AKRON — Willowick’s Dean Vargo feels the first three frames of any bowling match are the most important
“If you make good shots and strike, you know you are already there,” Vargo, a 23-year-old right-hander, said. “There’s a lot less thinking involved then if you don’t make good shots and have to question yourself on now what do I do?”
Vargo and his partner, 39-year-old Massillon right-hander Frank Testa, both struck on their first three shots during the final match of the Sunday Sweeper Series doubles at Spins Bowl Akron.
Their opponents — Rob Sample and Brian Ball — left a 4-9 split and a 10-pin, respectively in the second frame surrounded by strikes.
Vargo and Testa used the early advantage to earn a 519-455 win and earn the $820 first-place money in the 25-team field.
It was a climax to a comeback for Testa and Vargo, who stood 11th after Game 1 of the four-game qualifying round, jumped to fourth after Game 2, and into the lead after Game 3.
“It just came down to better shotmaking. Dean threw it great all day long. It was not a matter of him getting lined up,” Testa said. “It came down to me making better quality shots after Game 1, and our scores reflected that.”
Testa, after shooting 191 in Game 1, had games of 268, 225 and 258 the rest of the way while Vargo had a high of 267 and a low of 235.
They completed the run in the title match, with Testa striking on 10 of his 12 shots en route to a 274 and Vargo starting with the first six strikes for 245.
“I was really surprised we vaulted as high as we did the last three games because scores are usually fairly high here,” Testa said. “I thought we were fortunate to make the cut and be in the lead.”
Vargo felt the lower scoring was an advantage for players.
“When you see scores like today, it’s a lot easier to score yourself when you don’t feel like you have to be perfect,” said Vargo, who finished second with partner Jon Kleer during the November sweeper. “It’s easier to make shots when now 230s are good as opposed to feeling like if you don’t have the front eight, you’re dropping in the standings.”
Sample and Ball, who now have finished second in this event twice this season, led the field with 524 after Game 1. They never dropped lower than fourth, eventually earning the No. 3 seed for the championship round.
In their opening match, the pair combined for 18 strikes en route to a 535-490 win over a pair of 54-year-old Stark County residents — Canton right-hander Matt Coffelt and Louisville lefty Todd Dorosky. Ball finished with 279; Sample had 256.
Coffelt and Dorosky, who stood 10th after Game 3, vaulted into the final championship round spot after 504 their final game, earning the slot by 18 pins.
Sample and Ball continued their surge in the semifinals, stopping Ray Cook, a 53-year-old Munroe Falls right-hander, and Brandon Smith, a 28-year-old Garfield Heights left-hander, 495-437. Sample shot 257 in that match, including a string of eight strikes and Ball added 238.
Smith had two open frames in the match while Cook had one. To that point in the championship round, neither Sample nor Ball had an open frame.
But in the title match, Sample left the split in the second frame; Ball followed with a 2-4-8-10 split in the eighth after his partner left a 4-7 spare in the same frame.
“One bad shot. I missed it at the bottom and that was it,” said Ball, a 48-year-old Massillon right-hander who had won an earlier sweeper with Massillon’s J.D. Jones. “I got away with it on the hooking lane, but not that time.”
Sample thought his shot on the 4-9 was “pretty good.”
“I moved on the next shot and tripped our a 4-pin and then had the next five,” said Sample, who also had finished second Saturday during the College Bowl Tournaments doubles at Eastbury with Joe Hostetler (who finished sixth with partner Dylan Rinella in Akron). “I kept moving because the shots kept going high.”
Testa and Vargo were happy they didn’t run into a “funky pair” for their one game in the title round.
“That would have turned our advantage into a disadvantage,” Testa said. “Dean made a ball change, but he didn’t have to make much of a move.
“I pretty much stayed in the same area of the lane. I just made a small move at the start because I figured after three matches it would be hooking more.”
In all, Testa started the title match with five strikes while Vargo had the first six. Strong starts en route to producing a win.
NOTES: Both Sample and Ball were critical of the use of urethane balls in pairs in front of them during the event, which is contested on a house oil pattern. “Urethane should not be used on house shots, on friction,” Ball said. Sample added, “they start with 170s, 180s with urethane and the next game switch and shoot 279. Why in the world would you throw urethane?” … All four title match competitors also would like to see a change in the tourney format. Teams move just one pair to the right after each game. “There should be at least a two-pair skip so you cover more of the house,” Testa said. … Viktor Varner had the event’s lone 300 in Game 3. He and partner Vincent Ludwig finished ninth overall. Varner also recorded the high series with 1,012, one pin ahead of Stark County right-hander Matt Frock. Frock and his partner, Tony Varn, finishes seventh after dropping out of the top four in Game 4. … The date of the next sweeper in January will be announced later.
FINAL STANDINGS
Quarterfinals: Rob Sample (256)-Brian Ball (279) d. Todd Dorosky (243)-Matt Coffelt (247) 535-490; Dorosky-Coffelt win $180.
Semifinals: Sample (257)-Ball (238) d. Ray Cook (224)-Andrew Smith (213) 495-437; Cook-Smith win $220.
Finals: Frank Testa (274)-Dean Vargo (245) d. Sample (232)-Ball (223) 519-455; Testa-Vargo win $820, Sample Ball win $420.
Other cashers
(with four-game qualifying scores)
5, Don Scheck-Bill Dunn 1,820, $140; 6, Dylan Rinella-Joe Hostetler 1,815, $120.