By MATT CANNIZZARO
USBC Communications
LAS VEGAS — Brandon St. Onge of Zephyrhills, Fla., achieved two things many competitors at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships dream of – he rolled a perfect game on the tournament lanes, and he took the lead.
The 300 was the 12th of this year’s tournament at the South Point Bowling Plaza in Las Vegas and came in his final game of doubles April 11.
He admitted to being nervous in a way he hadn’t felt in a long time, yet he was able to finish off the game in dramatic fashion, celebrate briefly and then regain his composure to begin his run up the singles standings a few minutes later.
“I’ve had a few 300s before, but doing it here was a completely different feeling,” said St. Onge, who made his fifth USBC Open Championships appearance. “My legs turned to Jell-O, and I haven’t felt that in years. It was just a different experience, and watching them all fall was really cool, even with how they did.”
The 25-year-old right-hander’s singles set included games of 248, 268 and 265 for a 781 series, which required at least two strikes and good count in his last frame to get past Sam Cantrell of Roseville, Calif., who previously held the lead in Regular singles with 777.
St. Onge had 682 in doubles and 676 in team, which moved him into a tie for sixth place in Regular all-events with a 2,139 total. He helped Him Bowling Team 14 into second place in team all-events.
He was joined in the effort by Andrew Colon (2,047), Drew Markwardt (2,023), Larry Brande (1,974) and Tyler Shingle (1,874) for a 10,057 total, just the 64th time in tournament history a team eclipsed the 10,000 mark. Team All-Events has been considered an official Open Championships title each year since 1947.
Mento Produce of Baldwinsville, N.Y., leads team all-events this year with a record 10,444 total, an average of more than 232 over the nine games.
Seven additional bowlers achieve perfection at South Point Bowling Plaza
It may have taken a couple of weeks to see the first perfect game of the 2022 USBC Open Championships, but the bowlers in April have been busy adding to the tally, which has reached a dozen.
In addition to St. Onge, the list of bowlers to achieve the feat this week includes Kevin McCune of Munster, Ind.; Steve Wiemer of Springfield, Mo.; Johnnie Newton of Williston, N.D.; Anthony Pepe of Long Island City, N.Y.; Derek Magno of Cicero, N.Y,.; Jerry Ankenbrandt of Dallas and Patrick Gormandy of Elberta, Ala.
McCune, a 22-year-old right-hander and the 2021 Professional Bowlers Association Midwest Region Rookie of the Year, started his doubles set April 6 with 14 consecutive strikes. He finished with games of 300, 227 and 213 for a 740 series.
Wiemer, a 65-year-old right-hander making his 49th tournament appearance, also achieved the feat during doubles April 6, posting games of 172, 300 and 210 for a 682 set.
Newton’s 300 on April 7 was the seventh overall, and fourth in doubles competition, this year at the South Point Bowling Plaza. The 47-year-old right-hander followed the perfect start with games of 157 and 184 for a 641 total.
Pepe and Magno used their perfect games April 9 to help Mento Produce to the top of the Team All-Events standings.
Pepe, 33, became the first left-hander of the year to throw all 12 strikes, and he became the 33rd bowler in Open Championships history with multiple 300 games on the tournament lanes. The three-time Eagle winner had singles games of 300, 236 and 225 for a 761 series. His first perfect game at the event came in 2011.
Magno, a 41-year-old right-hander, joined Pepe in the elite club as the 34th bowler with more than one 300 at the Open Championships. His first was in the 2019 team event and helped Mento Produce to the Team All-Events title.
Ankenbrandt, a 58-year-old right-hander, finished doubles April 10 with the 10th perfect game of the 2022 tournament. His set included games of 213, 142 and 300 for a 655 series.
Gormandy became the second southpaw of the year to achieve perfection, finishing his singles set April 10 with a 300 game. The 44-year-old left-hander had started singles with games of 216 and 170, before finishing his eighth Open Championships with 12 consecutive strikes for a 686 series.
All three divisions get new doubles leaders at 2022 Open Championships
Not all of the success at the 2022 USBC Open Championships this week was individual, as all three divisions saw new doubles leaders emerge at the South Point Bowling Plaza.
First, 41-year-old Lee Rottman of Sherrard, Illinois, and 53-year-old Douglas Becht of San Tan Valley, Arizona, raised the bar in the Standard Division with a 1,360 total April 6, the highest since the introduction of the division in 2017.
