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Boys Bowling: In match of first place vs. last, result is predictable

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The Southold High School bowlers may have figured what they were in for when their late-arriving opponents from Longwood showed up at Wildwood Lanes on Monday with personalized bowling shirts that had their last names embroidered in neat script on the back.

If that wasn’t enough, then the Southolders got to see the Lions bowl, giving explanation enough as to why they sit comfortably in first place.

Although the two teams are in the same league, they are in different worlds. Longwood has won all five matches it has bowled this season, accumulating 141 points. The Lions have a team average game score of 1,011 and an individual average of 202. Three Lions carry averages over 200 and a fourth, James Dunn, was sitting at 199.3 after five matches.

And then there is Southold, which has precious little experience, with only two returning bowlers from last season’s team: brothers Andrew and Alex Seifert. The First Settlers have so far managed only 2 points for their new coach, John Myers, having lost all four of their matches so far. Southold’s statistics don’t even come close to approaching Longwood’s impressive figures. The First Settlers have league-low average scores of 539 for the team per game and 107 per individual.

So, when the first-place team in Suffolk County League IV met the last-place team in League IV, the result was predictable: a 33-0 Longwood blowout.

The first three balls Longwood threw went for strikes, and the Lions were off and rolling. They swept the three games handily, 935-577, 953-563, 999-510.

Longwood junior Justin Muller rolled a 233 game to cap a 642 series and bring his season average to 209.7.

The highest single-game score of the match, however, belonged to sophomore Mike Mirabile, whose 243 centered a 613 series. Mirabile threw 19 strikes and made 12 spares.

Dunn recorded a 199 high game for a 551 series.

Dylan Silvis and T. J. Hines each bowled in only the first game, putting up respective scores of 194 and 190 for Longwood.

Josh Clasing, a junior who holds Southold’s highest average at 119.6, registered the highest single-game score and series for his team — a 151 and a 382.

The First Settlers also received a 349 series from Fatih Kocan, a 347 from Bobby Van Mater and a 307 from Gina Anasagasti.

The difference between the teams was spelled out in their totals for strikes (66-18)  and spares (66-33) — both heavily in Longwood’s favor.

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Photo caption: Southold’s new boys bowling coach, John Myers, chatting with his bowlers before their match against Longwood at Wildwood Lanes. (Credit: Bob Liepa)