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newlenoxpatriot.com SPORTS<br />
The New Lenox Patriot | November 8, 2018 | 41<br />
Boys Bowling<br />
Nork, Jablonski look to lead West to third straight state appearance<br />
Warriors’ girls coach<br />
moves to boys side<br />
to be with son<br />
James Sanchez, Editor<br />
Lincoln-Way West bowling<br />
made a move that could<br />
benefit both the boys and<br />
girls program.<br />
After eight years with<br />
the girls program, coach<br />
Scott Jablonski will switch<br />
over to the boys side to<br />
lead a team that includes<br />
his son, Cameron, and in<br />
turn, boys coach Scott Ullian<br />
takes over the girls program<br />
where his daughter,<br />
Kenzie, is the team’s top<br />
bowler. Jablonski spent half<br />
of his West coaching career<br />
coaching his daughter, Haley<br />
(Class of 2017), and now<br />
this move gives him the<br />
opportunity to do the same<br />
with Cameron.<br />
“Because I coached the<br />
girls for eight years, it was<br />
a little heartfelt, emotional,<br />
it was rough to leave them,<br />
but I get my time with my<br />
son,” Jablonski said. “And<br />
I spent all those years with<br />
my daughter, I figured I<br />
want to be with him his last<br />
two years.”<br />
Jablonski takes over a<br />
program that is in a bit of<br />
a transitioning phase after<br />
strong seasons the last two<br />
years. The Warriors placed<br />
11th in state last season<br />
after a seventh-place finish<br />
the season before. Now<br />
a lot of those experienced<br />
varsity members are gone.<br />
There are more freshmen<br />
and sophomores in the program<br />
than there are juniors<br />
and seniors.<br />
“We’re not going to have<br />
the depth the boys’ team has<br />
had the last couple of years,<br />
so that’s good and bad,”<br />
Jablonski said. “The good<br />
news is we get to rely on<br />
A few of Lincoln-Way West’s varsity bowling team members, (left to right) Jeremy Sgarlata, Tony Paul, Cameron Jablonski,<br />
Michael Nork and Naythan McNally, pose for a picture Oct. 30 during practice at Laraway Lanes.<br />
PHOTOS BY James Sanchez/22nd Century Media<br />
them more and teach them<br />
more, but I don’t have that<br />
luxury where if someone’s<br />
bowling bad that day that<br />
I could pull him and put<br />
someone else in.”<br />
The Warriors lose state<br />
team members Caleb Kirby<br />
(20th in state in 2018, 11th<br />
in 2017), Alex Kubitz (56th<br />
in 2018), Matt Vander-<br />
Biezen and George Dennison.<br />
However, returning is<br />
Michael Nork and Cameron<br />
who both competed at state<br />
the last two years. Jeremy<br />
Sgarlata is another key returner<br />
in 2018-2019. He<br />
was on last year’s state tournament<br />
roster and bowled<br />
three of the six games.<br />
Nork knows the challenges<br />
ahead with the talent who<br />
graduated last year, but his<br />
approach as the senior leader<br />
is to take it one match at<br />
a time.<br />
“This year, we’re just<br />
going to focus on the five<br />
bowlers who are bowling,”<br />
he said. “We’re all going to<br />
bowl together as one team.<br />
It’s not going to be about<br />
one individual, and we’ll<br />
do our best to make it back<br />
down to state.”<br />
Jablonski expects junior<br />
Tony Paul to take a step<br />
forward. Jablonski coached<br />
Paul’s sisters Ellie (Class<br />
of 2016) and Emily (Class<br />
of 2018), both of whom<br />
were state qualifiers. Nathan<br />
McNally, who played<br />
some varsity last year, and<br />
Glenn Prynn will also be in<br />
the mix. Jablonski coached<br />
Prynn’s sister and girls varsity<br />
member, Lizzie, and<br />
their dad is an assistant<br />
coach on the girls side.<br />
“You can’t really replace<br />
a Kirby, a 220-average<br />
bowler, but I think this<br />
team’s going to have more<br />
chemistry and more heart,<br />
and sometimes you compete<br />
better, win better when<br />
you’re more of a team compared<br />
to when you have<br />
those elite bowlers who<br />
aren’t as tight,” Jablonski<br />
said. “We’re going to have<br />
to rely on extra chemistry<br />
and consistency than having<br />
a few higher scores and<br />
a few lower scores.”<br />
The Warriors finished<br />
third out of 28 teams at<br />
the Baker Invitational on<br />
Saturday. Next up is a dual<br />
at Laraway Lanes against<br />
Sandburg Tuesday, Nov. 13<br />
at 4:30 p.m.. Then their first<br />
road test will be at Bradley-<br />
Bourbonnais Thursday,<br />
Nov. 15 at 4:30 p.m.<br />
Longtime West girls coach Scott Jablonski (right) will move to coach the boys’ program<br />
where his son, Cameron, is one of the returning starters. Boys coach Scott Ullian will<br />
coach the girls’ team, which includes his daughter, Kenzie.