Belvidere bowlers prepare for Belvidere North on Friday

By Bob Balgemann

Reporter

BOONE COUNTY – NIC-10 bowling action is under way with Boone County rivals Belvidere and Belvidere North meeting Friday afternoon, Dec. 4.

Both have new home alleys this year with Belvidere being at Forest Hills Lanes in Loves Park and North being hosted by The Cherry Bowl in Cherry Valley. Friday’s game pitting the two will be at 4 p.m. at Forest Hills.

Belvidere’s boys and girls are hoping to rebound after struggling some during the 2014-2015 season.

The Bucs lost one of their main stay bowlers, Kyle Pattalio, to graduation in May. He was a Golden Eagle recipient, a state qualifier his junior year and first-team all conference his senior year. He averaged 219 last season with a high game of 277 and a high series of 720.

But two other premiere shooters, junior Joe Gallagher and senior Larry Tripamer, are back.

Gallagher got off to a good start at the recent 16-team Guilford Survivors preseason tournament with a 214 average, good for 14th place among more than 100 competitors. Last season, he averaged 200 in 27 conference games with a single-game high of 264 and a 669 high series.

Tripamer also bowled all 27 NIC-10 games, averaging 201 with a high game of 259 and a high 690 series. He averaged 188 at the Survivors’ tournament, good for 43rd place.

Junior Zach Brawner returns as well, having averaged 183 over 21 conference games last winter. He turned in a high single game of 246 and high series of 696.

Another junior, Brock Irwin, and sophomore Ben Deardorff, both played in 15 games at the varsity level. Deardorff averaged 177 with a 225 high game and 587 series; Irwin carried a 166 average with a 250 high game and 626 series. They averaged 169 and 154, respectively, while on the junior varsity team.

Senior Daniel Weger averaged 174 in 18 varsity games, coupled with a 225 high game and 578 series. While with the JVs, he averaged 187 in nine games. He has been assigned to the JV team to start the season.

One final member of the varsity roster, and new to Belvidere High School bowling this season, is freshman Kevin Jenks.

Rounding out the JV roster are sophomores Devin Gough, Anthony Gutierrez, Mike May and Humberto Rodriguez; juniors Alexander Gehrke, Ryan Quezada and Gage Stensven; and freshman Jacob Brawner.

Gutierrez (27 games), Gough (21), Stensven (19), Wegner (8), Zach Brawner (6), Irwin (9) and Quezada (3) also bowled for the JVs last season.

The varsity team manager is sophomore Olivia Prather with sophomore Courtney Williams the JV manager.

Head coach David Ellingson is back for his seventh year in that position. Bowling always has been part of his life and he played for the Bucs while a student at Belvidere High School. He went on to play for one year at Western Illinois University.

In looking at the 2015-16 season, he referred to Tripamer as the team’s “anchor bowler and hoping to propel the team to the sectional round and beyond this year.”

Among those expected to step up and fill voids are underclassmen Deardorff and Jenks.

The overall goal is to advance to the sectional, as a team.

“We were very close last year and have a more complete team this year,” coach Ellingson said. “We compete in the toughest conference (NIC-10) in Illinois, where three teams are ranked in the Top 20 in the state. I expect this team to put up good numbers against our opponents, and give them our best every week.”

Individually, he said he would like Gallagher and Triphamer make a run at state, as individuals.

Girls have experience

Belvidere’s girls’ team has four regulars – seniors Sara Deddo and Madelyn Deardorff and sophomores Hailey Carter and Holley Steelberg – returning for the 2015-16 season.

Deddo, a state qualifier as a sophomore, averaged 190 in 26 games last year with a high single game of 235 and high series of 640.

Carter also bowled in 26 games, averaging 168 with a 233 high game and 660 high series. Classmate Steelberg was in 23 games with a 175 average, 245 high game and 636 series. And Deardorff bowled in 22 games, averaging 170 with a high 203 game and 572 series.

Filling out the varsity roster are freshmen Hannah Whidby and Alexis Sherman; sophomore Hannah Lowery; and seniors Alyssa Chin and Kassandra Worden.

This year’s junior varsity team includes freshmen Makayla Medina, Elyce Turnipseed and Allison White. Chin, Worden, Sherman and Whidby also are listed on the roster.

Losses due to graduation in May included Michaela Beard and Mercedes Medina. Beard averaged 159 in 23 games with a 224 high game and 586 high series; Medina carried a 158 average, also over 23 games, with a 215 high game and 581 high series.

Andy Werhane is in his first season as head coach. He served as the assistant last year.

“We have a very talented squad that will need some time to grow, but could be dangerous as the year goes on,” he said.

“With Sara and Maddy to lead us forward as talented seniors, along with a very strong, experienced set of sophomores and some talented, young freshmen, this year will be a year of growth. But as the year goes on, we could definitely challenge some teams.”