By JILL WINTERS
PBA communications
NORFOLK, Va. —After dominating the field through two days of qualifying and four games in the advancers round in the2026 PBA50 Norfolk Classic, it seemed as though you could almost pencil in John Janawicz as the winner.
But the two-time reigning PBA50 Player of the Year always preaches the importance of continuing to learn and get better every day.
And when you make a change, commit to it. Those constant messages he lives by were on full display Thursday at AMF Norfolk Lanes.
“Whether it ends up being right or wrong, you have to be fully committed to whatever you do because that is the only way you are going to have any chance of actually throwing it good,” said Janawicz, who was forced to take six weeks off during this season due to a finger injury.
“It takes a while to build that experience of seeing this. That is where being older helps in this game. You have seen a lot of these things over and over. You have seen the mistakes, and you start to learn what you can and can’t do. At the elite levels, you really need to understand the equipment, how surface changes, drillings and using the right bowling balls will definitely help minimize the damage of maybe not being very good physically that particular day.”
Janawicz stopped PBA Hall of Famer Mika Koivuniemi 256-225 to claim his second win and first since his return during the Akron Classic in Fairlawn.
During match play, Janawicz defeated Brad Angelo 2-0 then shot 275 to Parker Bohn III’s 196 to begin their best-of-three match. Bohn responded with 268 as Janawicz struggled shooting 167. Bohn finished the win off, 245-203, knocking Janawicz into the fifth seed for the stepladder finals as the highest-seeded player to lose in the Round of 8 — the same position he was in during the Akron Classic stepladder when he finished fifth.
“I learned some things in the match against Parker of what not to do. I tried to chase it left and that was a bad mistake. I had to find someway to stay farther to the right,” Janawicz said.
“I threw a fair amount of strikes near the end with a urethane ball. I knew if I got in this situation again, I could get far enough and win enough matches to where when that transition happens, I am not going to make that same mistake again. I committed to it and fortunately, it worked out.”
He definitely did not make that mistake again in his semifinal match, ironically, against Bohn III or in the title match against Koivuniemi, who was attempting to win his second title in a row after claimingthe Bud Moore PBA50 Players Championship, Janawicz started the title match by covering the 7-pin before leaving a solid 9-pin in the second frame. He made the spare and struck in the third.
Koivuniemi went strike, spare then five straight strikes through six frames. On the right lane, which Janawicz felt played a couple boards tighter, he struck on a light mixer in the fourth frame and the wheels in his brain were clearly turning during his slow backward walk.
“I knew I had to either get slower and go around it or go to something that would come off it a little stronger. I just felt like changing balls was the better move,” Janawicz said. “That was part of the things I was testing during the practice session — the difference between the two and making sure I knew exactly how much I was going to move if I was going to make a ball switch.”
Janawicz quickly grabbed a urethane ball drilled to roll a touch straighter and struck for the third straight time in the fifth. He added two more strikes through seven frames.
Koivuniemi’s shot on the right lane in the seventh frame resulted in the 7-10 split to the groan of the crowd. Koivuniemi fired at the 10-pin leaving an open frame with a score of 156. He stepped up and struck in the eighth.
Janawicz made the 3-6-10 in the eighth frame, then struck in the ninth. Koivuniemi, who chose to finish the match first, watched his ball labor toward the headpin, leaving only the 2-4 standing after the 8- and 10-pins fell late. He made the spare and delivered a double then a 10-pin for 225.
Needing only a mark for his 11th career PBA50 title and second win this season, Janawicz struck on his first shot and added two more to finish off the win.
“You get in so much of a zone of what you are trying to do. I was in such a tunnel vision that I just wanted to finish this out. I looked up at the score again after the second strike and I realized I had won,” Janawicz said of his initial reaction in the 10th frame.
“I knew I needed to make a good shot. Fortunately, I did make a pretty good shot in the tenth. It is always very gratifying to come up with a game plan, execute it and it actually works.
“It was kind of a big juggling act trying to keep up with the moves. I didn’t feel like my hand was very dry, so I was fighting that. I had to change thumb tape a couple of times. There was a lot going on. I managed through it OK and was able to bowl a few decent games out there.”
In the semifinal match between Janawicz and Bohn III, Janawicz started with a 2-4-10 split, which he converted. Bohn doubled before picking up back-to-back 7-pins. Janawicz doubled then left a solid 8-pin. He made the spare then his next shot resulted in the 8-10 split for an open.
Bohn struck in the fifth then opened in the sixth leaving the 4-10. Janawicz struck in the sixth before changing to his first urethane ball of the night. He kept striking as he ended with seven straight strikes for 246. Bohn struck in the seventh and eighth frame, picked up the 6-10 in the ninth then struck out for 214.
In the opening match, Janawicz faced No. 4 seed Ricky Schissler, in the fourth stepladder finals for each player.
Schissler, who is a two-handed righty, alternated strikes and spares through the first five frames before doubling up in the sixth. Janawicz started with a strike, picked up the 3-pin then rolled the next six strikes through eight frames.
Schissler chopped the 6-10 for an open in the seventh then changed balls, which led to three straight strikes and a spare for 215. Janawicz made the 10-pin in the ninth, doubled and got nine for 258.
The second match featured Janawicz against left-hander Tony Campagna Jr., making his first-ever PBA50 Tour stepladder finals appearance. Campagna started out strike, spare, strike before leaving the 7-10 split. With the right side to himself, Janawicz continued to strike with seven straight to start.
Campagna bounced back with a double before making the 6-pin. He finished up strike, spare and a split for 183. A 10-pin stopped Janawicz from his run at perfection in the ninth. He made the spare, doubled and got nine for 267.
This was only the fifth tournament of the year for Janawicz after the hand injury kept him sidelined after winning the Ballard Championship. He describes this win as very gratifying.
“You kind of wonder what if I didn’t get injured. But at the same time, I trust in God that he knows what he is doing. It is going to work out in the end either way,” Janawicz said. “I am here to do the best I can at every event I am bowling at. You give it all you have got at everyone. You apply the knowledge you have learned and experienced over all of these years and hopefully it turns out well and this week it did.”
Among area players, Fairport Harbor’s Jerry Rich (20th) and Akron’s Don Hogue (23rd) were eliminated during the first round of match play after reaching the Advancers Round.
The final event of the season is the Johnny Petraglia BVL PBA50 Tournament of Champions. Janawicz is the defending champion. The first day of qualifying is Wednesday in Morgantown, W.Va.
“I am definitely looking forward to the TOC. I have been fortunate enough to win it twice already. Suburban Lanes and Justin Malik do such a good job of hosting. I really enjoy Morgantown the city,” Janawicz said. “It is a great way to end the season. Hopefully, I can take some of this momentum and carry it on. I hope to come up with a solid performance.”
MATCH SCORES:
Match 1: Janawicz def. Schissler 258-215
Match 2: Janawicz def. Campagna Jr. 267-183
Match 3: Janawicz def. Bohn III 246-214
Championship match: Janawicz def. Koivuniemi 256-225
Final Standings
- John Janawicz, $7,500
- Mika Koivuniemi, $4,000
- Parker Bohn III, $3,200
- Tony Campagna Jr., $2,500
- Ricky Schissler, $2,000
See complete scores here: https://www.leaguepals.com/league-info?id=69a8e2a29f1d7d7c024ce8f4