On Saturday, Feb 5, the Farmingdale boys bowling team’s season came to a disappointing end in Garden City, finishing in second place in the Nassau County team championship.
In the last of the day’s six games, the Dalers bowled against Sewanhaka in a pressure-filled match that decided first place. Farmingdale bowled their best but fell just 19 pins short, and Sewanhaka was Nassau’s champion.
This heartbreaking loss signified the end of the season for all of Farmingdale’s bowlers, with the exception of senior co-captain Steve Harris. Harris averaged a 212 throughout the season, seventh in the county, and qualified for the county tournament for the third year in a row. His best performance was 13th in 2010.
A week after his team fell narrowly short of a title, Harris returned to Garden City Lanes to “represent Farmingdale,” and as he said, “Bowl my heart out.”
Even with the pressure of competing against 47 of Nassau’s best bowlers and being watched by the eyes of hundreds of witnesses, Harris was at the top of his game. He bowled a 267 in the first game, which ranked him in second place by just one pin.
After a 221 in the second game and 247 in the third, the Daler took the lead and did not let up. He subsequently rolled scores of 224, 246, and 212, averaging 236 for the day, and finishing with 1,417 total pins.
Fellow senior co-captain John Lombardi, who averaged 193 throughout the season, said of Harris, “I’m very proud of his accomplishments over the past few years; it’s been a pleasure bowling with him and the Dalers’ bowling team.”
Samuel Kaplan of Roslyn bowled a 244 in his sixth game to finish a close second, by just 10 pins. Plainview JFK’s Matt Farber, whose 218 regular season average led the county, finished in third place. He was followed by East Meadow freshman Jeff Juarez and Wantagh’s Nick Spinelli and Ryan Fiorillo.
The six bowlers will team up as the Section VIII all-star team, coached by Clarke’s Bryan Landini, and will travel to Syracuse to compete in the sectional tournament on Sunday, March 6.
