by Ken Brown
RANDOLPH – The Craftsbury Academy (CA) bowling team made vast improvements in their second match of the season under first year head coach Ashley Gravel, posting a runner-up finish to powerhouse Randolph at the Randolph Valley Bowl over the weekend.
The Chargers breezed past White River Valley 277-236 in the preliminary round, but was unable to keep pace with Randolph in the second game of the title match on Saturday.
CA hung tough with the Galloping Ghosts, trailing by just four pins after a tight 167-163 first game. The tournament hosts caught fire in the deciding game however, claiming their second win of the season 391-289.
Matt Wilcox showed the form that earned him runner-up honors at the individual state tournament last winter for CA with a season-high game of 220, along with an impressive 197. Jacob Marquis was equally as impressive with a high game of 211 for the Chargers. Jason Brown also showed great improvement from last week with a 198 and has the potential to give CA a big three heading into the season ending tournaments. Andrew Royan was also a bright spot for CA, cracking the century mark for the first time in varsity competition. Randolph continues to lead the overall standings, with Brattleboro and Essex close behind. Junior Avery Stockwell sets the pace for the Galloping Ghosts, leading the state in individual average of 224.
“It was an overall great weekend for our team. Our bowlers enjoyed some success from their hard work in our second match of the season and my young coaches were able to see the positive of their coaching come to fruition, and that’s huge for our team. All of our bowlers showed improvement from last week and Andrew Royan throwing his highest game in his first game at the varsity level ever was amazing. We’re all really excited for our next match,” said Gravel.
The Chargers will break for the Christmas holiday and return to competition on December 30 in Randolph.
