The newest member of the Barnes Bowling Fraternity comes from outside the family that competes on the PBA Tour.

Thomas Barnes, a senior at Rutherford High School, took up the sport just prior to his junior year. Since then, his career on the lanes led to the discovery of professional bowlers Chris and Ryan Barnes (no known relation).

That played a role in Thomas’ first career 300 game on Jan. 15, which resulted in his selection as North Jersey Male Athlete of the Week, presented by HSS.

“I forget when it was, but there’s a pretty popular video of his that I’ve watched a lot,” Thomas Barnes said of the 23-year-old Ryan. “I saw he had the same last name as me, and he’s a young guy, too. And he also bowls two-handed, so he was really inspiring to me.

Ryan Barnes joined the PBA Tour in 2024, following in the footsteps of his father Chris, a 19-time tour champ who was inducted to the PBA Hall of Fame in 2018.

Thomas Barnes joined the team at Rutherford to follow in the footsteps of friend and classmate Brandon Fedarick.

“He started playing when he was a sophomore, and I used to go with him just to watch,” Barnes said. “I really got hooked to the sport, and I decided to join him on the team.”

Earlier this winter, Barnes made another bold decision.

“I DM’ed Ryan Barnes on Instagram because I got the new ball, a Phaze II Pearl, that just came out in November or December,” Thomas said. “I asked him how I should get the ball drilled, never thinking he would get back to me. But the next morning, I see in my direct messages that he got back and showed me the layout of the ball. So, I got it drilled.”

Barnes eventually found that the ball reacted well to the oil patterns at Rutherford’s home lanes, North Arlington Bowl. That is where he opened the Bulldogs’ Senior Day match against crosstown rival St. Mary with 12 consecutive strikes.

“I joked around to my friend Brandon on the third strike, saying, ‘I’ve just got to do that three more times for a perfect game,’ but I never thought it would happen,” Barnes said.

By the time he got to the eighth frame, “my hands and legs were numb” as all eyes in the house turned to his lane. “Once I had the last ball, I was like, ‘I’m just going to throw this and hope it strikes,’ because I was too nervous to think,” he added.

He certainly seemed calm on the video that Rutherford coach Helen Antzoulides passed along to the school’s Facebook page. Coach A, meanwhile, was ecstatic.

“It’s only his second year bowling, which just goes to prove that when you become passionate and determined to do something, good things will happen,” Antzoulides said. “He’s also an incredibly humble young man, in the way he just goes about his business. There’s nothing that shakes him.”

The last Rutherford 300 on record came from Francis Mockenhaupt at Wallington Lanes in 1988. Former Bulldog All-County bowler Tom Twist – the father of Barnes’ teammate Victoria Twist – thinks one of his former ‘mates, Cris Jagar, may have been dabbled with one in the early ’90s, but research is ongoing.

Barnes has seen reminders of those teams’ league titles on the gym banners and has helped Rutherford into contention for the NJIC Meadowlands Division crown this season. His 694 series against St. Mary brought his average up near 188, which ranks third on the team to Fedarick (218) and junior Michael Bauman (195).

So, what did Ryan Barnes think of his namesake’s achievement?

“After it happened, I told him [via DM] that I bowled my first 300 ever,” Thomas said. “And he wrote back to me saying, ‘Let’s go!’ and stuff like that.”

Thomas Barnes

Sport: Bowling

School: Rutherford

Class: Senior. Age: 18

Accomplishement: In the Bulldogs’ Senior Day match against rival St. Mary, Barnes became the second North Jersey bowler this season to throw a perfect 300 game. He followed with games of 212 and 182 for a 694 series that helped Rutherford win 7-0 and improve to 8-3.