When the Salamanca bowling teams have been able to play as scheduled, the results have been strong, particularly for the Warriors’ boys.
Salamanca completed three boys matches and two girls matches before the winter break, with both teams going into the new year with winning records. Both teams both swept Cattaraugus-Little Valley on Tuesday and the Salamanca boys swept Franklinville on Wednesday. The Salamanca boys are now 19-1, good for first in CCAA Div. III, while the girls are 9-3.
“We had three out of our first five matches postponed,” coach Gene Jankowski said. “We’re a little bit behind, some of the other teams have made up the matches. That’s why when you see the standings, they’re inconsistent on the number of matches.”
Quinton Jones leads the Salamanca boys with a 193.9 average, followed by Corey Gebauer (186.7), Dylon Ingersoll (171.3) and Cole Urbanski (167.5).
Urbanski’s arrival this season bolstered an already deep lineup.
“I kind of felt coming in, our boys team would be real, real strong and we picked up a transfer from Catt-Little Valley, Cole Urbanski,” Jankowski said. “He bowled two years ago for Catt-Little Valley and last year he switched to basketball, so because he didn’t bowl (last year) he’s eligible for us, so we picked up a starter, he’s fourth in average for us. You pick up a key starter like that and with the veteran bowlers we’ve got, I know we’re in pretty good shape. We also have a couple other kids that haven’t even bowled for us and they would be starters. So we got a lot of depth and as always, things pop up whether it’s a sickness or an injury, so we’re always scrambling, but I’m real pleased with the boys.”
Jones also leads the division by average game, with Gebauer second and Ingersoll fifth.
In his 20th year coaching bowling, Jankowski has a deep group to work with on the boys’ side with 15 on the roster.
“Usually I try to get every kid in a match and I don’t know if this is going to happen this year, but we’ve got kids that are coming and bowling for us and that’s great to see,” he said. “You always have a few seniors that come out and want to bowl, and they’re decent, and we’ve got a pretty good core at the top. I couldn’t be more pleased, and they’re all great kids. I say that every year, but they’re all great.”
Jankowski credited his team’s leadership, evidenced by how quickly his advice can spread from one bowler to the rest of the team.
“I tell one kid, and he turns around and tells another kid, and he turns around and tells another kid,” Jankowski said, “so they’re immediately, like the first practice, they’re coaching themselves, relaying the information to each other and you just sit back and watch. Then they’re correcting each other and giving each other pointers. These are some really smart kids and it’s like you picked up three new coaches because they just relay all the information they can to share it to make themselves better.”
Returning bowlers Alicia Fiske (146.3) and Faith Brown (129.0) lead a more inexperienced Salamanca girls team.
“Alicia and Faith are veteran starters, I think they were second-team all-stars (last year), and then we’ve got most of the team have been JV bowlers — Cam Quigley and Caterina Huff — and now they’re stepping into the starting lineup, they’re getting better,” Jankowski said. “Emelia Prey was a JV bowler last year and she’s in the starting lineup, and Grace Hodara, who is a second-year bowler. So we’re making progress, steady improvement.
“One of them commented in practice they’re frustrated and then in a week or two, all of a sudden you see the scores going up and smiles on their faces. It doesn’t matter what sport, they’re getting that muscle memory and they’re starting to repeat shots and when you see a good shot, you tell them that’s what it should feel like when you make a good shot. They nod and they understand it. They’re learning.”
Jankowski expects strong competition from Allegany-Limestone, West Valley and Hinsdale at the top of the girls’ standings.
Salamanca had 11 matches on its January schedule starting Tuesday against Cattaraugus-Little Valley.
“I’m willing to bet that’s got to be a record, about three matches a week,” Jankowski said. “I added another match in there, wanted to get over to Frewsburg and bowl them, they’re pretty good, get the kids into another house to get some experience.
“I anticipate the boys to keep on rolling, averages to stay where they’re at or improve. I think we’ll see the same with the girls. I’m confident you’ll probably see even more improvement with the girls as you start to see the bigger games. I think we’ll just be — pardon the bowling pun — rolling along. I’m optimistic, unless something major happens — injuries or shutdowns or people getting quarantined — I think we’re going to be in good shape.”