Rocco returns to lead Gateway boys bowling team

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, December 8, 2018 | 1:18 AM

Despite losing four starters to graduation from last year’s playoff bowling team in the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Bowling League, Gateway senior captain Dom Rocco feels this season’s Gators boys squad can develop into one that can make it back to the postseason.

“It’s pretty exciting to get into competition,” Rocco said. “It’s even more exciting to see the progress we’ve made. It’s new people on varsity, but the mindset doesn’t change. We want to go out there, bowl our best and hopefully win matches.”

Rocco found himself among the scoring leaders in the Center section last year as he averaged 180.33 over 23 games bowled.

“Personally, I feel my game is even better than last year,” Rocco said. “It’s all about repetition, just continuing to practice, no matter what day it is.”

Rocco paced Gateway in its opener last week, a tough 7-0 loss to WPIBL powerhouse Plum. He collected a team-best 213 game and finished with the high series of 541.

Dom’s brother, junior Sam Rocco, along with sophomores Liam Brown and Cody Beckwith, have made the move up to varsity after competing on the JV team last year.

Beckwith rolled a 509 series with a 190 high game in his varsity debut.

First-year bowler Nathan Clark, a sophomore, started for the varsity squad against Plum, and sophomore Mason Servallo, a member of the JV squad last year, recorded a 173 in a substitute role.

The Gateway teams were to face Woodland Hills on Wednesday at North Versailles Bowl. The match was to be contested past the deadline for this week’s edition.

The Gators are in the East section this year with the Mustangs and Wolverines, as well as Penn Hills, Redeemer Lutheran and Valley. They will bowl each team twice for 10 regular-season matches.

The top two teams from each of the nine boys and nine girls sections, 18 teams for each, will qualify for the WPIBL team tournament in February.

The Gateway girls finished 10-0 in their section last year and placed eighth at the WPIBL team playoffs, took sixth at regionals and capped the season 11th at states.

Three starters were lost to graduation, but junior captain Tiffani Wilkerson returned along with senior Marissa Maciejewski.

Wilkerson rolled a season-best 266 game last year and finished second in section play with a 171.70 average.

Maciejewski led all Gateway bowlers against Plum with a 563 series. She recorded games of 202, 202 and 159. Plum scored a 7-0 victory in the season opener for both teams.

“The goal is always to make the playoffs and go as far as we can,” Maciejewski said. “I feel very confident in the team that we have.”

First-year bowlers in juniors Maddie Smith and Anna Welling and freshman Shay’lee Murray got varsity starts against Plum, and freshman Meghan Haggerty got the chance to bowl against the Mustangs.

“I am really proud of all the girls that have joined the team and are ready to bowl with us,” Wilkerson said. “They’ve improved so much from the start. I think they will grow stronger as they go through this journey, and we’ll grow stronger as a team.”

Michael Love is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Michael at mlove@tribweb.com or via Twitter @MLove_Trib.

Tags: Gateway