It was a classic tale of good news-bad news for the Saint Ignatius bowling program last weekend at the Sectional Tournament at Wickliffe Lanes.
The bad news: the Alley Cats fell short of qualifying for the District Tournament by 156 pins. The Wildcats finished with a total pinfall of 3,137, short of the top four teams (1. Mentor: 3,713; 2. South: 3,323; 3. Kenston: 3,311; 4. Solon: 3,293).
The good news: Vinny Doran qualified as an individual. The senior tallied a 567 series for fourth place, enough to propel him to the District Tournament at Roseland Lanes in Oakwood, Ohio.
The Wildcats were right in contention throughout the entire tournament. The Alley Cats tallied a 769 in game one, placing them in fourth. The squad then struggled in the second game, notching a 702, before rebounding with a 740 in the third game. Entering the six baker games, the Alley Cats stood just 45 pins out of fourth and a spot at Districts.
In the six bakers, the Wildcats rolled scores of 144, 184, 154, 180, 117, and 142, not enough to overcome the deficit.
However, when the dust settled, Doran stood with an invite to the District Tournament.
Doran punched his ticket to Sunday's tourney with an excellent performance in the first three games. Doran anchored the Wildcats all day, just as he did for the course of the season. The Garfield Heights native started strong with a tally of 191. Doran excelled in the second game, breaking 200 for a score of 204. Only five other keglers competing in the tournament hit 200. Doran dipped to a 172 in the third game, but his 567 series placed him fourth among all bowlers. Doran stood as the top individual qualifier, besting the second-best individual qualifier by 66 pins.
Doran will be preparing this week for Sunday's challenge. The District Tournament will bring many of the best bowlers from Northeast Ohio to Roseland Lanes (30 minutes southeast of Saint Ignatius, just east of Hard Rock Rocksino Northfield Park). The competition will offer a great challenge for Doran.
Vinny follows in the footsteps of his older brother, Anthony, who competed at Districts last year. Anthony fell just short of qualifying for the next level by 20 pins.
Should Vinny advance to the State Tournament, he would become just the second Alley Cat in program history to do so. Christopher Thom accomplished the feat in 2011, bowling a 597 series.
Doran will begin bowling at about noon on Sunday. Good luck, Vinny!