Last season, for just the second time in program history, the Saint Ignatius bowling team sent a player to the State Tournament. Vinny Doran repped the Wildcats in impressive fashion.
The goal is to get a Wildcat back to Columbus. A young team filled with promising talent makes the prospect very possible for a quick return to the big dance.
The journey to Columbus begins on Saturday, as the Wildcats open the season with a Greater Cleveland Interscholastic Bowling League (GCIBL) match vs. Westlake at Buckeye Lanes.
Leading the way again this season is the Wildcats' veteran head coach, Jim Viets. A 20-year coaching vet, Viets has guided the Wildcats for the past four seasons. Chris Nagy will again serve as an assistant coach this year.
Under Viets, the bowling program has steadily grown. The Alley Cats have increased in number since the start of Viets' tenure, to a current roster of 18 bowlers.
"We have a big team this year," Viets said. "We increased our roster from 15 to 18. We're a young team, but we have a lot of exciting, young bowlers. I'm excited for the season."
At the forefront of the roster are two stellar seniors – Noah Virant and Alex Madeja.
The two savvy seniors will serve as co-captains for the Wildcats this season. Both Virant and Madeja have plenty of experience from past seasons, with humble leadership that will be critical for a young squad.
"Alex and Noah will be key players for us this year," Viets said. "They will be our co-captains and leaders. Alex and Noah are great kids. I'm looking forward to watching and helping them to lead a young team."
In the preseason, Virant has been throwing the ball well. Last season, Virant often stepped in to throw important frames for the Wildcats. Madeja also notched some big games for the blue and gold last season. In the offseason, he worked on his control, and will likely be a top player for the Alley Cats.
A strong group of juniors will help to anchor the varsity lineup. Dylan Huss is one of the team's finest players, a reliable and bold player unafraid to take risks to win. After working on his game in the offseason, Huss will be a playmaker for the Wildcats this season.
Ryan Wallenhorst is another junior with loads of talent. The native Clevelander showed flashes of greatness as a sophomore. Over the course of the year, Wallenhorst could develop into an anchor type of player who delivers in the clutch.
Ben Gehrlein follows in the footsteps of his brother, Alex '19. Ben became an excellent bowler in his own right last season, slinging the ball down the lane with thrilling speed and accuracy. Gehrlein will be another fun kegler to watch.
At the year-end banquet, Sean Ward earned the most improved bowler award, and with good reason. No Wildcat showed more improvement than Ward, who morphed into a very nice bowler. Ward rolled a few frames at the Sectional Tournament after spending much of the year on junior varsity. Ward will get plenty of varsity time.
With only five spots per game on varsity, Viets will keep 7-8 men on varsity, and rotate several Wildcats down to JV. The last two varsity spots will likely be decided by performance at practice leading up to the match.
Andrew Fornadel will be one of the top swingmen for the Wildcats as a junior. Also a member of the Jazz band, Fornadel can be an impact player for the Alley Cats. Whether on JV or varsity, Fornadel is a great young man who will help in any way he can.
The JV squad will be chock full of talented young men. It will be a lot of fun to watch the youngsters develop over the course of the season.
Alex Vacca is one of the young Wildcats who stuck out last year. As a freshman last season, Vacca showed plenty of potential. Look for him to continue developing this season. Colin Trahm will be another sophomore vying for time on varsity this season.
Newcomers abound on the JV level, so many so that Viets will form a JV+ team at bigger alleys. At GCIBL matches at alleys with enough lanes, Viets and 3-4 other teams will create JV+ teams so every kegler has a chance to bowl. It's an idea that Viets is excited about.
Among the newcomers, Robby Shepherd and Larry McGarry III are names to watch. The freshman and junior have never bowled competitively before, but the new Alley Cats have natural ability and could develop into solid keglers by year's end.
Looking at the schedule, Viets' men begin play on Saturday vs. Westlake at Buckeye Lanes. GCIBL play will have 10 regular season matches before the conference championships on January 25. The Sectional Tournament will be on Saturday, February 15.
Dates to circle on the calendar are November 23 and December 21 – both matchups vs. St. Edward. The Alley Cats will hope to have plenty of fan support at those matches.
For the third season in a row, the Alley Cats will host the Wildcat Classic. This year, the tournament will be held on Sunday, December 1 at Rollhouse Lanes in Parma.
A couple of weeks later, the Wildcats will take part in Padua's annual tournament. Nordonia will also host the Wildcats at its tournament on January 11. Cleveland Heights is planning a tournament, as well, but does not have a date set.
All in all, the Wildcats are set for a new year.
"I'm always excited for a new season," Viets said. "Vinny going down to the State Tournament last year was really exciting. We had a blast. Once you get there, you want to go again. But either way, we'll have a good team this year, and we'll have some fun."