East Syracuse Minoa sophomore Zach Kassel rolled a 300 game on Monday, his first-ever perfect score in competition.
Not too shabby.
But he also finished with an 824 series, bowling games of 246 and 278 to go with his 300.
“An 800 series is more impressive than a 300 game,” ESM coach Marty Piraino said. “You have to get three really good games and not miss in one of them.”
The Spartans beat Cicero-North Syracuse 5-2 in a battle of two of the top teams in the Salt City Athletic Conference at AMF Strike ‘N Spare Lanes in Syracuse.
Kassel started his day with his “worst " performance, a 246. But he began building momentum at the end of the first game, and in his second game had 12 consecutive strikes.
“Only one time did the pins go down weird,” Piraino said. “The rest of them were crushed.”
After reaching 300, Kassel was mobbed by teammates and Cicero-North Syracuse bowlers.
He also started the third game well, finally missing after 21 consecutive strikes.
Kassel has been the best bowler on East Syracuse Minoa’s team the past two seasons, but he didn’t make the varsity team as an eighth-grader. After getting cut, “he started to take this thing seriously and worked his butt off,” Piraino said.
Kassel is the “smoothest two-handed bowler I’ve ever coached” and is even-keeled, Piraino said.
“You wouldn’t know if he’s shooting a 300 or a 150,” he said.
East Syracuse Minoa (10-3) returns to action against Liverpool on Tuesday. Cicero-North Syracuse (10-3) travels to Auburn on Friday. The Section III finals at Sunday, Feb. 4, at Strike ‘N Spare.
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