By BILL SNIER
CANTON — Ryan Liederbach was admittedly on “autopilot” during his opening stepladder finals match and the first three frames of the second.
But then things changed on Lanes 11 and 12 at Eastbury Bowling Center for the 28-year-old Northfield two-handed left-hander.
“On that first shot (in the fourth frame of Game 2), I feel like I just blacked out,” Liederbach said. “I was bowling on pure instinct and I just wasn’t focused enough … just out of it.
“I let a little bit off, and that’s when I noticed the lanes were in transition for me with a little bit of over-under and more carry down. That’s when I immediately switched balls.”
It was the move that brought him another win.
Liederbach, the No. 2 seed for the stepladder finals, went on to strike on five of his final six shots following a ball change to defeat top-seeded Ryan Trowbridge 230-217 and win the 33rd annual John Klonowski Memorial Scratch Singles on Sunday.
It came a year after Liederbach finished third in the event after leading qualifying and rolling a pair of 300 games to open the 2024 tournament and starting the stepladder as the No 5 seed.
“Last year, I was by myself on my side and I came out with 289 the first match,” Liederbach said. “Then the scores kept going lower and lower the rest of the way (he shot 224 in a win and 183 in his loss to runner-up Chase Barstow).
“I got kind of lucky in the first match today. But when the second match started, the transition started hitting me and I had no choice but to switch balls. Luckily, I chose the right ball, made the right shots and got the right breaks.”
Liederbach qualified 12th overall for match play, finishing with 1,195 total pinfall (239 average). But the two-handed lefty had his problems on the high side at Eastbury.
“We only got three practice balls on each lane so it wasn’t like I had much time to figure out a game plan. I had to think of something,” Liederbach said. “It wasn’t like I was throwing bad shots … everything hit the pocket.”
But the results in Game 1 in qualifying — when Liederbach shot just 214 — included a pair of pocket 7-10 splits and solid 9- and 8-pin spares.
“But then I go to the other side and shot 801 (245-278-278) for the middle three. So I figure, OK, its that side of the house,” said Liederbach. “Then I come back to the other side again and I go light on my first shot. Everything carried down so much on the left side. So my shots were carrying too far down and not hooking, so I got trapped.”
He shot just 180 that game to drop from third to 12th for the 20-player match-play round.
But his line returned with his Hammer 3D Offset Assault as he topped former champion and left-hander Jim Fellows 546-480 in his opening match (throwing 300 in Game 2) and then got past defending champion Josh Haddad 437-431 in the second round to earn the No. 2 seed for the stepladder.
TROWBRIDGE’S DAY
Trowbridge was on an entirely different path during qualifying, with a low game of 238 and a high of 259, he finished with 1,257 (251.4 average) to sit third after qualifying.
“I give credit to Alex (McCourry) and my team on Friday nights here. We average almost 950 as a four-man team,” Trowbridge said. “This was really affirming and reassuring that my game is where I want it to be, and I’m hopeful for better finishes and performances going forward.”
Trowbridge, as with Liederbach, also rolled his 14th career 300 during the opening round of match play during a 559-391 win over Branden Ball.
“I kind of felt bad there. I had it locked up, and Branden was telling me to save those strikes for when I needed them,” the 33-year-old Green right-hander said. “But I was in a mode and locked in and you didn’t want to step off the gas. I wanted to leave no doubt.
“It gave me a lot of confidence.”
He then went through a tough match with Girard right-hander Adam Barta, earning a 426-421 win to earn the top seed. Only neither he nor Liederbach knew where they stood.
“We didn’t know they were taking all four games to determine the stepladder,” Trowbridge said. “Ryan and I thought we were going to meet each other in the opening match. Instead, with the reset, we end up meeting in the finals.”
STEPLADDER RUN
McCourry, the No. 1 qualifier with 1,342 (268.4 average) opened the stepladder finals as the No. 4 seed against the No. 5 seed — 42-year-old Massillon right-hander Frank Testa.
