Bowling preview: Palo Verde looks to defend 5A state title
John Read took over as coach of the Palo Verde bowling program 10 years ago with no experience and little knowledge of the game.
He learned a lot in the years to follow, and the Panthers boys team finally won its first Class 5A state championship last year.
A new season started Monday, and Read believes his squad will be back in the hunt.
“I’m really excited to see what they’ve got,” said Read, who lost three seniors to graduation. “My initial instinct was that this was going to be a rebuilding year, but in tryouts I was really pleased to see the talent come out. I don’t know if we’ll win another championship, but in the end, we’re going to put up a good fight.”
Senior Jack Grossman and freshman Matthew Borngesser show enough promise to make the coach think there’s a chance. But his team’s success will all come down to one thing.
“Consistency is the big thing,” he said. “Across the board, you need all four bowlers to consistently bowl well.”
Read said he expects his squad to be challenged by other top programs, including Centennial, Desert Oasis, Liberty and Shadow Ridge.
Top individuals to watch include Centennial’s Tyler Castronova and Jackson Gillespie; Desert Oasis’ Gavin Hilton and Bryan Gregson; Liberty’s Daryus Alo and Cyrus Alo; and Shadow Ridge’s JR Barczyszyn, Briggs Robison and Tristan Dalton.
On the girls side, Read is even more encouraged. Desert Oasis won last year’s state title, but Palo Verde will return all but one bowler after losing to the Diamondbacks in the quarterfinals.
“Hopefully we can bring the first title to the girls,” he said. “It’s going to be tough. We’ve always kind of hung around in the past, but I think this team is really going to be something.”
Junior Andrea Lee will be back to provide leadership, while Read’s freshman daughter Jessica Read has led preseason practices with the highest average.
They will have to deal with Desert Oasis, Clark, Coronado and Shadow Ridge, which are viewed as top contenders for the state title.
Among the top individuals will be Coronado’s Calee Berry, Anastasia Dragulescu and Kaylen Lilly; Desert Oasis’ Desirae Hunt; Shadow Ridge’s Jordynn Hernandez and Cadee Haniuk; and Clark’s Noel Gregorich and Olivia Liu.
Read emphasized that the championship team will be the one with the fewest bad days, especially in the postseason.
“You’ve got to have your best game by all four bowlers,” he said. “Things are going to be tough if you don’t do that.”
Palo Verde opened play against Centennial on Wednesday, with the girls winning 9-0 and the boys losing 9-0.
Contact Jeff Wollard at jwollard@reviewjournal.com.