Berkshire Bowlers Honor All-Stars, Bestow Honors on Senior Day
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – The Lee, Pittsfield and Taconic bowling teams Friday all rolled to 3-0 wins in the regular season finale and take a three-way tie for first place going into Wednesday’s county championship at Cove Lanes in Great Barrington.
The league is changing up the championship day format in light of how the standings finished up.
Just four teams, instead of the traditional six, will go to Great Barrington on Wednesday.
Fourth-place McCann Tech is in the semi-finals but will wait to learn who it bowls against after a one-game, Baker format rolloff between the three first-place teams to decide their seeds.
Play then will proceed with the traditional best-of-seven Bakers in the semis and finals.
In Friday’s regular season finale at Greylock Bowl and Golf, Taconic’s Andrew Robitaille again led the league with the day’s best game (236) among the boys and best series (442).
Meghan Mongeon of “home-standing” McCann Tech was the top girl in the competition with day’s best game for any bowler, a 243, and a 410 series.
The afternoon marked Senior Day for the league and the last time all 10 of its teams will compete this winter.
It also marked the recognition of the league’s All-Star team and major award winners, including a brand new award.
To the surprise of no one, Robitaille, who carries a 221 average into the county championship, headed the all-star team.
He is joined by teammates Mya Duhamel, Mitch McCann and Hunter Golin, McCann Tech’s Michael Oakes and Lee’s Aaron Armstrong.
Pittsfield’s Ryan Russo received the league’s Pete Snyder Sportsmanship Award.
Duhamel was given the inaugural Lou Orazio Leadership Award, named for the longtime volunteer, coach and director of the state tournament, scheduled for March 4-5 in Great Barrington.
Lee coach and league director Matt Filio told the story of how Orazio first pitched him the idea of a high school bowling league in the county back in 2005.
“I thought, ‘This will last two or three years, and we’ll move on to something else,’ “ Filio said. “Here we are 17 years later, still going strong. We’ve had almost every school in the county participate at some point. We’ve had other schools in the state start their own programs, following our lead. And we started a state tournament for high school bowling because of what we started originally back in 2005.”
Final league standings: T-1. Taconic, Lee, Pittsfield 24-3; 4. McCann Tech, 18-9; 5. Lee JV, 14-13; T-6. Mount Everett, Monument Mountain, Lee Black, 9-18; 9. Lee Wildcats, 2-25; 10. Lee Orange, 2-25.