Rottman led the effort with games of 287, 227 and 181 for a 695 series, while Becht contributed 205, 256 and 204 for 665. Dan Cherek of Wausau, Wis., and Michael Steppert of Weston, Wis., previously held the lead this year with 1,312.
Arick Shibata of Hilo, Hawaii, and Ricky Torres Jr. of Kea’au, Hawaii, traded the sunshine of the Aloha State for the spotlight of the South Point Bowling Plaza, where they took the lead in the Classified Division.
The two right-handers combined for a 1,132 total April 8 to surpass James Weder of Winchester, Ill., and Kurtis Weber of Carrolton, Ill., whose 1,113 total had held the top spot since March 18.
Shibata, 31, set the pace with games of 188, 191 and 193 for a 572 series, and Torres, 38, was close behind with 197, 183 and 180 for a 560 set.
Tony Odom of Palm Springs, Calif., and Nick Powanda of San Diego catapulted into the lead in Regular doubles on April 10 with a 1,518 total, the first score above 1,500 at the tournament since 2010.
Odom, a 44-year-old right-hander making his sixth Open Championships appearance, led the doubles performance with games of 247, 258 and 257 for a career-best 762 total. It was an improvement of 239 pins from his team set.
Powanda, a 34-year-old right-hander competing for the 11th time, contributed 212, 268 and 276 for a 756 series.
Chris Barnes of Denton, Texas, and Billy Rogers of Denison, Texas, previously held the top spot with 1,479.
A look ahead
The 50-Year Club at the USBC Open Championships will get three new members this week, as Tony Spigarelli of Edgerton, Wis. (April 14), Bill Bonow of Winona, Minn. (April 16), and Joseph Bloedorn of La Crosse, Wis., celebrate 50 years of participation.
They are three of 31 bowlers scheduled to reach 50 years of participation during the 2022 event at the South Point Bowling Plaza. The agenda for the year also includes three bowlers bowling for the 60th time, one competing for the 65th time and one making his 70th appearance on the championship lanes.
2022 USBC OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
South Point Bowling Plaza
Las Vegas
(Division leaders with hometown and pinfall)
As of April 12, 2022
REGULAR DIVISION
Team
(Combined averages of 876 and above)
1, Storm Products Inc. 1 (Matthew McNiel, Jon Rakoski, Justin Veitch, David Langer, Ronald Mohr), Alva, Fla., 3,486. 2, Ten Pin Alley 300, Fitchburg, Wis., 3,403. 3, Supreme Deck, Grand Haven, Mich., 3,372. 4, Next Gen Pro Shop 1, Chillicothe, Ohio, 3,358. 5, Big O Tires, Oakley, Calif., 3,329. 6, Holiday Bowl, Boonton, N.J., 3,305. 7, Mento Produce, Baldwinsville, N.Y., 3,303. 8, Vick Vick Boom 1, York, Pa., 3,294. 9, Him Bowling Team 14, Wilton Manors, Fla., 3,292. 10, BowlTec, Rancho Cordova, Calif., 3,291.
Doubles
(Combined averages of 351 and above)
1, Nick Powanda, San Diego/Tony Odom, Palm Springs, Calif., 1,518. 2, Chris Barnes, Denton, Texas/Billy Rogers, Denison, Texas, 1,479. 3, Brett Cunningham, Clay, N.Y./Michael Tryniski, Fulton, N.Y., 1,440. 4(tie), Andrew Carson, York, Pa./Scott Kinkaid, Elizabethtown, Pa., and Brandon St. Onge/Drew Markwardt, Zephyrhills, Fla., 1,433. 6, Trevor Yonan, Sheboygan, Wis./Rob Warren, Antigo, Wis., 1,425. 7, Mike Svilar/Kevin McCune, Munster, Ind., 1,411. 8, Eric Nelson, Minot, N.D./Daniel Kimmer, Monticello, Minn., 1,399. 9, Timothy Behrendt/Shea Bittenbender, St. Charles, Mo., 1,391. 10, Steve Studer/Justin Studer, Rupert, Idaho, 1,389.
