No pins were left standing as the Stillwater High School varsity bowling team defeated Mechanicville on Thursday, Jan. 25 to win the “Hometown Showdown” and secure back-to-back Wasaren League Championships!

This extraordinary accomplishment came with its challenges; after losing four members of last year’s championship team, varsity newcomers Jacob Smith, Trystan O’Brien, Anthony Miller and Lex LaPlante stepped up to keep the team on the path towards another championship title. Because of their hard work and determination, Stillwater stood just one point behind Mechanicville in the Wasaren League Standings going into their final matches of the season.

The first game got off to a slow start as bowlers battled nerves, but the match heated up after a few frames. Jacob Smith rolled a 244, while Aden Wickham scored a 205. Nate Starks put up a 229 for Mechanicville, but it wasn’t enough as Stillwater emerged victorious by a score of 1115-1094.

The energy picked up in game two as strikes began to pile up. Alex Mell bowled a 236, while Smith ended his game with a 216. Wickham, Miller and LaPlante scored a 200, 195 and 194 respectively. Although Stillwater was having a great game, Mechanicville was matching the team strike for strike. It all came down to the final frame with Jason Walker rolling three consecutive strikes, securing the win for Mechanicville by a score of 1191-1190.

The stakes were high as Stillwater headed into the final game with their minds set on taking home the league title and Hometown Pin. Mell rolled a 266, Smith a 210, Wickham a 206, LaPlante another 194, and O’Brien a 187. Stillwater ended up defeating Mechanicville by a score of 1202-1188, securing the championship with an overall score of 3507-3474.

Congratulations to the varsity bowling team on an outstanding season and amazing championship win! Go Warriors!