Boys bowling: La Salle-Peru’s Chance Hank, Yorkville team earn regional championships

PERU – When the postseason begins every athlete wants a great start, not only for his or herself but for the team as well.

La Salle-Peru senior Chance Hank did that in the La Salle-Peru Boys Bowling Regional on Saturday at Illinois Valley Super Bowl.

Hank rolled an opening-game 277 and finished his six-game series with a 1,324 to earn the individual championship while also helping lead the Cavaliers to advance to next Saturday’s sectional at Town & Country Lanes in Joliet.

“I started out about as well as I could have in the first game,” said Hank, who advanced to sectionals as a junior and fell just a few pins short of making it to state. “I can’t even tell you how great it felt to get off to that kind of start. My next four games were also pretty solid, but then I struggled a little bit in the final two games. I knew I had around a 60-pin lead starting the last game and had just enough to keep the lead.”

The Cavaliers also used solid days from Ethan Picco (1,196), David Lawrence (890 in five games), Peyton Baker (801 in five games), Jake Quick (767 in four games) and Aaron Sibert (668 in four games).

“I’m super proud to have won the championship, but I’m even more excited that our team gets to advance as well,” Hank said. “We all struggled at times today, but we also all stuck together in those times things weren’t going well. It was a fun day.”

Yorkville captured the team championship with a 6,006, with Minooka runner-up (5,909), Joliet West third (5,870) and L-P fourth (5,464).

Joliet Central placed fifth, followed by Plainfield South (7th), Streator (8th), Ottawa (10th), St. Bede (11th) and Hall (13th).

Foxes senior Dale Horstmann (1,317) finished just seven pins back of Hank for second place.

“I had a really rough start today, not the start I was hoping to have,” Horstmann said, “but I was able to bounce back and put together solid games four of the final five. I knew going to game six I was going to have to really put a great score up and then have [Hank] struggle a little. It really didn’t happen either way, but finishing second isn’t too bad.

Yorkville also received solid days from Andrew Lapinskas (1,226), Jesus Villa (1,220) and Andrew Hellyer (1,198)

“As a team we had struggles here and there, but every time someone would have an off game, someone else would pick them up with a good one,” Horstmann said. “We have been a balanced team all season, and there are so many guys that have led the way or stepped up at certain times.

“This was a total team win today, and we all put it together at the right time.”

Minooka was paced by Zach Kunke (1,242), D.J. Singleton (1,203), Nathan Zola (1,196), Logan Knott (1,139) and Spencer Bruinsma (1,129).

Joliet West was led by Avram Savage (3rd, 1,263), Tyler Macdonald (1,182) and Bryce Jinks (921).

Bowlers moving on to sectionals who were not on advancing teams included: Joliet Central’s Xavier Huges (1,255), Robert Churchill (1,201), Zach Riley (1,080) and Garrett Johnson (1,039); Streator’s Brady Grabowski (1,216) and Anthony Dominic (1,208); Plainfield South’s Jacob Vilcek (1,137), Reed-Custer’s Victor Poulos (1,073); and St. Bede’s Haiden Ator (1,055).

“I struggled with a few open frames early, but I was pretty confident coming into today after winning a tournament here a couple of weeks ago,” Grabowski said. “My main goal was to advance, and I was able to do that.

“Today wasn’t my best. I think I had a high game of 237. I felt like I was consistently average, but I felt like if I could be consistently around 200 in my games and not have too many highs or lows, I’d be OK today.

“I wasn’t able to compete at regionals my first three seasons due to COVID. So to be able to compete and advance to sectional next weekend is pretty satisfying.”