lindenhurst closed to within six pins with a 1,025 fourth game, Annunziato and Sokoloff helped Sachem increase the Flaming Arrows’ lead and secure the title.

Annunziato rolled a 633 series in the afternoon session and Sokoloff, who had a 656 series in the morning, followed with a 601. Lindenhurst sophomore Dave Tatara led all bowlers in the afternoon with a 636 series.

“This is a remarkable team,” Lindenhurst coach Bob Slowey said. “They came out of nowhere, no one expected it.”

But the Bulldogs couldn’t defeat Sachem, which had a six-game total of 5,702. Lindenhurst was next (5,621), followed by East Islip (5,556), which rose from seventh place after the morning session with two games over 1,000, Patchogue-Medford (5,424) and Longwood (5,351).

Middle Country’s Dan Doell had the high game of the day, with a 248 in the morning session, and Patchogue-Medford’s Jared Vollaro had a 243.

“This was a lot more unexpected than last year,” Sachem coach Mike Stanek said. “This year we were younger and inconsistent, but they held together when they had to. Every game we bowled in the 900s. We didn’t have one bad game that can cost you the title.”

Sachem will attempt to defend its state title on March 1 in Canandaigua. The sectional all-star team – comprised of Perillo, Mike Fagan and Charlie Lombardo of Harborfields, East Islip’s Pat Shalvoy, Longwood‘s Mike Brunjes and Chris Dodorico of Miller Place – also will compete.

They will be joined by the Sachem girls team, which overcame the challenge of up-and-coming Bellport, making its first appearance in the counties in 10 years, and a late charge by rival East Islip, featuring Suffolk’s top two girls, Marisa Lamm and Marissa Valenti.

“I said in the beginning of the season that Bellport would be right there,” Sachem coach Steve Tuttle said. “And East Islip, their girls are so good, they can run away from you. I just thought we’d have to count on our depth – good bowling from one through six – and that’s what we got.”

Christine Quick (six-game average of 185) and Jody Fisher (181) led Sachem to its seventh county title in eight years with a total of 5,140, followed by East Islip (4,845), Bellport (4,778), Northport (4,571) and Middle Country (4,394). Bellport’s Kendra Leone averaged 177 for the day and Sachem’s Cheryl Bestenheider a 172. Northport’s Kelly O’Gara had the high series with a 578.

Representing the girls sectional all-star team are Lamm, Valenti and Wendy DiNolfo of East Islip, Northport’s O’Gara, Bellport’s Cynthia Zagorski and Patchogue-Medford’s Janine Bona.

Yesterday, however, was Sachem’s day. “It’s great that both teams can go up together,” said Quick, a senior, of the state tournament. “It will give us even more team spirit.”

Sachem Repeats:

Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 02 Mar 1997

Sachem’s boys bowling team won its second straight state championship, and both the Suffolk boys and girls sectional all-star teams secured titles yesterday in Canandaigua.

Down 207 pins after the first three games, Sachem averaged 212 per bowler over the final three to top Henninger (Section III) by 217 pins.

“This was more unexpected than the first,” Sachem coach Mike Stanek said. “Everyone came through big-time.”

Joe Annunziato rolled a 258 high game and a 1,320 series for a 220 average, the second-highest of the day. Joe Ventola bowled a 253 game and a 1,258 series, Phil Ciampini a 247 and 1,254 and Jeff Eluto a 221 and 1,202 to help the Flaming Arrows to the title.

The boys sectional all-star team also captured the state title with 6,456 total pins, topping Section I (6,317). Mike Fagan of Harborfields bowled games of 268 and 266 in his 1,412 series for a 235 average, the highest in the sectional competition. Miller Place’s Chris Dodorico, East Islip’s Pat Shalvoy, Lindenhurst’s Don Perillo, Longwood‘s Mike Brunjes and Harborfield’s Charlie Lombardo comprised.

The girls sectional all-star team, competing for the first time as an independent six-bowler team, also won a state title. Before this year, a combined team of three boys and three girls had represented Suffolk at the state tournament, said to Steve Abrams, the Longwood coach and president of the girls coaches association.