The Newburgh Free Academy boys’ bowling team finished the morning series in second place, less than 300 pins behind the Middletown Middies.

Matched up with the Middies, the Goldbacks didn’t win the afternoon series by enough to catch up, but did qualify two bowlers to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association championships. The girls team will send two bowlers.

The boys’ team finished with a total six-game pin count of 6,126 at the Section 9 Division I championship meet on February 13 at Patel’s Kingston Lanes.

Gage Szymanowicz led the Goldbacks in the morning with high games of 259 and 253, for a high three-game series of 734. He was the Goldbacks’ overall top bowler of the day with a 1,277 six-game series.

Kevin Novella did his best bowling in the afternoon session with a fifth game of 268 and a sixth game of 228 on his way to a 687 afternoon and a 1,239 series.

Szymanowicz and Novella were already named the all-state composite team based on their season averages. Dylan Hannigan also had a strong afternoon with a fifth-game score of 250 and a sixth-game score of 268 on his way to an afternoon best 709 series. He finished with a 1,240 six-game series, but didn’t qualify for states.
Katie Bell and Gianna Alisandrella were named to the state all-composite team for the Goldbacks.

Bell and Alisandrella had series scores of 977 and 796 respectively, leading the Goldbacks to a total pin count of 3,896. Kingston won the overall team championship.

Bell had the Goldbacks’ highest single game with a 206, and Alisandrella rolled a high game of 166 to start the game. Only Tatum Connolly bowled all six games for Newburgh and was their most consistent bowler with all six scores between 120 and 136. Aside from her sixth-game low score, the other give games were at least 130.

Both composite teams will bowl the second day of the NYSPHSAA tournament – March 11 – at Strike N’ Spare Lanes in Syracuse. The girls will bowl at 8 a.m. and the boys will bowl at 2 p.m.