Boys Bowling: Lake Zurich heads to State after winning sectional

• Reprints

Lake Zurich's Max Galarce, seen here in earlier action this winter, placed fourth in Saturday's sectional at Lakeside Lanes in Mundelein. | Michelle LaVigne~Sun-Times Media

Article Extras

Updated: February 27, 2012 8:23AM

In sports, a team can either rise to the level of its expectations or be crushed under the weight of them.

During Saturday’s Stevenson Sectional at Lakeside Lanes in Mundelein, the Lake Zurich High School boys bowling team elevated its play, embracing the pressure and qualifying for the 2012 state tournament with a championship performance.

“I told the kids, all the work we’ve done all year paid off,” said Bears head coach Peter Kupfer. “The last four tourneys we were in the top three, so to finally get that win … is a big achievement for them, and really very exciting.”

It marks the sixth time in the last 10 years that Lake Zurich has advanced to State, and it could be the Bears’ best shot to win the title, based on the consistency of their team performance on Saturday.

Heading into the fourth game of the six-game series, the Bears were 50 pins behind Vernon Hills. LZ proceeded to bowl 15 straight strikes, but were still down by 11 pins heading into the fifth game. That’s when Lake Zurich’s experience and sectional savvy shone through, as the Bears bowled 34 straight marks (strikes or spares). It was a cold-blooded performance, and by the time the sixth game began, LZ had leapfrogged the Cougars by 80 pins, all but clinching the title.

“We haven’t had five guys bowling well at the same time, so to have the guys feeding off each other, growing momentum like a snowball down a mountain, it was exciting to see,” Kupfer said.

When the final pin fell, Lake Zurich (6423) had knocked down 32 more than Vernon Hills (6391). The Bears have acted in this movie before, but hope the script to this season’s final act will change. Last year, they finished in third place at the state tournament. 

“I’ve been Downstate every year,” Kupfer said. “In the end, it’s just bowling. You are going to State. We won’t do anything crazy.”

Recap: For the most part, everything went according to plan at the sectional, but was not without one big surprise. Sophomore Max Galarce finished in fourth place with 1320 pins. 

“It’s a dream come true to me,” said the unassuming, bespectacled Galarce. “I went into the day thinking I would just help my team shoot a solid series. And something like this is just absolutely crazy for me.” 

In a deep field, Galarce beat out more experienced bowlers such as Deerfield’s Quinn Thomas, last year’s sectional champ who finished way down the pack in 24th place.

Galarce’s teammate, Mike Schmitt, won the sectional crown with a typically consistent series (1469). His 279 in the fourth frame was the highest score of the day. 

“I was pretty nervous coming in because I knew everybody expected me to do this,” said Schmitt, who was runner-up in last year’s state finals. “I’m just really relieved I was able to come through when it mattered most. The goal was just to get the team to State. That’s the best way I know how.”

Other top Bears finishers were Tony Giannecchini (1270), good for seventh place, and Quinn Nelson (1260), who finished 11th. 

On the schedule: Lake Zurich will travel to O’Fallon for the state tournament, beginning Friday morning. It takes place at St. Clair Lanes. 

Honors: The Northern Illinois Boys Bowling Conference (NIBBC) announced its all-conference team for the 2011-12 season.

First-teamers are Zach Cole (Deerfield), Schmitt (Lake Zurich), Eric Swanson (Vernon Hills), Arnie Nadel (Stevenson) and Giannecchini.

The second team includes Brenden Horwitz (Stevenson), Jake Thompson (Libertyville), Jeremy Steininger (Vernon Hills), Quinn Thomas (Deerfield) and Jon Lipsky (Deerfield).

Vernon Hills was the overall champion in the seven-team league, which also includes Evanston and New Trier.