By Jeff Appelblatt
James Stoveken has been making sure to treat all bowling pins equally, with Woodbridge High School’s standout bowler doing a tremendous job in knocking them all down.
Hitting 12 strikes in a row is a perfect game resulting in a score of 300, and the feat is rarely hit by most. But Stoveken, who is only a sophomore, did it for the second time this season Jan. 25 against Saint Joseph High School of Metuchen in the first game of his three-game set.
It was already the fifth time the sophomore rolled a 300 in his short stint with the Barrons. Last year as a freshman, Stoveken bowled three perfect games.
Sparked by the sophomore’s dominance, Woodbridge (17-1) hasn’t lost a match since Dec. 13. The team that beat Woodbridge that day was St. Joe’s. Stoveken’s 300 game and 836 series, in tandem with the 791 series Kyle Bilawsky bowled, helped the Barrons sweep the Falcons (13-4-1), 4-0, to avenge the loss.
The latest meeting at St. Joe’s was the final regular-season match for the Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) White Division champion Barrons. St. Joe’s, meanwhile, rolled one more the following day. It defeated Edison High School, 3-1.
Woodbridge is ranked No. 1 in the GMC Tournament and will face the winner of the Feb. 2 match between John F. Kennedy (JFK) Memorial High School and Bishop George Ahr High School, Feb. 3.
Woodbridge’s girls’ bowlers also finished the regular season on a high note, winning their last two against North Brunswick Township High School and Colonia High School.
Deanna Calantoni, Samantha Sclafani and Meagan Raimondo led the Barrons (12-3-1) throughout the season.
The fifth seed in the girls’ GMC Tournament, the Barrons will have a first-round match with Sayreville War Memorial High School Feb. 1.
