Montville bowling returns to Morris County Tournament peak
ROCKAWAY − When Montville bowling last won the Morris County Tournament, Tyler Polachek was a freshman. He was proud to contribute. But at Thursday's MCT, Polachek knew he had to do a lot more for the Mustangs.
Polacheck led the team to success, including a 2-0 victory over Morris Tech in the final. The Mustangs dedicated their victory to George Kattermann, their bus driver and unofficial assistant coach − and the father of two former Montville bowlers: Erik and Karl.
Erik Kattermann had bowled a perfect 300 game in 2017 as the Mustangs won their third consecutive MCT title. George Kattermann missed Thursday's MCT after hernia surgery, so he wasn't able to give the bowlers his little tweaks and adjustments.
"It's tough without him," said Polachek, who had the second-best individual game in the preliminary round and tied for second in high series.
"This win is not just for the team, but for him too, because we wish he was here. ... The last time we were on top was freshman year. I remember bringing a lot of energy to the table, and stepping up as a freshman. Now they all look up to me to see what we can do."
Morris Tech relied on a trio of female bowlers − seniors Amanda Granata and Aubrey Schwager and junior Amelia Lemanowicz − in the MCT. Granata, who has signed a National Letter of Intent with Youngstown State, had the top girls' game: a 258 in the prelim. Lemanowicz had the best series by a female bowler.
"I found the line quickly, but it was easier because these are our home lanes," said Lemanowicz, a junior from Mount Arlington who is focusing on interior design and architecture.
"I made all the spares but one, which is still bothering me. I leave a lot of 7-pins, because I'm a lefty."
Newcomers take trophies
Roxbury didn't have a varsity bowling team in Gavin Mattes' freshman year. But he'd been bowling in a league since he was 6, so when the Gaels' team launched this winter, it was a natural fit.
Mattes shone at his first MCT, winning both the high game with a 268 and high series.
Mount Olive started its own team this winter as well, after years as a co-op program with Hopatcong. Marauders senior Dylan Cupen stepped up and had the third-best game on Thursday.
"It's similar to leagues, but it's a bigger competition," Mattes said. "Representing the school, it's hard to put (the feeling) into words. We have to show we're here to compete. We're not just, 'Oh cool, a first-year team.'"
Team scores
Finals
Montville 2, Morris Tech 0
Montville 227, Morris Tech 212
Montville 278, Morris Tech 222
Semifinals
Montville 2, Morris Knolls 0
Montville 220, Morris Knolls 175
Montville 218, Morris Knolls 196
Morris Tech 2, Morris Hills 1
Morris Hills 216, Morris Tech 151
Morris Tech 247, Morris Hills 181
Morris Tech 205, Morris Hills 170
Opening round
Montville 1053-1026-1043-3122; Morris Tech 1059-916-967-2942; Morris Hills 922-934-949-2805; Morris Knolls 866-958-888-2712; Roxbury 820-961-899-2680; Delbarton 886-861-908-2655; Morristown 888-882-757-2527; Kinnelon 860-832-822-2514; Jefferson 892-726-777-2395; Butler 788-828-793-2389; Dover 782-699-844-2325; Mount Olive 766-730-809-2305; Madison 729-707-764-2200; Chatham 599-702-635-1936
Individuals
Boys high game: Gavin Mattes (Roxbury) 268; Tyler Polachek (Montville) 235; Dylan Cupen (Mount Olive) 233.
Boys high series: Gavin Mattes (Roxbury) 675; Tyler Polachek (Montville) 637 (235); Joe Agodini (Morris Knolls) 637 (227); Jack Sherman (Montville) 637 (224)* Tie broken by highest game
Girls high game: Amanda Granata (Morris Tech) 258; Amelia Lemanowicz (Morris Tech) 255; Laura Tomasella (Butluer) 186
Girls high series: Amelia Lemanowicz (Morris Tech) 689; Amanda Granata (Morris Tech) 674; Laura Tomasella (Butler) 473
This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: NJ bowling: Montville reclaims Morris County Tournament title