Singles
(Averages of 176 and above)
1, Brandon St. Onge, Zephyrhills, Fla., 781. 2, Sam Cantrell, Roseville, Calif., 777. 3, Ryan Schlotfeld, Lincoln, Neb., 772. 4, Virginia Young, Sun City, Ariz., 769. 5(tie), Anthony Pepe, Long Island City, N.Y., and Brett Cunningham, Clay, N.Y., 761. 7, David Hays, Escondido, Calif., 759. 8(tie), James Bruff, Manchester, Pa., and Jose Uvero Jr., St. Cloud, Minn., 758. 10, David Carroll, Wyoming, Mich., 757.
All-Events
(Averages of 176 and above)
1, Brett Cunningham, Clay, N.Y., 2,220. 2, Chris Barnes, Denton, Texas, 2,197. 3, Aaron Pawloski, Brentwood, Calif., 2,171. 4, Sam Cantrell, Roseville, Calif., 2,159. 5, Peter Zmozynski, Depew, N.Y. 2,146. 6(tie), Robert Callan, Vacaville, Calif., and Brandon St. Onge, Zephyrhills, Fla., 2,139. 8, Kevin McCune, Munster, Ind. 2,135. 9, Derek Magno, Cicero, N.Y., 2,111. 10, Dennis Assaff, North Olmstead, Ohio, 2,107.
Team All-Events
1, Mento Produce (Anthony Pepe, Brett Cunningham, Steve Meyer, Derek Magno, Joseph Conti Jr.), Baldwinsville, N.Y., 10,444. 2, Him Bowling Team 14, Chula Vista, Calif., 10,057. 3, Big O Tires, Oakley, Calif., 9,981. 4, Supreme Deck, Grand Haven, Mich., 9,917. 5, Nicholas J’s Pro Shop 2, La Crosse, Wis., 9,888. 6, Storm Products Inc. 1, Alva, Fla., 9,859. 7, Fireside Lanes, Sacramento, Calif., 9,646. 8, Next Gen Pro Shop 1, Chillicothe, Ohio, 9,636. 9, Burky Turkeys Pro Shop 1, Porter, Ind., 9,613. 10, Sir Pizza of TN 2, Mount Juliet, Tenn., 9,583.
STANDARD DIVISION
Team
(Combined averages of 776-875)
1, Cinderella Shoes (Jordan Fox, Shea Nanos, Adam Lubert, Jesse Fox, Matthew Nanos), Bradley, Ill., 3,005. 2, Sweetheart Tenpin Bowling, Loveland, Colo., 2,970. 3, Parkway Bowl Team 1, Lakeside, Calif., 2,936. 4, Whitewater Cheated 3, Appleton, Wis., 2,934. 5, #TeamHaidin20, Beaumont, Texas, 2,933. 6, Minnesota Select Sires 1, Fergus Falls, Minn., 2,927. 7, Ale N Angus Pub 1, Fulton, N.Y., 2,920. 8, Luke All Stars, Phoenix, 2,898. 9, Lightning, Cheyenne, Wyo., 2,890. 10, Stars and Strikes 2, Salem, Ore., 2,888.
Doubles
(Combined Averages of 311-350)
1, Douglas Becht, San Tan Valley, Ariz./Lee Rottman Sherrard, Ill., 1,360. 2, Michael Steppert, Weston, Wis./Dan Cherek, Wausau, Wis., 1,312. 3, Anthony Dann, Dayton, Ohio/Sheldon Short, Huber Heights, Ohio,1,291. 4, Eric Davis, Fall Creek, Wis./Michael Holzhueter, Menomonie, Wis., 1,287. 5, Keith Betts/Bryan Miloshoff, Griffith, Ind., 1,257. 6, Johnny Baker III, Erda, Utah/John Harris, Tooele, Utah, 1,251. 7, James Rutherford, Jr./James C. Rutherford, Coatesville, Pa., 1,249. 8, Blair Cleaver, Lakeville, Minn./David Hays, Escondido, Calif., 1,248. 9, Ashton Wardrup/Andrew Wardrup, Santa Fe, Texas, 1,245. 10, Jermaine Bautista/Danielle Jones, Santa Maria, Calif., 1,235.
