Plum bowlers motivated to capture section title

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, December 11, 2017 | 6:00 PM

Plum senior bowler Franklin Mercurio found himself in an unfamiliar spot during the state championships last spring.

The first-time qualifier ran into a lane he didn't know how to approach. Mercurio placed ninth, missing out on the stepladder championship round by 66 pins. Though he scored over 200 four times, games of 169 and 174 dragged him down.

“Bowling is much harder when you play lanes you haven't prepared for,” Mercurio said. “I saw a lot of changes I never expected to see.”

Making adjustments is something sixth-year Mustangs coach Jerry Yushinski believes the entire team will be doing ahead of this season. Last season, for the first time during his tenure, Plum didn't win the section title. The Mustangs went 6-2, finishing behind Franklin Regional.

“They have so much room for improvement, it's crazy,” Yushinski said. “Four of the last five years we've been section champions. As a group, they were disappointed. Some of the individuals who came back said it really stinks. They are hungry to get back this year and win the section championship again. They realize it's not just a given.”

Mercurio led the section last season with a 205.78 average. Owen Cirelli (190.48), Vince Cocca (184.20), Jackson Rogers (183.14) and Ty Kirkpatrick (175.81) also return for the Mustangs. Kirkpatrick, a sophomore, also qualified for states last season and finished 15th.

“I've been trying to get better at different houses we bowl at so when we go to them, we have a better chance of shooting higher scores,” Mercurio said.

On the girls side, Plum will return senior Meghan Christman, who finished 17th at states last season. Sophomore Shannon Small finished second in the section with a 198.07 average, and Brianna Pilyih (178.33) gives the Mustangs another experienced returner.

The Mustangs' challenge will be finding consistent bowlers to fill out their top five.

“We've lost several strong bowlers over the past two years who went on to do great things,” Yushinski said. “We have three bowlers who know what it takes. They've been there and done that.”

Mercurio knows the boys will go through tribulations to reach their goals. Winning a state crown will require being calm and cool.

“I feel like I'm pretty strong,” said Mercurio about his mental approach. “When I get mad, I just need someone to help me calm down. I don't get mad like I used to.”

Josh Rizzo is a freelance writer.

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