BOWLING: Cougars clinch boys title on Torres’ strike

Coronado’s bowling team needed seven pins from its anchor bowler on the day’s final roll to capture the pivotal total pin count against Arbor View on Wednesday afternoon.

Sergio Torres, a junior, wasn’t thinking numbers at the time. He was aiming for a strike the whole time.

“To be honest, I’m not a very big math person,” he said. “So I was just thinking, ‘I have to strike on this last ball, or else we’ll lose.’ I had no clue (how many pins we needed).”

Torres’ strike, his sixth of the third game, helped the Cougars to a 2,320-2,316 total pin advantage and a 7-2 win over the Aggies in the Division I boys state final at The Orleans.

Coronado, which lost the final game by seven pins, claimed its first bowling title because of the four-pin advantage from all three games.

“A close game, for a bowler and a team, is the most adrenaline-rushing and nail-biting moment you can ever feel,” Torres said. “This is one of the biggest bowling accomplishments I’ve had in my life. I’m happy right now. It’s surreal. I don’t know what to say right now, honestly.”

Torres, who bowled on the junior varsity last season, could hardly contain his emotions after the decisive strike. He was mauled by his teammates once all 10 pins fell.

“He’s been tough as nails all year,” Coronado coach Brian Gregorich said. “He had his opportunity today. It’s kind of like all year, we’ve been waiting for his one chance to win a match. It just so happened in the biggest match of the year.

“We always talk about how there’s going to be adversity in every bowling match. It’s not if it will show up, but when. And it’s how you deal with that mentally. (Arbor View) came roaring back in the seventh, eighth, ninth frame.”

Torres rolled a match-high 238 in the opening game to help the Cougars to a 843-836 win. In the second, his team-best 213 gave Coronado a 751-747 win.

Matt Baker rolled a 606 series for the Cougars, who also got contributions from Trevor Hochman (540) and Sam Espiritu (529).

Zach Nash led Arbor View with a 617 series, including a 236 in the second game.

In the girls final, Silverado won its third consecutive state title, and fourth in six years, by sweeping Shadow Ridge 9-0.

“The girls are great,” first-year coach Jerry Oliver said. “It’s kind of like ‘stay out of their way and don’t mess it up.’ They’re great kids, great girls. They’re very motivated. You’ve just got to show up and let them do their thing.”

The Skyhawks rolled the second-highest girls game in state history with an 862 in the second game. All four bowlers topped 200. Only the 2008 Coronado girls (876) had a higher score.

“They’ve been flirting with it the last couple weeks,” Oliver said. “It’s always been in them. At any time, any of these girls can bowl a 265, 270. It was in them. They just put it together.”

Senior Michelle Matsumoto, who finished with a match-high 611 series, rolled a 234 in the second game to help the Skyhawks take a 269-pin lead going into the final game.

“We always want a quick start,” Matsumoto said. “If we didn’t (build a lead), it would pretty much psych us out. It was really important for us to get up that much, but we still didn’t want to give up the third game. I’m glad we could finish off that strong.”

Megan Philippi was second on the Silverado team with a 580 series, followed by freshmen Marissa Escandon (565) and Marisa Philippi (531).

LeAnna Orlando led Shadow Ridge with a 586 series.

Contact reporter Ashton Ferguson at aferguson@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0430. Follow him on Twitter: @af_ferguson.