By BILL SNIER
CANTON — After starting his day with a 173 and sitting in 77th place in the 87-player field, Josh Haddad was looking for something — anything —to dig out of his hole Sunday.
“I was all over the place, trying to find what ball would work for me,” the 39-year-old Perry Township right-hander said. “But I was bowling with a great group of guys that kept me focused and up.
“It would have been easy to get down on yourself after a bad first game like that.”
Instead, Haddad found the right ball — a Storm Axiom Pearl — and started going “straight up the boards” during the 32nd annual John Klonowski Memorial Scratch Singles tournament at Eastbury Bowling Center.
The result? Haddad averaged 259 over his final four qualifying games, reached match play as the No. 11 seed, and went on to claim his first Klonowski title with a 199-193 victory over Louisville two-handed righty Chase Barstow.
“After starting the way I did, I didn’t think this was even a possibility,” said Haddad, who also claimed the 2017 Furbay Electric Open to make this his second Stark County major singles title. “It doesn’t seem real. In a high-scoring tournament like this, you don’t have room for error.
“Staying level-headed after that first game was the difference.”
The traditional high-scoring pace on the Eastbury house oil pattern continued as:
- Northfield two-handed lefty Ryan Liederbach started the day with back-to-back 300 games to earn the qualifying lead with 1,369 total pinfall, an average of 273.8 — with a 232 his final game;
- Twelve of the top 20 players shot 1,208 or higher; and
- Seventy-four players averaged at least 200.
“From Game 1 on, I rarely had to move,” said Haddad, who has been on a two-year stretch where he has four 800 series along with College Bowl Tournaments and Hall of Fame Summer Series wins.
“I don’t know what it is. I’m just throwing the ball well and getting good carry. I really can’t describe it,” said Haddad, a TCC-Verizon Wireless employee. “After a few years of bad breaks and not carrying … I guess what goes around comes around. It’s just been my time.”
But early, the day belonged to Liederbach, who came out with a pair of 300 games plus shooting his high career series of 858 for his first three games — the 49th 800 of his career.
LIEDERBACH FALLS SHORT
The 27-year-old Liederbach, coming off of last week’s victory in the 92-player Youngstown Masters at Holiday Bowl in Struthers, used a combination of his NU Blue Hammer and DV8 Trouble Maker Pearl — one on each lane — to produce his big start.
After earning top-qualifying honors by 80 pins over Girard right-hander Adan Barta (1,289). Liederbach took a 51-pin lead after Game 1 and defeated No. 20 seed Justin McIlvain 476-425 in his Round of 20 match before struggling to stop No. 9 seed Frank Testa 414-411 in his round of 10 match, shooting just 170 in Game 1.
But his combined pinfall (qualifying pinfalls were dropped) for the four match-play games earned him only the No. 5 seed for the five-bowler stepladder finals.
Using his NU Blue in the championship round, Liederbach returned to form in his opening match against Rob Sample, a 51-year-old Green right-hander. He struck on his first 10 shots before a 7-pin denied him a shot at his third 300 of the day en route to a 289-224 win.
In the quarterfinals against 27-year-old Vermillion right-hander Dylon Wilson, who was making his first Klonowski appearance, Liederbach left a 10-pin in the first frame and then ran off four strikes in a row. He then finished with three in a row en route to a 224-171 win as Wilson had just two strikes and a pair of open frames.
But things changed in the semifinal match for Liederbach against Barstow.
In the battle of two-handers, Barstow left a 3-6-10 spare in the first frame but then struck on his next three shots before leaving an 8-10 split in the fifth. But Liederbach had just two strikes through six frames while covering four one-pin spares.
Then, over his final four frames, Liederbach left a 7-pin, pocket 7-10 split, 8-pin and 9-pin en route to a 201-183 loss.
“I couldn’t have thrown a better 183 game,” said Liederbach. “I was trying to throw everything I could that was available. I even threw the (Radical) Breakaway to see if I could carry it. I couldn’t do much more than that.”
But there has been more on Liederbach’s mind besides bowling in recent weeks, and he has been very vocal about his anxiety and depression issues on social media.
