By BILL SNIER
CANTON — Jack Wells was disappointed after not getting drafted into the Northeast Ohio Travel League for the 2026-27 fall-winter season.
After averaging 212 in the league a year ago, iIt also gave him a sense of purpose.
“After not getting drafted I just put my head down and went to work,” said the 21-year-old North Canton two-handed righty and former All-Stark County High School Bowling Conference player at Hoover High School.
“I did a lot of work with Alex McCourry over the summer and drilled a couple of new balls. So far, I’m loving them.”
One of those balls — the Hammer Deep Ocean Vibe — helped Wells record his second career 800 series and eighth 300 at a different center — Columbiana County’s Forest Lanes in Kensington.
“My girlfriend (Tori Firth) lives about five minutes from there and the camp I work at during the summer (Seven Ranges Scout Reservation) also is near there,” said Wells, who is an Eagle Scout and a quartermaster at the camp. “It’s hard, but it’s fun.”
It took some adapting for Wells from the free-swing area of the lanes in Stark County.
“Compared to Park Centre, the lanes are a lot more slick and you have to stay a lot farther right for a lot longer,” Wells said of the center, which recorded just a few 800s a year ago. “The transition is really funky there and they don’t make it easy on you.”
In the Monday Men’s Trio League at Forest, the Ace Mitchell Bowlers Mart employee had games of 268, 300 and 234 for an 802.
“This one really meant a lot because my girlfriend got to see me throw a 300 for the first time and an 800 on top of that,” Wells said. “She was really excited.”
His only open frames came on a 10-pin miss and leaving a 4-6-7-10 split in the 10th frame of the final game.
Wells had done his math wrong and thought he needed three pins off of the split to get to 800. He attempted to cover it, but took the 10-pin off only, leaving three pins.
“I stood at the line for a minute and really thought I’d blown it,” Wells said. “But a bunch of people came up to congratulate me. Happily, I was mistaken and reached 800.”
Wells came to Forest Lanes that night with a couple of asymmetrical balls he intended to try.
“I wasn’t seeing what I wanted to see so I grabbed the ball that I’ve liked the past couple of weeks and it just clicked,” Wells said. “Everyone else on the pair was playing way outside, so I created a hold spot for me and just sat there the whole night. I might have moved maybe two boards.”
Wells followed up that performance with a near miss the following Saturday in a Park Center Saturday mixed league where he shot his second 300 of the week — on his 21st birthday. A late 4-pin spare cost him another 800 as he finished with 797.
“I was clean all night so you can’t beat that,” said Wells, who actually wore a birthday hat for several of his shots during that set while again using the Deep Ocean Vibe for his ninth 300. “That was just fantastic.
“Having a bunch of family and friends there to celebrate with me and giving them a 300 really meant a lot.”
His 800 at Forest came with his scout camp boss bowling on the team along with Firth.
“They have always supported my bowling,” the Eagle Scout said, “and it means a lot.”