From wire reports
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Friday’s action at the 2025 Junior Gold Championships saw six U12 bowlers advance to Saturday’s TV show while the U15 and U18 divisions continued match play during the morning session.
U18 BOYS
After finishing 11th during the five-game Advancers Round to reach the match-play round, recent Lake High School graduate Zachary Abbott was able to make it to Saturday’s early round by going 1-1 during Friday’s match-play rounds.
Abbott shot 1,163 during Friday’s early session, including a 278 game, to advance. After dropping his opening two-game match to Chicago’s Joe Weems 437-414, Abbott stayed alive with a 439-438 win over Nicholas Trentler.
But his tournament ended early Saturday in a 476-347 loss to Brett Biondo of Carpentersville, Ill. Biondo was then ousted the next round by Maxwell Beware 439-404.
Columbus’ Elliott Gordon also lost his first elimination match Saturday to be eliminated after also advancing to match play.
U12 BOYS
Nehemiah Keefer of Bellwood, Ill., went undefeated in match play to take the No. 1 seed in the stepladder finals and will face off against No. 2 seed Jaxon Wichers of Amarillo, Texas, or No. 3 seed Noah Ausderau.
All rounds of match play were two games with the winner being highest total pinfall. Keefer defeated Evan Do of Hillsboro, Oregon, 411-349, in the opening round before beating Aaron Cabiness of Columbus 460-367, and Wichers 422-284 to earn the top seed.
Keefer, a powerful two-hander righty, took fifth last year in Detroit and knew to make the jump, he would have to work on spare shooting. That work paid dividends as Keefer never left the top eight throughout qualifying.
“It means a lot (to make the show),” said Keefer, who also was a part of the winning U12 team, Dem Midwest Boyz, during the USA Bowling National Championships earlier in the week.
With the prior experience on TV, Keefer is keeping his mindset simple for this show tomorrow.
“Just don’t be nervous because I did this last week and did good,” he said.
Withers, another two-hander from the right side, is making his debut appearance at the Junior Gold Championships and expressed that he did have some nerves during the week, but you’d never know it when he steps on the approach with his confidence.
“I just want to make some good shots and make my spares,” said Withers. “Spares win games.”
Withers opened with a 348-339 win against Gleason Garske of Spokane, Washington, then beat Ausderau 371-315 to guarantee himself a spot on the telecast.
As for Ausderau, he needed a roll-off 10-9 win against Brennan Brandel of Saginaw, Michigan, to advance after they tied at 365 apiece.
“I was confident (heading into the roll-off) as I ended the game with a string of strikes,” said Ausderau, who was knocked out of the opening round in 2024 by eventual champion, Eli Franco. “I knew I could win it.”
The week wasn’t off to a great start for Ausderau, the lone one-hander on the show, who began with a 710 block amid trying too hard to make the ball hook and squeezing it. He rebounded with a Day 2 set of 805 and Day 3 block of 800 to put himself in good position for match play.
After the loss to Wichers, Ausderau went to the Elimination Bracket against Do and won, 406-384. Another close win against Cabiness, 350-333, locked up Ausderau’s spot in the stepladder.
U12 GIRLS
Isabella Jones of Edinburgh, Ind., earned the top seed for the stepladder by defeating Ellie Kate Murray of Greenville, Tenn., 404-312, Cadence Oakes of Martinsville, Via., 379-364, and Stevie Newton of Hanover, Pa., 383-298.
Jones will be joined by Newton and Caitlin Stahl of Mankato, Minn., in the finals Saturday at The Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley.
The right-handed Jones previously made the stepladder finals in the U12 division in 2023 and finished third. She will lean on that previous experience this year as the top seed in hopes of winning the title.
“(The experience I got in 2023) might help with the nerves and I know what to expect when it comes to the set up,” said Jones.
A minor knee surgery hindered Jones slightly in 2024 as she missed match play.
“I couldn’t bowl (after the surgery),” Jones said. “It was hard because I was at the bowling alley and couldn’t do anything. I really want to win this year. It would be nice to finish out the U12 division with a win.”
Newton, a right-handed two-hander, made a big improvement from 2024 this year, going from 83rd in 2024 to a guaranteed top-three finish.
“I worked a lot on consistency, making sure I hit my mark most of the time and spare shooting,” said Newton. “I expected to see myself in match play, but my main goal was to make the TV finals.”
Newton was able to realize her goal doing exactly what she practiced and has her eyes on the title, defeating Katelyn Belcher of Graham, North Carolina, and Stahl before the loss to Jones.
Despite being knocked to the Elimination Bracket, Stahl recovered in a big way by defeating Nora Rowe of Palmyra, New York, 435-336 and Oakes, 364-287.
“This is my first time making it past the advancer round and I’m really excited to see how it goes tomorrow,” said Stahl. “It wouldn’t even feel real (to win).”
U18 GIRLS
Vicki Andrews of Indianola, Iowa, Elena Weinstok of Costa Rica, Tori Franklin of Frisco, Texas, and Amber Benson of Dunkirk, Maryland, had yet to lose through two rounds of match play.
Still alive in the Elimination Bracket are the following: Kaitlyn Stull of Raleigh, N.C. Rayana Gonzalez of Harrisburg, Pa.; Holly Orgeman of Birnamwood, Wis.; Katelyn Abigania of San Diego; Kyndallynn Hood of Bellefontaine; Gianna Brandolino of Joliet, Ill.; Abigail Starkey of Schaumburg, Ill.; and Ashlin Teves of Machesney Park, Il..
U15 BOYS
After finishing 10th following the five-game Advancers Round with 5,557, Parma’s Zachary Mayne went unbeaten during Friday’s two match-play rounds with wins of 446-431 over Eli Ankner and 515-435 over Ryan Carmichael.
Mayne continued his surge early Saturday with a 491-456 win over Caleb Litt of Charlotte, N.C., to remain unbeaten in his run toward the stepladder finals.
He was to face Francis Johnson of Orlando, Fla., in his next winners’ bracket match.
Beavercreek’s Isaiah Durflinger also remained alive in the elimination bracket with one loss and was to face Litt in his next match.risdel of Chicago.
U15 GIRLS
Starting undefeated through two rounds of match play and each just one win away from the telecast are Anna Antony of Farmington, Conn., Autumn Strode of Munster, Ind., Ava Mazza of Utica, Michi., and Kylie Oppedisano of Trumbull, Conn..
Remaining alive in the Elimination Bracket were, among others, Columbus’ Lydia Gordon.
The U15 and U18 divisions stepladder finals will be held at The Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley throughout the day on Saturday for taping on CBS Sports Network.
Junior Gold telecasts will adhere to the schedule that follows: U12 (Tuesday, July 29, at 7 p.m. Eastern); U15 (Tuesday, Aug. 5, at 7 p.m. Eastern) and U18 (Tuesday, Aug. 12, at 5 p.m. Eastern).
SURVIVOR SERIES
Akron’s Wade Allen finished with 1,259 total pinfall to top the U18 division of the Junior Gold Survivor Tournament on Friday. He was 23 pins ahead Mason Clark of Blaine, Minn., in the five-game competition. There were 186 players in the field.
Among other area players in the event, Wadsworth’s Aubrey Masada was 12th in the girls U18 division with 990
See complete Junior Gold results results here:
https://bowl.com/youth/youth-tournaments/junior-gold-championships/2025-results