It was quite the season for the Saint Anthony’s Girls’ Varsity Bowling Team. Hard work, dedication, teamwork, and sportsmanship surely paid off! Coming home with the CHSAA bowling title on Thursday, February 3rd, the girls knocked those pins outta’ the lane with a 9-1 record this season! The last time this title was claimed by Saint Anthony’s was in 2009, which makes bringing the title back home even more thrilling.
In the exciting game against Saint Dominic’s, the Friars won 5-4, with Elizabeth Gallant bowling a 180 in game two and a 183 in game three of a 493 game series. The victory was ours by 28 pins, with both the A and B teams bowling incredible games. This victory was something they wanted and they would not let Saint Dominic’s (9-1 regular season) stand in their way. After a completely inspirational and moving speech by head Coach, Mrs. Fahey, the girls went out there and bowled like they meant it, leading them to victory!
That was not the only victory that night. Just minutes before the girls won, the Boy’s Varsity Bowling Team took home the CHSAA title with a victory over Chaminade! The last CHSAA Friar boys bowling title was 1994, creating an unimaginable excitement in the air. One of their top award winners includes junior, Dominick Rossi, who bowled a 202 in game two and a 221 in game three of a 567 series, leading Saint Anthony’s to a 7-2 win over rival Chaminade.
After the boys finished receiving their awards ten lanes down, they came over to support the girls, showing true strength, family nature, and Friar Pride of these two programs as they worked side by side all season. “It was such a moment of pride we felt for our school at that moment when we realized that both the boys and the girls teams were coming home champions. Every day putting in the work to be better bowlers paid off. We practiced together and we won together and there’s nothing more gratifying than knowing that you have the true support of your teammates/friends,” shared by first-year bowler and author Nicola Teutonico.
This season, the girls’ win against Kellenberg was remarkable; it was a comeback after falling 11 pins short to Kellenberg in the 2021 CHSAA Championship Finals. Kelleneberg has had a stronghold on the girls’ bowling title the last few years. “To win this championship by pins is kind of like a redemption from last year,” coach Deborah Fahey said. For two years, Kellenberg kept the Friars from the title, so to win all three regular season games against them 9-0 each time was incredible.
The bowlers this season with the highest averages were Natalie Stahlut with 155.1, Elizabeth Gallant with 148.3, Paedyn Cardino with 142, and Clare Garland with 133.4. These high averages and strong performances this season earned them a chance to bowl in the NY State Championships playoffs where, unfortunately, they would not earn a spot at states.
Senior team captain, Natalie Stahlut, has been the league’s star since she joined her sophomore year. Our most improved player is senior Christina Sabella, whose average is 127 at the end of this season. Rounding out our top senior trio is Paedyn Cardino, a strong addition to the A team, who led us to win multiple matches. Other seniors on the team include: Abby Moore with an average of 130.2, Sabrina Sqicciarini (avg. 122.8), Elena Cunneen (avg. 122.7), and Kathrine Cleary. All our seniors have led with great pride this year and will be missed.
The Saint Anthony’s Girls’ Varsity Bowling Team is a true family and this family brought the win back home. As the seniors graduate, the team is left with three individuals that show great promise for the coming years: Junior Nicola Teutonico, Sophomore Shelby Reid, and Sophomore Elizabeth Gallant. Mrs. Fahey is confident that our future Friars will want to defend the title and more strong bowlers will come out next year to extend our six game win streak.
Nicola Teutonico is a sophomore at St. Anthony’s High School in her second year writing for The Friar Scoreboard. She enjoys journalism and writing for fun. She is also part of the Future Business Leaders Club, The Paduan, Special Needs Ministry Club, bowling and badminton teams.
