Traverse City Record-Eagle

Bowling

February 27, 2010

Iron Mountain wins D-4 boys bowling regional

Iron Mountain wins D-4 boys championship

BY DENNIS CHASE

TRAVERSE CITY -- Defending state champion Iron Mountain did Friday what it failed to do last February.

The Mountaineers won a bowling regional at Traverse City's Timber Lanes.

"We've been down here four years now," Iron Mountain senior Joe Tomassoni said. "We've come away second, third, second, and now, this year, we finally took a regional championship here.

"It's awesome. There's no other feeling like it."

Iron Mountain finished the six Baker games, and three team singles games, with a score of 3957, 202 points ahead of runner-up Rogers City. St. Francis rallied to take third, earning the final Division 4 state qualifying spot. The Gladiators last advanced to the state finals in 2005.

"Our whole team is elated," St. Francis senior Spencer Schmerheim said. "We're really happy to be where we're at right now."

The Mountaineers started strong, rolling a 237 in the first Baker game -- where a game is bowled by five rotating team members. That was good for a 57-pin lead over Rogers City, the defending boys regional champ. That lead swelled to 160 pins after three Baker games.

"We set the bar early and never let up," Tomassoni said.

Nonetheless, Tomassoni called it a "hard fought win."

"It's always tough to come here to Traverse City to bowl," he said. "The lane conditions are really tough. But everybody seemed to adjust fine today. We had to play it a little straighter. We found our line, found our groove. It worked out."

The senior-laden Mountaineers are coached by Tomassoni's father, Pete.

"The boys worked hard for this," he said. "I've had this core group since they were freshmen. We've always qualified here, but never No. 1. Today we finally did it.

"The boys practiced hard," he added. "They were committed. They set goals at the beginning of the season and one by one we're accomplishing those goals. We were UP champs last week. We're regional champs this week. Now, we move on to the states finals next week (in Sterling Heights)."

Tomassoni said a key for his team was its spare shooting.

"We have really worked hard on that and it's starting to pay off. We missed very few spares."

Iron Mountain only graduated one player off last season's state title team. He was replaced by another Tomassoni, Albert.

"Albert came up a freshman and has a higher average than the graduating senior from last year," Tomassoni said. "We think our team is as good if not better than last year.

St. Francis, meanwhile, struggled in the Baker games but picked it up in the three team singles games.

"Bakers are not our strongest suit, but at least we kept it fairly close," Gladiators coach Bernie Bossert said. "We didn't get ourselves as far down as we did last year. This time we were down about 150-some pins after six Bakers. That was about 50 to 60 pins ahead of last year."

The Gladiators compensated by averaging 889 in the three team singles games -- third best in the 12-team field.

Schmerheim, who had games of 202 and 200, and Nicco Marcontoni, who rolled a 217 and 200, sparked the Gladiators.

"Nicco did a great job today," Schmerheim said. "Nicco has had a lower average (between 160 and 170), but today he pulled through and he did great."

St. Francis held off Norway, which finished 68 pins behind the Gladiators.

"My heart was racing pretty fast (before thf inal game)," Bossert said. "It's tough standing back there and watching. I felt like going to lunch that last game and then coming back."

Glen Lake placed fifth, Elk Rapids sixth, Bellaire seventh and Traverse City Christian eighth.

Division 4 RegionalBOYSIron Mountain3957Rogers City3755St. Francis3593Norway3525Glen Lake3388Elk Rapids3379Bellaire3341TC Christian3292Mason Cty Eastern3247LAnse3186St. Ignace2922Baldwin2832GIRLSRogers City3320Baldwin3152Mason Cty Eastern3075St. Ignace2939Iron Mountain2829Bellaire2723LAnse2552Norway2413Glen Lake2245

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