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Undefeated Stebbins sets bowling record

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By Debbie Juniewicz, Contributing Writer 11:07 PM Saturday, December 26, 2009

Christmas came early for the Stebbins High School bowling team.

But the Indians’ record 1,291 single-game series wasn’t a gift – they had to work for it.

“We found the right shot and we all clicked at the same time,” Indians junior Michael Brown said. “That doesn’t always happen, but it sure is great when it does.”

Brown led the five-man team with a 299, a personal high game for the 16-year-old who has been bowling for more than a decade. His previous high game was a 290.

“I sure wish the 10-pin would have fallen but it feels great to get a 299,” Brown said. “And I’m so glad I did it when I was bowling high school so my team could benefit as well.”

The 1,291 was a total team effort with Chase Kolozsi rolling a 260, Clint Bell and Johnathon Miller throwing 247s and Chase Carter rounding out the squad with a 238 as the Indians beat Greenon on Dec. 14 at Pla-Mor Lanes.

“If someone would have picked up another spare we would have had a 1,300,” said Stebbins coach Don Brown, no relation to Michael. “But that’s the coach talking.

“These guys are really coming together. They’re not going to bowl lights out every night but they are more focused than they have been in a long time and they want to win.”

The Indians have been winning all season as the Stebbins boys bowling team is 6-0 after notching a 124-pin win over Kenton Ridge on Monday, Dec. 21. After back-to-back Central Buckeye Conference titles, the Indians relinquished the conference crown to the Cougars last year as Kenton Ridge edged out Stebbins three times last season. Reclaiming conference bragging rights is a goal for the Indians as is a return trip to the state tournament. Stebbins won the boys state title in 2008.

“The team chemistry is so much better than it was last year,” Michael Brown said. “After winning state my freshman year, it was pretty upsetting that we couldn’t get back there last season but I think it makes us want it even more this year.”

Having six seniors is an added incentive as Bell, Carter, Kolozsi, Miller and Chris Nunes are all seniors. Coach Brown has noticed that the Indians aren’t only older, they are wiser.

“We told them early on that there are seven bowlers and only five can bowl at a time so they need to accept their role on any given day,” Brown, in his fourth year as coach, said. “They have been doing their part and we have been very successful as a result.”

Contact this writer at djunie@aol.com.

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