Bears Log Another Win

Coming into the match with a league-best average of 1,012 pins per game, the Elizabethtown bowling team looked poised for its fifth straight 7-0 romp. It would have to come against Ephrata, a Lancaster- Lebanon League Section Two rival that had handed the Bears their only points lost this season.

But the Bears accomplished their mission, rolling to easy 1,066-944 and 1,189-1,068 wins in the first two games before rallying at the end to earn a 979-932 win in the third game Friday at Clearview Lanes. They won total by 290 pins (3,234-2,944).

“It was a nice win,” said Elizabethtown coach Frank Telenko, whose team is now 37-5 in Section Two (only section matches count in the standings). “I’m proud of the kids.”

“The matches are always good between us,” Ephrata coach Nick Vanderwende said. “We have a history of having a good competition. … You know, E-town, they bring it.”

That competition included the Mountaineers’ 5-2 win Jan. 12 in the first match of the season. But the Bears’ 7-0 win Friday gives them a 10-point lead over Ephrata (20-15) with two weeks left in the regular season.

Elizabethtown’s Alaina Telenko, the coach’s daughter, rolled the Bears’ top series of 714 on games of 235, 252 and 227.

“I had an open in the first frame and kind of started off not too good, but I knew my teammates had my back,” she said. “I’ve been bowling pretty consistently lately, so I was really happy to see a 700.”

After the solid first game, led by Zach Deardorff’s 237, the Bears got off to a furious start in Game 2, rolling 21 strikes in the first five frames, and nine in a row over the fourth through sixth frames, and threatening their school record of 1,217 pins. Daniel Eberle, who struck in the first nine frames, led the way with a 279 and Telenko rolled six strikes to start her game, but the Bears had to settle for a 1,189 total.

Ephrata was a hard-luck loser, falling by 121 pins despite rolling 1,068, including a 244 by Nathan Barnica.

Powered by Andrew Barnica’s 280, Ephrata was well within reach of taking the last game. The Bears righted themselves with five strikes in the seventh and the Mountaineers faltered late.

“I felt like we really let up,” Deardorff said. “It felt like, after the first two, we thought, ‘Oh, we have this in our hands,’ and let off. It’s gone like that in other matches. … We’re working on that and we definitely brought it back in the second half of the game.”

“You know, they’re high school kids that can’t keep their focus on one thing for two hours,” Frank Telenko said. “We held on. Luckily for us, (Ephrata) had a rough ninth frame.”

Andrew Barnica finished with the high series of 757 for the Mounts, while Eberle was second for E-town with a 658. Deardorff was close behind at 653.

• Prev
• Next