RUTLAND – The Craftsbury Academy (CA) bowling team kicked off the postseason with a bang last weekend, placing three of their bowlers in the top 10 at the Vermont High School Bowling Individual State Tourney at Rutland over the weekend.
The top 32 bowlers in the state qualified to compete for the individual state championship at the Bowlerama in Rutland on Saturday afternoon. After three games of qualifying, CA’s Matt Wilcox, Jason Brown, and Jacob Marquis ranked in the top 16 to compete for the state title.
Marquis and Brown qualified tied for tenth and Wilcox twelfth. Wilcox would finish off his stellar senior season with a tenth-place finish overall. Brown and Marquis qualified for the elite 8-round and would square off against one another, with Marquis ultimately prevailing. Brown’s day would end, finishing a respectable sixth overall. Marquis’ hot hand continued, earning the No. 2 seed in the Final Four, missing out on the top seed by just 25 pins. He would fall to Brattleboro’s Thomas Bell, who defeated St. Johnsbury’s Logan Labounty to claim the title.
Bell saved his best three games of the day for last, rolling a 236, 248, and 238 to separate himself. Bell was the fifth-ranked bowler in the state coming into the tournament with a 194.5 average.
Marquis capped off his sensational weekend with a third overall finish. The talented sophomore from North Country finished off his stellar individual season for the Chargers with a 195.4 average, good enough for fourth in the state.
The Chargers are finishing up just their second season as a varsity program and their first under head coach Ashley Gravel and her assistant coaches Verna Stoddard and Will Patnoe, who are just one year removed from competing for the program. The Chargers have won a regular season tournament in each of their first two seasons and have shined in the Individual State Championships.
“I’m still floating on air with how proud I am of the perseverance and determination of these athletes. They were met with challenges and overcame them and supported one another, even in moments where it wasn’t easy to do. Days like this are what makes all the hard work, practices, and travel worth it!,” said Gravel.
Wilcox, Marquis, and Brown will be back in action this weekend for the Vermont High School Bowling Team State Championship. The final spots competing in the team competition for the Chargers are still yet to be determined, but rounding out Gravel’s roster are Kosmos Gletos, Raz Mille, Andrew Royan, and Owen Foster. The final leg of states will conclude this Saturday at Spare Time in Colchester.
