NORTH CANTON — Rick Kmetz admittedly has been struggling early during the 2022-23 fall-winter season at Park Centre, where he bowls both of his leagues.
“I think it’s more my timing,” the 63-year-old Plain Township right-hander said, “and the oil condition has been a little different than I’ve been used to. I’m down about 20 pins from last year.”
But it all came together recently in the Spectrum Orthopaedics league at Park Centre when he had games of 259, 289 and 267 for an 815 series, his seventh career 800 series to go along with 11 300 games.
And outside of five 10-pin spares on the night, it could have been even higher.
“I guess my game is a pretty simple game,” said Kmetz, retired owner-operator of Kmetz Construction who also operates Kmetz Properties. “It was one of those nights where I rolled it well and it carried.
“The first through the third game I was looking over seven (board) all night and pretty much stayed on that line. I never moved.”
Three 10-pins denied Kmetz a higher score in Game 1, and he followed that by leaving a 10-pin on his second ball in the 10th frame of Game 2 after trining the first 10 strikes.
In Game 3, he left a 10-pin early, followed by a 5-pin. He finished with an eight-count on his final ball.
“I thought it was a good shot on the 5-pin,” said Kmetz, who used a Brunswick Nexus for his milestone game. “I knew what I needed for the 800. I had to have that first one in the 10th frame, and after that I got the second before the eight-count. The guys on the team let me know I had it.”
Kmetz, who usually averages around the 220 mark, was at 199 in his Monday league and 203 on Wednesdays at Park Centre.
“I tried to go with a more aggressive ball, but it was too aggressive and I couldn’t control it,” Kmetz said “But Monday night, everything was just right there and it worked well for me.”
BLOCK HITS 800 NO. 2
Jackson Township left-hander Dan Block also lit up the Spectrum Orthopaedics league with his second 800 series of the season and third in less than a year.
Block, a 53-year-old Jackson Township firefighter and paramedic, had 300, 244 and 280 for 824 after also shooting 805 earlier this season in the Pizza Oven Classic league, also at Park Centre.
Again, Block used his Storm Sure Lock — the ball he has used for his three 800 series in 10 months. He also owns nearly 30 300 games to go along with the same number of 800s.