“I live two different lifestyles … my life on the lanes and my life off the lanes. Right now, my life on the lanes can’t be going any better to start the year,” said Liederbach, a PBA Central Region Pro who also finished second during the 2022 Klonowski to Tim Voytko. “Off the lanes, things couldn’t be going any worse.
“I’ve had lots of people who have passed away near me very quickly … teammates, friends and old colleagues. It’s been a matter of dealing with depression and anxiety and feeling like I was hitting rock bottom more than I should.”
Liederbach will take the next couple of weeks away from bowling to “recuperate … there are a lot of things I want to do.”
“I’ve had a good string of tournaments to start the year, and I’ve done well in this house before so I wanted to test myself again,” Liederbach said. “But I want to see a lot of people I haven’t seen in a while, and hopefully, not for the last time. Right now, I want to take some time off for my mental side. That way, I can have both sides perfect.”
BARSTOW’S RUN
Barstow had just completed his final qualifying game with a 208. He didn’t think it was enough to make the cut.
“I was only seven in going to the last game, so I didn’t think I was in,” said Barstow, a Walsh University student and member of its bowling team. “It was like, ‘oh, I’m in.’ Everything beyond that was bonus time.”
Making the cut by seven pins, he had to face No. 2 seed Barta in his opening match. After trailing 216-215 in Game 1, Barstow threw three strikes in the 10th of Game 2 to top Barta 438-430.
“I knew who he was, but I knew being one of the last two to qualify, I had to face him or Liederbach. I just told myself to stay calm,” Barstow said. “I texted with Chris Mehaffey and he told me I wasn’t bowling against any bowler; I was bowling against myself.
“I was able to do that. It’s the first time I’ve punched out in the 10th to beat someone in match play like that.”
The calm was there against friend Brett McCourry, a Canton right-hander, in the next match as Barstow rolled 300 in Game 2 en route to a 558-480 win to earn the No. 2 seed for the stepladder — and a meeting with Liederbach.
But while Liederbach struggled with carry, Barstow had just enough to earn the win despite three open frames, including missed spares in the ninth and 10th frames.
“That was just a horrible match to watch and you feel bad for him,” Barstow said. “No bowler should have to go through that, but it happened how it happened.”
FINAL MATCH
That set up the final between two Louisville High School graduates for the title.
Haddad earned the No. 1 seed with a 532-412 win over Joe Stauffer and a 510-468 victory over Andrew Fraleigh.
But this time it was Barstow who had problems with carry, particularly on the left lane.
“I just couldn’t get my ball through the pins the right way. It was either I couldn’t loft it because it wouldn’t pick up soon enough or I couldn’t lay it down early because it was picking up too soon,” Barstow said. “And if it did pick up early, it was either going through the face or a flat-10.”
Barstow struck on just two of his first nine shots, leaving back-to-back splits in the seventh (4-9) and eighth (3-10) frames, covering the latter.
“I was playing a different area than anyone else in the stepladder. I just didn’t think I would be able to play straight,” Barstow said. “So I tried to keep it open where no one else had been yet and it ended up biting me. The left lane was biting two feet sooner for me.
“If I missed in, it went 60 feet. I just couldn’t get it rolling the right way.”
It didn’t change until he went from his Storm Reality to his Motiv Purple Tank for his last three shots — and struck on all three.
“I went away from that plan in the 10th and tried to fill out as much as I could to make him earn it,” Barstow said. “So I did what I do best — just throw it hard and straight.”
Meanwhile, Haddad started with a double. But his next strike didn’t come until the seventh frame — the first in another double. But then he left a 4-9 split in the ninth to provide some drama.
“That 4-9 was the first open I had since the first game of qualifying,” Haddad said. “I don’t know what changed on that pair. I think it was a combination of just so many games on it and a little bit of fatigue.
“In the previous match-play games, it was all about speed for me. If I was too slow, it would hook early. And if I got too fast, it would be a light 10 or miss the pocket right. That’s what happened when I left that one (1-2-8 spare in the fourth frame). And there was a little bit of nerves there too. I’d never been in a situation like that in this place before.”
