WATCH State Champs Discuss their ‘Legendary Season’ (WATCH VIDEO)

The Neshaminy High School boy’s bowling team won the 2015 Pennsylvania High School State Bowling Championships in dramatic fashion at Dutch Lanes in Ephrata on Saturday. In a game that went down to the wire against first-seeded Hempfield High School, it was a clutch string of strikes rolled by five ‘Skins bowlers-Erich Hansen, Shawn Minch, Holden Tisone, David Moffitt, and AJ Wolstenholme-that gave them the Baker game and the title. Their win marks the first time a Neshaminy boy’s team has ever taken the state bowling championship.

“It’s real exciting,” said second-year Neshaminy coach Mark Dunfee. “The boys worked really hard. All my starters, the guys that threw today, they’re all seniors, so they get to go out on a high note.”

A total of seven Neshaminy bowlers brought the championship trophy back to Bucks County Saturday night after a celebratory dinner at Shady Maple Smorgasbord. Bowlers Matt Boyle and Blaze Binkowski contributed to the victory earlier in the qualifying rounds.

Neshaminy beat Hempfield in the final best-of-three Baker games, pulling out a clutch victory in the deciding third game of the final round of play, 235-224. Erich Hansen, Shawn Minch, Holden Tisone, David Moffitt, and AJ Wolstenholme kept their cool and came through as a team.

“Everybody threw a strike on their last ball,and we needed it,” said Neshaminy coach Mark Dunfee. “We would have lost otherwise.” In Baker games, the entire team acts as one bowler, and each of the five team members bowl two frames.

“It requires more than just one person being hot,” said Dunfee. “It requires the team to string together a really good performance for their scores to be high, which is exactly what they did.” The Redskins demonstrated a never-say-die attitude, and their perseverance paid off.

Hempfield came out on top of the heap at the end of the qualifying round with a 4290, giving them a bye until the finals. Neshaminy came in second place with a  4156.

When third seed Penn Manor defeated Conrad Weiser, it put them up against the Redskins in the semifinal match. After splitting the first two games, Neshaminy won 237-215, moving them into the championship match against Hempfield.

Neshaminy edged Hempfield in the first game 204-194. While the Redskins struggled with some missed spares and a lack of strikes, Hempfield put together a string of strikes to take the second game by a 30-pin margin, 227-197. But it was the third game that determined the championship, with the Redskins pulling out a 235-223 win for the title.

 

“That other team was fantastic, all credit to them,” said Dunfee of the Hempfield team, who have been the state runner-ups three years running. “They came out and threw three great games. It took everything we had to beat them.”

Regional Champ AJ Wolstenholme, a two-handed bowler, received recognition for the second highest game and series during the boy’s qualifying today with a 258 and a 671.

Neshaminy’s newly-crowned PA Boy’s Singles State Bowling Champ David Moffitt, who won yesterday in a roll-off, today turned in a 651 series in the qualifier, followed by Holden Tisone with a 646. Matt Boyle turned in a 532, Shawn Minch rolled a 2-game 396, and Erich Hansen bowled a single game 136.

“We had one goal going into this season and we accomplished that goal,” said Hansen.