Elgin's Forney rolls top game at Maxwell
Overwhelmed with excitement for the 20th Annual Ray Maxwell Streamwood Invitational, former Sabre bowling coach Ray Maxwell himself woke up at 2 a.m. in anticipation of the festivities.
When all was said and done, Maxwell's enthusiasm was met by hundreds in attendance as 32 area teams collided for the big contest.
While Leyden took home the team title behind a total pin count of 5,416, several individuals left their mark - namely individual champion Caerlina Williams of Elk Grove.
Blasting down 1,279 pins, Williams tallied 26 consecutive marks en route to championship honors. Her totals pushed the Grenadiers from ninth place at the break to a fourth-place finish (5,206 pins).
"Getting 26 consecutive marks took a lot of work," said Williams. "Coming in I just wanted to do my best. I could have done better, but overall I felt really good. The key was to think about the shot at hand."
Elk Grove coach Kim Sander explained that it was just another day at the office for Williams, just a sophomore.
"Twenty-six straight, that's Caerline," Sander said. "She is a strong bowler who fights for it the whole way. As a team we started rough, but made adjustments and picked it up in the afternoon. I was happy with what the girls did."
Newly crowned champ Leyden was led by Ashley Henk (1,129) and Jenny Schavenburg (1,125), who finished sixth and seventh respectively.
"The girls had a great day," said Leyden coach Chris Aylward. "We started the day in first, and held on throughout. We've got a very solid team."
The Eagles finished 12th in the state last year, and welcome back all but one girl from that roster.
"On the way here, we talked about winning this tournament," said Aylward. "We've improved on consistency, we're a mature team and the girls got it done. There is no doubt in my mind that they gave 110 percent all day."
Last year's champion, Rolling Meadows, had a late push helping it finish second overall at 5,307 despite having graduated its top three bowlers last year's team. Danielle Reeves (1,137 pins) led the Mustangs earning a fifth-place finish.
Deanna Ptak (1,187) of Bolingbrook earned second place honors followed by Grant's Brie Brugioni (1,164) and Jenn Baran (1,149) of Morton.
The high game of the day went to Elgin's Shannan Forney, who bowled a 263 to start the tournament.
While the Maroons finished 20th overall (4,383 pins), Forney collected a career best game with the 263 and a career high series at 1,076 for 19th place.
"I was pumped," said Forney. "It's my senior year and I want to go out big. Coming in, I wanted an award. Getting the high game of the tournament is awesome, and my new high blew my previous high (234) out of the water.
"The whole team came out stronger than usual which was great."
Perhaps one of the most consistent showings of the day, Buffalo Grove earned third place team honors scoring no lower than an 851 series. Mariah McVay earned a spot among the Top 10 0 at No. 10 collecting a 1,108 total to lead the Bison.
New to the championship bracket, Jacobs not only made its debut among the upper echelon, but made a statement finishing fifth as a team mowing down 5,160 pins.
"The girls did an awesome job," said Golden Eagles coach Alison Zorilla. "This is the best they've been all season, and the best we've seen in four years. The girls showed a lot of heart today as a team. Anytime we finish top eight, we're ecstatic. Now that we've done it twice, we're shooting for top three."
Amanda Burau led the tournament through three games with a 601 morning series, and also collected the game high for Game 2 with a 223.
"I felt amazing," said Burau. "I set the bar high early, but certainly met expectations. I definitely fed off of the team."
Golden Eagle teammate Robin Lasak racked up 16 consecutive marks for the team's high game of 245. She also scored a 232 earlier in the day.
"I love bowling," said Lasak. "The key is watching your ball. I found the shot and worked with it. I thought I did fabulous."
Jennifer Rood took 22nd with crashing 1,063 pins.
Grant (4,926) finished ninth overall, Schaumburg (4,861) took 10th.
"Along with the Palatine Tournament, this was one of the first girls bowling tournaments in the state of Illinois," said Maxwell. "I love coming back to do this each year."
Amanda Friese led South Elgin at 1,010 while Kristen Benson (998) was the leader for Larkin. Jaime Boothe was the top shot for Bartlett colliding with 922 pins followed closely by Vanessa Herrejon (893 pins) of Streamwood. Amelia Kolaczewski had the high game for St. Edward bowling a combined 801.