The combination of Barstow finishing with three strikes and his open in the ninth made it necessary for Haddad to mark in the 10th to preserve the win. On his first shot, he left a 10-pin.
“I left an 8-10 in the first game of qualifying on a shot like that. When I let it go, I knew it wasn’t real good. I was just saying, ‘Please leave me something I can make.’ He did his job and made me show up in the 10th,” Haddad said. “Even if it was a 10-pin I was confident I could make it, and I smacked it right in the face.”
He covered the spare and added nine pins on his final shot for the win.
Game over, championship won — after a disastrous start to the day.
“It still,” Haddad said, “doesn’t seem like it’s real.”
NOTEBOOK: The field was reduced this season to allow for just five players per pair and a maximum of 90 players. There were three withdrawals. … Liederbach was the first player to throw two 300s in qualifying at the Klonowski since former champion Tim Jones Sr. Jennifer (Petrick) Higgins also did it in qualifying for the former Glen Hannum Memorial at Park Centre Lanes. … Liederbach and Barstow had the only 300 games. Barta also shot 800 for the first three games, an 810. … McIlvan earned the final cut spot with 1,141, finishing just two pins ahead of former champion Jim Fellows (1,139), who earned the final cash spot. … The top 20 included 18 right-handers, including five two-handers, one two-handed lefty and one lefty. … Defending champion Mike Thewes was eliminated in the Round of 10 by Sample 480-395. .. Haddad credited his crossing mates — J.D. Jones, Keith Zeigler, Austin Reese and Branden Ball — for keeping him calm early on his run to the title. … The format was changed this season with only two-game matches being bowled after the cut during the rounds of 20 and 10. In the past, there were three-game matches. … There was a tie for the No. 6 and 7 seeds after qualifying, with the second-high game from Andrew Fraleigh and TJ Charles breaking the tie (they tied for the first high game). This also was a change from past years when a two-frame rolloff was held. … John Klonowski’s son, Joe Klonowski, was again on hand to present the winners’ checks and open the event. … Our thanks to Gary Rebillot, Deana Gouge and Sarah Edwards for aiding in our coverage of this event.
JOHN KLONOWSKI MEMORIAL SINGLES
(Sunday, at Eastbury Bowling Center, Canton)
Round of 20
(Two-game match play)
Ryan Liederbach d. Justin McIlvain 476-425; Chase Barstow d. Adam Barta 438-430; Rob Sample d. Tony Varn 416-401; Brett McCourry d. Tim Jones Jr. 513-490; Dylon Wilson d. A.J. Assaff 465-380; Andrew Fraleigh d. Jordan Norris 405-390; Branden Ball d. TJ Charles 475-424; Michael Thewes d. Austin Reinerts 519-421; Frank Testa d. James Manoff 440-392; Josh Haddad d. Joe Staufer 532-412.
Standings (by two-game pinfalls): 11, Jones $240; 12, Barta $220; 13, McIlvain $200; 14, Charles $190; 15, Reinerts $180; 16, Stauffer $175; 17, Varn $170; 18, Norris $160; 20, Assaff $160.
Round of 10
(Two-game match play)
Haddad d. Fraleigh 510-468; Sample d. Thewes 480-395; Barstow d. McCourry 558-480; Liederbach d. Testa 414-411; Wilson d. Ball 481-475
Standings (by four-game pinfalls): 6, McCourry 993, $360; 7, Ball 950, $325; 8, Thewes 914, $300; 9, Fraleigh 873, $280; 10, Testa 851, $265.
Stepladder finals
Match 1: Ryan Liederbach d. Rob Sample 289-224; Sample wins $400
Match 2: Liederbach d. Dylon Wilson 224-171; Wilson wins $450
Match 3: Chase Barstow d. Liederbach 201-183; Liederbach wins $550
Championship: Josh Haddad d. Barstow 199-193; Haddad wins $1,600 and free entry into 2025 tournament, Barstow wins $850.
Other cashers
(Based on five-game qualifying pinfalls)
21, Jim Fellows 1,139, $155.
