By Greg Tartaglia – Record Sports
Through the first half of the 2016-17 bowling season, the coed NJIC has produced some of the tightest 1-2 battles for division supremacy.
In the Meadowlands Division, Lyndhurst and North Arlington possess the top two team averages and have swept through everyone outside of their Dec. 20 head-to-head meeting. The Golden Bears won that match, 5-2, and with their 7-0 start have extended North Jersey’s longest win streak to 92.
Lyndhurst senior Ryan Donohue leads the Meadowlands with a 217.9 average through Thursday, and left-hander Tyla D’Andrea carries the high girls average at 182.4.
The entire starting lineup for North Arlington, meanwhile, ranks among the top seven averages in the division: Brandon Barth (212.5), Eric McKenna (197), Kenny Bennett (190.6) and Liam Henkel (190.4) have helped the Vikings start 6-1, including a non-conference match versus American History (Newark).
In the NJIC Colonial, the top of the standings are similar. Pompton Lakes and Hawthorne have swept everyone save for each other, and the Cardinals’ 5-2 head-to-head win on Dec. 19 has put them three points ahead of the defending division champs for first place.
A 300 game by junior David Neil in the season opener has aided Pompton Lakes’ cause, as has a season-best 749 series by senior Nick Cilento versus Rutherford. The duo carry the top averages in the Colonial, with Cilento at 221.3 and Neil at 205.3.
Hawthorne senior Steve Plaszky (195.2) ranks No. 3 among boys in the division, and teammate Madison Perry (182.2) is No. 1 among Colonial girls and decimal points behind D’Andrea for the NJIC lead.
In the Patriot Division, Park Ridge/Emerson (52-4 in points standings) held a seven-point lead on Palisades Park (45-11) through the completion of Thursday’s matches, thanks in part to Nick Fabiano’s division-leading 208 average.