Testa opened with a 4-6-7 split in the first frame, but only missed twice more during the match.
However, the 29-year-old Canton left-hander ran off the first six strikes before leaving a 7-pin. He then ran off three more en route to a 268-236 win to advance.
Then, against No. 3 seeded Garfield Heights left-hander Andrew Smith, McCourry again started with the first four strikes before leaving a pocket 7-10 split in the fifth frame.
“That rack on Lane 12 was really open for a lot of shots and, unfortunately, I kind of stuffed that one in there when I needed to play it a little sharper,” said McCourry after Testa had re-racked Lane 12 four times during the previous match due to the tighter pocket on his side.
“It was not a bad shot, but that wide-open pocket didn’t help. But this was my best performance in this by a mile. I’ve never been higher than the six through 10. It’s always a good day when you make the cut.”
The 31-year-old Smith started with a 7-pin spare, but then ran off the next five strikes before another 10-pin spare. He then had four more strikes en route to a 268-245 win. McCourry had eight strikes in nine frames, but it wasn’t enough.
Smith and Liederbach then met up in the semifinal match, and Smith admitted it was over early as he left a 2-4-6-7-10 split in the second frame and a 3-6-9 spare in the fourth on Lane 12.
“I had a really good look and I was playing straighter than most of the guys, but it just started going away,” Smith said. “I think I was getting quick. But the transition kind of got me. By the time I fell two or three frames behind, it was already over. You can’t really stop against a kid like that.”
Liederbach kept stringing strikes until his final ball when he left a 7-pin for a 299-148 win to advance to the finals — denying his second 300 in the event for the second straight year
CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Liederbach started the title match with three strikes before his first problem, leaving a 2-7 “baby” split in the fourth on Lane 12. He failed to convert.
Trowbridge started the game by leaving a 2-4-5 on his first ball, but he failed to convert the spare.
“It was the first shot for me and the first time making a title match of any real relevancy so the nerves were there,” Trowbridge said. “I got a little slow with the shot and then, with the spare shot, I tried really to over compensate.
“I kind of ripped on it, and missing that spare kind of cost me in the end.”
Liederbach then proceeded to leave a 4-7 spare in the fourth and a 2-7 split in the sixth before making the ball change, going to the DV8 Troublemaker Pearl. He then found his line again.
Trowbridge stayed clean the rest of the way, finally going on a four strike string in the sixth through ninth frames. But with an opportunity to shut out Liederbach with three strikes in the 10th frame, Trowbridge left a solid 10-pin on his first shot to give the former his chance.
“I wouldn’t have thrown that shot any differently. It was just a ringing 10. I loved it off my hand,” Trowbridge said.
Liederbach, who had run three strikes since his split in the sixth, doubled to start the 10th to put the match away.
“It was a very close match between Ryan and I, so that’s all you could ask for,” Trowbridge said. “The spares I left early were on me. I pulled them inside.
“But forcing a guy to strike or double … that’s the position you want to be in.”
As for Liederbach, his success has begun later than normal. “January Ryan” has begun the last four years with strong performances in that month, including wins in the Portage County and Youngstown Masters and strong showings on the PBA Tour.
“This year has been very different,” said Liederbach, the defending PBA Central Region Player of the Year after winning three titles in a row at one point a year ago. “It’s been a very cold start. But it feels nice to get things back on the right track.”
