Norwin boys bowlers look to take next step

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, December 8, 2018 | 1:18 AM

The tone for the 2018-19 Norwin bowling team’s season was set last March at the team’s end-of-year banquet.

Shortly after the Knights, their friends and families knocked down a ton of pizza at Turtle Creek’s Shelly Pie, Norwin coach Ed Lundy delivered a plate of humble pie for dessert.

Lundy took the mic, handed out a few awards and then pulled out one bowling pin. The pin symbolized how close the Knights boys team had come to playing for a state title, and conversely, how far they have to go.

“We missed qualifying for the right to be in the top four in the state by one pin,” said Lundy, who is in his sixth season as the Norwin coach. “That’s really, really fresh in their minds. They got to learn that they can’t take one pin for granted. They just kind of all hung their heads.”

The Norwin boys team was young last season yet finished 8-2. A bunch of sophomores finished second in the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Bowling League Southeast Section and made a run through the WPIBL championship bracket before losing to Franking Regional in the championship match. The Knights took the first game over the Panthers but dropped the last two.

A few weeks later, Norwin finished one pin shy to Daniel Boone High School and lost in total pins 3,970-3,969 to mark the end of the line and the season for the Knights. Both losses were tough to handle, but they were almost necessary for a young to team experience if they’re going to bring a WPIBL and state title back to Norwin.

“I keep (last season) fresh in their minds,” Lundy said. “The four starters that I have who were on that team are still hungry this year.”

After losing Stephen Furin to graduation, Lundy is looking for one of his bowlers to step up and take over as the team’s leader.

“Someone’s got to step into that role,” Lundy said.

The Knights’ roster is 15 strong. Lundy will trot out three juniors, one senior and one sophomore as his starting five this season. The Knights have two three-year starters: juniors CJ Turek and Mike Fekete. Turek, who averages around 215 in practice this season, will bowl from the anchor spot, and Fekete (200 average) will precede him at the No. 4 spot. Lundy likes Turek’s thirst for knowledge.

“He’s a very coachable kid and extremely talented,” Lundy said. “He’s eager to learn the game more than anybody I’ve had in the past. His ears are always open, and he’s always watching.”

After a stellar freshman season, junior Ethan Decker (189) returns to the lane as a starter this season. Lundy said Decker got a few starts last season but struggled to regain his freshman form last season.

Senior lefty Zach Marzec (187) and junior Ty Webb (193) will compete for the No. 2 spot in the lineup. Lundy said both might alternate from week to week, but he also likes the idea of having a southpaw in his back pocket as the oil patterns for left-handed bowlers don’t wear down as much due to the small number of lefties.

Where the boys were one pin shy of reaching states, the girls team fell one point short of qualifying for the WPIBL team championships. Last season, Norwin (7-3) finished in a two-way tie for second with Greensburg Salem in the section but lost the points tiebreaker.

“(Their) season came down to beating Hempfield and with four girls. They weren’t going to do that. Hempfield is much too talented,” Lundy said.

Lundy has rostered seven bowlers for the girls’ team, including three returning starters.

Senior and four-year starter Rachel Lundy (201) will lead the team from the anchor spot. Junior spark plug Ashley Krivansky (168) will bowl fourth, and freshman Julie Fekete will bowl No. 3. Fekete never has bowled competitively.

Another first-year bowler, junior Hayley Hunter (100), will get the nod at No. 2 and junior three-year starter Brenda Furin will lead off at the No. 1 spot. A pair of freshmen in Justine Stolinski and Ashley Cramer round out the Knights’ seven.

“It’s going to be one of those seasons, and it’s going to be a big learning curve for them,” Lundy said.

Lundy feels the change in section is something that can benefit the girls team while some of his younger bowlers learn the game. He said McKeesport will be the toughest competition but expects his girls to be in the hunt for one of the two WPIBL championship tournament spots in the section.

“I expect them to be one of those two teams,” Lundy said. “They don’t realize how good they are (or) know how good of an opportunity they have.

William Whalen is a freelance writer.

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