Nutley boys bowling coach Frank Sasso can remember the empty feeling his team felt 12 months ago when they left North Brunswick’s Lucky Strike having suffered its only defeat of the season in the NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 final to Delbarton.
While that feeling stuck to this veteran group of Maroon Raider bowlers, it’s one they were able to rid themselves of on Saturday.
Fifty-two weeks after that deflating loss, Nutley again returned to the final at Lucky Strike, only this time, the feeling was one of elation as the Raiders defeated Chatham, 2-0, in the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 championship.
Nutley is now set to compete in the Group 3 semifinals at Lucky Strike, weather permitting. The final will be held right after the conclusion of the semifinals.
“When we left there, that was our only loss last year and we kind of felt empty. We had such a great season going undefeated and we walked away with nothing,” Sasso said. “We wanted another shot at it. And they had to work hard to get there and they did. So I was proud of them. They had a plan and they stuck to it.”
Nutley’s title is a testament to the significant improvements the Raiders’ starters have made from a year ago.
Leading that charge has been junior Jackson Veneziano who has rolled a 219.83 average this season, a 16 pin improvement from a year ago, to emerge as one of the state’s better bowlers. Veneziano has further elevated his play during the state tournament, rolling a 227.83 average in wins over Mount Olive, Scotch Plains-Fanwood and Chatham.
Behind Veneziano is sophomore Benjamin Johnson who has been one of North Jersey’s breakout stars. After a solid freshman year where he rolled a 166.26 average, Johnson this year is averaging 206.15, a jaw-dropping improvement of 40 pins. In Saturday’s final, Johnson rolled a match-best 484 high series, powered by his 250 in the first game.
According to Sasso, he doesn’t recall having a bowler make this kind of leap from one year to the next.
“He averaged 166 as a freshman, which is pretty good, coming in,” Sasso said. “But then to finish in the top 100 (is huge). His sophomore year is like a freight train. He just kept coming all year.”
Both Veneziano and Johnson have qualified for the upcoming state individuals tournament.
Senior Kiaden Cerniglia-Rapavi occupies the leadoff spot in the Nutley lineup. For the season, he’s rolling an 185.48 average, but has been brilliant in the state tournament, averaging 209.33.
Another starter for the Raiders is senior Patrick Markey. Markey, who is in just his second year as a bowler, is rolling a 179.49 average, an improvement of more than 25 pins after averaging 154.0 in spot duty last season.
The fifth starter is a role that’s been shared throughout the season by freshman Jacob Capalaran (181.52 average) and sophomore Gavin Cerniglia-Rapavi (175.64 average).
“We had that challenge and I said I can’t just pick five because both of them are young bowlers, both good bowlers,” said Sasso. “We said we’re going to split the role and if someone’s really on fire and steps up or then we ride with that. And they were both in agreement. I don’t really feel that there was any competition amongst them. I think they supported each other.”
Making sure both were ready at a moments’ notice proved critical when Capalaran was sidelined in the final due to illness. In his place Gavin Cerniglia-Rapavi rolled a 350 high series.
Senior Aidan Battaglia, a three-year varsity bowler, provides further depth for the Raiders.
While Nutley moves on to the semifinals, North Arlington’s boys saw their title hopes dashed when it was defeated by local rival Rutherford, 2-0, in the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 1 final. The Vikings had a stellar season, going 23-4, a record that included a pair of regular season wins over Rutherford, but the Bulldogs got the third and final matchup on Saturday.
On the girls side, North Arlington is just one win away from repeating as North Jersey, Group 1 champions after defeating St. Thomas Aquinas, 2-0, in the semifinals on Thursday. North Arlington (23-2), who is ranked No. 17 in the state by NJ.com, will try to repeat on Tuesday at Lucky Strike when it goes up against Dumont. The overall Group 1 championship will be held following that day as well, following the conclusion of the North and South finals.
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Jason Bernstein | Observer Sports Writer
Jason Bernstein joined The Observer as its sports writer in March 2022, following the retirement of Jim Hague. He has a wealth of sports-writing experience, including for NJ Advance Media (nj.com, The Jersey Journal, The Star-Ledger.)