NOTEBOOK: The tournament had a full field of 90 players bowling on the house oil pattern. The field was limited to allow five players on each pair of lanes. … Steven Driver was runner-up to McCourry in qualifying with 1,262, 80 pins behind. …. Liederbach and Trowbridge had two of the three 300 games rolled during the event. Barta had the other in Game 1 of qualifying, while McCourry also had 299 in Game 2 along with Dell Ray Jr. Liederbach now has four 300 games during the Klonowski overall. … The cut was at 1,173, which forced a three-bowler ninth and 10th frame rolloff between Brian Ball, Alan Hoover and Kevin Schott for two spots in the top 20. Hoover and Schott finished with 40 while Ball had 36 to fall short. Schott earned the No. 19 seed due to the high qualifying game of 257 while Hoover was 20th with 254. Ball received one of the two extra cash spots along with Jesse Smith (1,168), three pins ahead of Dell Ray Jr., who shot just 189 his final qualifying game. … After five games, the field was cut to the top 20 for two-game cumulative match play by seed. Players were reseeded based on their two games for the second round. … Haddad and Youngstown Masters champion Casey Cohagan tied in their first-round match at 442, forcing another rolloff. Haddad threw four strikes while Cohagan left a 10-pin spare on his first shot, with the former advancing. … Three players in the top five — McCourry, Trowbridge and Liederbach — are Ace Mitchell Bowlers Mart employees. “They told me I have to buy the donuts tomorrow,” Liederbach said. Testa has just returned as operator of Ten Back Pro Shop at Park Centre Lanes. … Three former champions — Fellows, Haddad and Tim Voytko — made the top 20. Mike Thewes missed the cut by 14 pins. …. High female finisher was Chelsea Dorosky, finishing 37th with 1,126. … Next year’s Klonowski Memorial is set for Feb. 1, 2026. … Joe Klonowski, son of the tournament’s namesake, was on hand to distribute prize money to the finalists and to observe the event. … Liederbach and Barta were the only two lower seeds to win during first-round matches. … Only 14 pins separated the top seed from the No. 5 seed for the stepladder finals, Trowbridge leading with 985 for four match-play games, just two pins ahead of Liederbach. … Our thanks to Heather Edwards, Gary Rebillot and Deana Gouge for their assistance with our report.
33rd ANNUAL JOHN KLONOWSKI MEMORIAL SCRATCH SINGLES
(Sunday, at Eastbury Bowling Center, Canton)
Round of 20
(Two-game cumulative match play)
1 Alex McCourry d. 20 Alan Hoover 483-402; 19 Kevin Schott d. 2 Steven Driver 477-394; 3 Ryan Trowbridge d. 18 Branden Ball 559-391; 4 Andrew Smith d. 17 Bill Lesh 473-447; 5, Frank Testa d. 16 Jeremy Thompson 482-432; 6 Chase Barstow d. 15 Tim Voytko 455-436; 7 Joe Stauffer d. 14 Wes Staley 451-368; 8 Josh Haddad tied 13 Casey Cohagan 442-442 (Haddad wins two-frame rolloff 60-50); 12 Ryan Liederbach d. 9 Jim Fellows 546-480; 11 Adam Barta d. 10 John Price 438-420
Final standings: 11, Fellows $240 earnings; 12, Lesh $220; 13, Cohagan $200; 14, Voytko $190; 15, Thompson $185; 16, Price $180; 17, Hoover $175; 18, Driver $170; 19, Ball $165; 20, Staley $160
Round of 10
(Two-game cumulative match play, players reseeded after first two-game matches)
Trowbridge d. Barta 426-421; Liederbach d. Haddad 437-431; McCourry d. Stouffer 492-482; Testa d. Barstow 489-431; Smith d. Schott 505-413
Final standings: 6, Stouffer 933, $360; 7, Schott 890, $300; 8, Barstow 886, $300; 9, Haddad 873, $280; 10, Barta 859, $260
Stepladder finals
(Players seeded according to four-game match-play totals)
Match 1: Alex McCourry d. Frank Testa 268-236; Testa wins $400
Match 2: Andrew Smith d. McCourry 268-245; McCourry wins $450
Match 3: Ryan Liederbach d. Smith 299-148; Smith wins $550
Championship: Liederbach d. Ryan Trowbridge 230-216; Liederbach wins $1,600 plus free entry into 2026 event; Trowbridge wins $850
Other cashers
(Based on five-game pinfalls)
21, Brian Ball 1,173, $155; 22, Jesse Smith 1,168, $150