Singles
(Averages of 156-175)
1, Daryl Stephens, Gilbert, Ariz., 705. 2, Walter Shaft, Freeland, Mich., 700. 3, Tyler Smith, Malad City, Idaho, 697. 4, Jun Dailo, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., 695. 5(tie), John Tomcics Jr., Catasauqua, Pa., and Daniel Hudson, Comstock Park, Mich., 691. 7, Bill Robson, Easley, S.C., 684. 8, Robert Alvarado, Corona, Calif., 680. 9, Donald Schwartz, Port Charlotte, Fla., 676. 10, Gregory Witt, Phoenix, 675.
All-Events
(Averages of 156-175)
1, Gregory Witt, Phoenix, 1,982. 2, Dean Bruinsma, Clear Lake, S.D., 1,959. 3, David Lee, South Bound Brook, N.J., 1,944. 4, Steve Bowling, Union, Ky., 1,910. 5, Michael Steppert, Weston, Wis., 1,895. 6, David Remsen, Loxahatchee, Fla., 1,894. 7, Eric Davis, Fall Creek, Wis., 1,856. 8, James Hallam, Streator, Ill., 1,855. 9, Michael Langlie, North Mankato, Minn., 1,850. 10, Bryan Miloshoff, Griffith, Ind., 1,849.
CLASSIFIED DIVISION
Team
(Combined averages of 775 and below)
1, Alamo City PINs (Miguel Villarreal, Frances Villarreal, Ruben Rodriguez, Luis Ramirez, Robert Rosas), Helotes, Texas, 2,788. 2, Witt’s Classified Family Affair, Phoenix, 2,681. 3, Farmers Grain, Greenville, Miss., 2,668. 4, Halos, Bloomington, Ill., 2,662. 5, Walker Farms, Portales, N.M., 2,648. 6, Northern New Mexico Elite, Ohkay Owingeh, N.M., 2,611. 7, FPA, League City, Texas, 2,584. 8, Go Ugly Early, Casa Grande, Ariz., 2,563. 9, Pahrump Nugget Bowl 3, Pahrump, Nev., 2,557. 10, Dancing Chickens, Salado, Texas, 2,556.
Doubles
(Combined averages of 310 and below)
1, Arick Shibata, Hilo, Hawaii/Ricky Torres Jr., Kea’au, Hawaii, 1,132. 2 Kurtis Weber, Carrollton, Ill./James Weder, Winchester, Ill., 1,113. 3, Shiong Chu, San Gabriel, Calif./Todd Van, Temple City, Calif., 1,107. 4, Theain Lim/David Lim, Las Vegas, 1,100. 5, Dan Rizzo/Ronald Rizzo, Florence, Ariz., 1,099. 6, Larry Flannigan/Nicole Flannigan, Kaneohe, Hawaii, 1,093. 7, Jeremy Wininger/Jacob Wininger, Georgetown, Texas, 1,091. 8, Edward Baiz Jr./David Baiz, Granger, Ind., 1,082. 9(tie), Cord Smith/Ashlee Rockwell, Boone, Iowa, William Mayberry/Ryan Wheat, Hanford, Calif., and Dale Stuewe, Hamburg, Minn./Kenneth Seemann, Dassel, Minn., 1,080.
Singles
(Averages of 155 and below)
1, Ron Hilliard, Lancaster, Calif., 665. 2, Hunter Reber, Cedar City, Utah, 657. 3, Edwin Humbert, Strasburg, Colo., 644. 4(tie), Dean Crick, Waddell, Ariz., and Benjamin Tingue, Stafford, Va., 636. 6, Billy Duvall, Bloomington, Ind., 633. 7, David Granados, El Centro, Calif., 632. 8, Chad Clapp, Casa Grande, Ariz., 630. 9, Travis Spier, Sioux Falls, S.D., 629. 10, Carl Schwabe, Waynetown, Ind., 628.
All Events
(Averages of 155 and below)
1, Ronald Hilliard, Lancaster, Calif., 1,824. 2, Bruce Heekin, Woodinville, Wash., 1,744. 3, Carl Schwabe, Waynetown, Ind., 1,730. 4, Zachary Watson, Thornton, Colo., 1,728. 5(tie), Jose Ruiz, Brighton, Colo., and Drew Manor, Winona, Minn., 1,723. 7. Edmund Manning, Pahrump, Nev., 1,718. 8, Brock Green, Plymouth, Minn., 1,707. 9, Adam Mojica, Chicago, 1,706. 10, Billy Duvall, Bloomington, Ind., 1,703.