When the Forest Hills Northern bowling team sauntered into Eastbrook Lanes, they knew they were in for a world of pain. With little to no time to spare, the bumpers were lowered and an all-out war raged between the two bitter rivals. Considering that this 2020-2021 FHC bowling season has started much later than usual and against what junior Joey Spaletto has described as “one of the best teams in the Conference,” head coach Terry Metzner maintained an optimistic attitude throughout the heat of the 22-8 loss for the boys team.

“We are doing okay for our first match, but we need a little more practice. Things can only get better from here on out, so I’m not disappointed with them at all,” Metzner said.

Individually speaking, senior Tommie Payne placed in the top tier of the competition with a score of 192. Being a vital senior on the team, Tommie’s impressive performance was a perfect start to his own season. If it were up to him, he would certainly rather see his team win against a rival like Northern instead of just himself. 

“I think we did good for our first match, but I think all of us can improve, including myself,” Tommie explained.

On the girls side, inexperience and youthfulness were thought to reign supreme because of their freshman-filled roster; however, Skyler Tierney’s score of 113 and Megan Hackerd’s 114 flipped the stereotype of how freshmen should play in their first high school match. When asked about what he thought about the freshman girls performances, coach Metzner was pleased with their ability to maneuver both inside and outside the alley.

“The girls are all new to bowling, and they’re all freshman, so they did very good,” said Metzner.

Be on the lookout for the boys and girls next bowling bout against Byron Center on Monday. If everything goes according to plan, coach Metzner and his team will walk out of the alley on Monday with pins flying in every direction behind them like an explosion scene from a movie.