BLOOMFIELD, NJ — The Bloomfield High School bowling teams, under head coach Phil Rapavi, return a strong nucleus this winter. The season was scheduled to begin Tuesday, Dec. 5, against Nutley, in a Super Essex Conference match at Brunswick Zone in Belleville.
The boys team returns five letterwinners, led by senior captain Landon Healy. Eoin Clifford, a junior; senior Gerardo Melgar, sophomore Jayden Padilla and junior Jayden Hedgespeth are other returners who all saw a lot of time at the varsity level last year. “These guys have experience under their belt and are able to step up and pose a problem for any team in our division,” Rapavi said. “I also have a few new surprises this year at the JV level. These prospects have promising futures.”
The girls team will be led by junior co-captains Izzy Bille and Leah Velasquez. “They are returning veterans who worked hard on their games over the summer,” Rapavi said. “They are in charge of leading some fresh faces on the team. (Junior) Abigail Satchell, (freshman) Layla Williams, (freshman) Camilley Reyes-Ramos and (junior) Seyoni Cruz will all be fighting for varsity time and contribute to winning. I am looking forward to watching them all complete and improve during the season.”
This season, the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association changed its qualifications for the postseason. In the past, all teams would compete in the sectionals and the top teams in the standings would advance to their respective group tournaments. Now, the sectional tournaments will comprise 12 teams that had the most power-points accumulated during the regular season, the same as postseasons in other sports. In addition, the sectional competition will be based on a bracket, with head-to-head matchups, rather than team standings based on pin counts. The first three rounds will be contested at the higher seeds’ home alleys and the finals will take place on the same day at different locations.
“The new state format should add a little bit of intrigue to the bowling season as well,” said Rapavi. “Bowling new teams and going head to head with them will add to the excitement. Both teams are excited for matches to start, and I am proud to be at the helm of such a great group of young student athletes. They are amazing, both on and off the lanes.”
Regular season matches in the Super Essex Conference are held at Brunswick Zone.
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