The buzz still was evident when Massillon right-hander J.D. Jones went to Eastbury Bowling Center on Nov. 29 to bowl in the Tycor Roofing league.
After all, on the previous Friday, the 27-year-old had set the center’s scoring record with an 875 series, including a 300 and 299.
What could he do for an encore? Plenty — but another Massillon resident also decided to join the party.
Bowling on lanes 3 and 4, Jones came back with another 800 — an 802. This time, he wasn’t even high on the pair as 42-year-old left-hander Jason Corrin put together games of 279, 258 and 289 for an 826 series, his career high and seventh of his career to go along with 13 300 games.
“I was just trying to keep up with him,” said Jones, who had games of 245, 279 and 278 for 802. “It was the best kind of competitive bowling. I’ve never been part of something like that before.”
Neither had Corrin, a licensed optician who arrived late and never threw a practice shot before starting competition. It showed on his first shot of the night.
“When I got up there with the first shot about three-quarters of the way through my downswing I felt the ball slip off my fingers,” said Corrin, who left a 4-7-10 split on the shot.
“I just had to shake off those two shots, grabbed a ton of resin and then everything was fine.”
Indeed. Corrin ran off the next 14 straight strikes before a 7-pin in the fourth frame of Game 2 ended his run. He left another 7-pin in the 10th frame.
Then in Game 3, Corrin ran off 10 straight before another 7-pin ended his 300 bid, but not his 800 run.
“I was laughing because that shot was probably the best ball I threw all night,” Corrin said. “I was solid, but it was not the best I’ve ever thrown the ball. I’ve had a bunch of 780s when I’ve thrown it better.
“I missed my target a bunch, either inside or out, and I got a few breaks. I was trying to hit 15 (board) at the arrows and hit 7 at the peak, which usually works well for me there.
“I was just pretty consistent where I missed.”
Corrin, who admitted he never made a move from his original target all night, was behind Jones in the order for the opposing team.
“He kind of had me behind the eight-ball all night,” said Corrin, who used a Roto Grip Odyssey for his honor score. “The fact that I had someone right there matching me shot for shot made it that much more amazing.
“The one in the ninth frame of Game 3 was the key shot … that’s the one I wanted.”
BACK-TO-BACK
Jones, who opened with 245, admitted he was just “trying to keep up with (Corrin).”
A couple of bad counts during the night denied Jones the chance to go higher. He did not have an open frame, opening Game 1 with five strikes before leaving a seven-count in the sixth frame followed by two more nine-count spares.
“I was noticing the ball was hooking more on the outside. Lane 3 is always tight and Lane 4 is usually a little more open,” said Jones, who used the same 900 Global Zen that he had used during his 875. “I just got the ball a little more outside and allowed it to roll up quicker and steeper into the pocket and threw all 10 back every time after Game 1.”
In Game 2, he left a 10-pin on his first ball in the 10th frame. In Game 3, he left a 7-pin in the first frame and then ran off nine strikes in a row before leaving a 3-6 in the 10th frame.
“It was almost a six-count,” Jones said. “I think I was more nervous on that first shot in the 10th frame on Monday night than the entire night on Friday except for the last ball because I knew I had to do something to shoot (the 800).
“It really surprised me. I had to get a drink of water … I was so antsy.”
Skill was a part of his back-to-back success, Jones said. But there was more to it.
“It’s a lot of luck also. You can’t do something like that without a little of both. It’s just something you have to have,” Jones added.
Corrin started paying more attention as Jones continued his roll in Game 2.
“He was just ahead of me so I knew I had to keep going,” Corrin said. “I knew if I missed, I was in trouble.”
Jones moved a couple of boards left on Lane 3 in Game 3, but admitted he made gradual moves on Lane 4 as the night went on.
“It was just a dream. You either wake up after that or just go back to sleep,” Jones said. “The way everyone has reached out to me after this is just amazing.”
And the competition brought out the best in both players.
“I’m one of those guys who would rather have that much fun and let the games come,” Corrin said. “But I admit I was concentrating a little bit more as I saw how tight we were all night.”
And, when it was over, Jones team emerged with a 4-3 record, with his DiMarzio Vending team posting 1,256 scratch and 1,300 overall in Game 2. But it was Corrin’s Pin Reapers team that took total pinfall by just one pin — 3,620-3,619.
A fitting end to a tight night.