Greensburg CC sophomore wins regional bowling crown

By: Tribune-Review
Friday, March 4, 2022 | 4:48 PM

At the WPIBL boys singles championship last month, Greensburg Central Catholic sophomore Mike Mullaney missed qualifying for the step-ladder finals by just five pins.

On Friday, he didn’t miss much.

Mullaney ranked fifth after the five-game qualifying series then topped the 200 mark in four straight games in the step-ladder finals to claim the boys singles title at the Western Pennsylvania regional championships at North Versailles Bowling Center.

Mullaney rolled a 1,027 series with a high game of 224 to qualify fifth.

First, Mullaney survived a four-man first-round match, bowling a 201 to top Butler’s Rocco Rice (180), Montour’s Maxwell Vermeulen (179) and Bishop Canevin’s Jonathan Bernotas (133).

After a 222-199 win over Vincent Mincucci of Hempfield in the quarterfinals, Mullaney knocked off the top seed in qualifying, Trevon Scott of Steel Valley, 241-215, in the semifinals.

In the finals, Mullaney defeated his second Spartan of the day, topping Dominick Vallano of Hempfield, 220-182.

The top four bowlers in qualifying were separated by just 10 pins. Scott led the way with a 1,048 series and 245 high game. Latrobe’s James Gatto was second with a 1,047. Hempfield teammates Vallano (1,041) and Mincucci (1,038) were third and fourth.

Other bowlers reaching the 12-person step-ladder finals were East Allegheny’s Ian Baker (1,025), Freeport’s Colin Cummings (1,008), Rice (996), Bernotas (990), Latrobe’s Alex Brubaker (982), Plum’s Cade Schimmer (968) and Vermeulen (950).

Brubaker won the other four-man first-round match with a 221 game.

Vallano reached the finals by defeating a pair of Latrobe bowlers. He beat Brubaker, 180-174, in the quarterfinals and Gatto, 241-174, in the semifinals.

The state championships are set for March 18 in Lancaster.

The Western Pennsylvania regional boys team championship will be contested Saturday in North Versailles.