Tom Ochal said he had no regrets after finishing second at the boys bowling state tournament.
The Notre Dame junior had 2,756 pins in 12 games at St. Clair Bowl in O’Fallon to finish behind Harlem sophomore Jacob Nimtz, who set a state record with 3,011 pins. Nimtz bowled two 300s during Saturday’s first session.
“It was a big accomplishment for me to be behind that guy,” said Ochal, who averaged 229.7 for the tournament. “What he did was unreal. I felt like I did all I could. That was a good number for me.”
Notre Dame coach Billy Kerber said Ochal “ran into a buzz saw.” Ochal’s two-day total bettered two of the previous 12 state champions. His runner-up finish was the best state showing by a Notre Dame bowler.
“It just happened to be Jacob’s [weekend],” Kerber said. “Tom’s [2,756] was nothing to sneeze at, and I couldn’t ask for more from him. He was a little disappointed about getting second, but there wasn’t much else he could do.”
The Dons took 12th as a team with 11,808 pins. Hononegah won the state title with 12,909. It was Notre Dame’s second consecutive appearance at the state tournament and first time in the finals since 2005, when the Dons placed ninth.
Notre Dame junior Charlie Allen finished 49th with 2,434 pins. Junior Paolo Fridman (1,470, eight games), senior Bob Hoenig (1,371, eight), junior Matt Voss (1,320, seven), junior Steve Balachowski (1,154, six), junior Christian Catalano (732, four) and junior Brendan Brown (571, three) also factored in to the final tally.
“A great team effort,” said Kerber, who completed his second season with the Dons. “We’ve had a couple of really good teams here. We are trying to add to our legacy.”
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Seven of the eight who bowled at the state tournament are expected to return to the team, including Ochal.
“To be in the top 12 is unreal in my mind,” Ochal said. “Getting to the second day is a great accomplishment for us.”
Although Ochal came close this season, he’s not thinking about a state title for himself just yet.
“I’d like to be in the top 10 again,” he said. “But who knows? There might be a bunch of great guys there next year. All I know is I have a lot of work to do until then.”
Glenbrook North
Paced by three seniors, the Spartans knocked down 5,636 pins to place 23rd at the state tournament on Friday and miss the cut for the second day. It was Glenbrook North’s second trip to O’Fallon in three seasons. In 2012, the team finished 16th.
Senior Calvin Oh rolled a team-high 1,178 for six games. He was followed by senior Corey Kahen (1,163) and senior Jonah Fialkow (1,150). Juniors Nick Arcangeletti (752, four games) and Patrick Mulhern (659, four games) also contributed.
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