By JOHNNY CAMPOS
Via Facebook
PLANO, Texas – While the tournament leaders all took care of business during Tuesday’s third qualifying round of the Teen Masters Championships, a few bowlers made some big moves to make the first cut in the event.
Braden McDonough of Coppell, Texas, averaged better than 220 for his six games at Plano Super Bowl and stayed on top of the boys 19U division with a pinfall total of 3,857 (214.3 average).
Carter Wescott of Green Bay, Wis., rolled 1,36 to remain in second place at 3,705, while Kai Strothers of Irvington, N.J., who had the high block of the day at 1,347, jumped from eighth place to third with 3,692.
Ethan Nguyen of Sachse, Texas, rolled a steady round of 1,282 and held his boys’ 15U lead with an 18-game pinfall total of 3,737 (207.6).
In the girls’ competition, Grace Zuerner of Indianapolis continued to lead the 19U division with a 3,360 total (186.7), while defending 15U champion Anna Antony of Farmington, Conn., was ahead in her division by 298 pins with a 3,324 total (184.7).
Jasmine Hall of Huntsville, Ala. qualified second in girls’ 19U with 3,233; Ohioan Mabel Adams of Defiance was third; Savannah Burgin of Grapevine, Texas, fourth; and Briana Provenzano of Bristol, Conn., was fifth.
Josie Dambrino of Hoover, Ala., qualified second in the girls’ 15U division with a pinfall total of 3,036.
One of the biggest moves in the tournament was made by Honolulu, Hawaii, bowler E.J. Vallesteros, who was in danger of missing the cut.
He went into the round in sixth place after Monday’s second round but started
Round 3 with games of 144, 168, 170, 135 and 173, and was outside of the top 15 – the number of bowlers who advanced to Wednesday’s championship round of competition.
In his final game, Vallesteros was not striking on one of the lanes, so he made a big move in the 10th frame, and it paid off.
“I finished on the lane that I didn’t strike on at all,” he said. “So, I told myself to go big or go home. I ended up moving like 10 (boards) left at my break point and I ended up striking out.”
With his final game of 202, Vallesteros made the cut with only four pins to spare.
Cleveland’s Zachery Smeal of Lutheran West High School also had a big finish with a 215 (which followed games of 141 and 157) to grab the 14th spot in the boys 19U division, 17 pins ahead of Vallesteros.
In the boys 15U division, Haydin Smrekar of Plainfield, Ind.,, grabbed the sixth and final spot in the finals by just eight pins.
In that same division, Justus Bright had a big last block to move into fifth place.
After not breaking 1,100 in the first two rounds, he posted the fourth highest six-game block of the day with 1,253. Bright had games of 174, 199, 225, 236, 233 and 186.
Zaylee Clark of Bloomfield, Iowa, converted a 7-pin in the final frame of her last game and ended up taking the final spot in the girls’ 15U competition by just three pins.
The boys’ 19U division will get championship play under way on Wednesday morning with elimination matches, and all four champions will be determined Wednesday afternoon.
For complete results go to https://skill.tenpinresults.com/