Local boys sweep titles at Louisiana Scratch Match Games bowling

HOUMA – The New Orleans area swept the boys championships while Baton Rouge swept the girls titles at the 57th annual Louisiana State Scratch Match Games Sunday at Creole Lanes.

Brother Martin’s Jacob Vangilder won the boys classic division, while Jesuit’s Jonathan Cho took the title in the boys regular division.

It was a St. Joseph’s Academy sweep on the girls side as Jordan Wingerter captured the girls classic division, while Ava Doucet won the girls regular division.

Vangilder took the lead in the second game of the round-robin match play finals, in which bowlers get 30 bonus pins for winning matches. He stretched the lead to 82 pins after a 247 in his third game of the day and took a 118-pin lead into the position round.

Benton’s Jack Perrett made a run for the title by starting the final match against Vangilder with six consecutive strikes, but Vangilder struck on his final shot to end Perrett’s chance of a comeback. Vangilder finished with a 6-game total of 1,369, while Perrett had 1,357. Chuck Rawls of Baton Rouge and Central High was third.

There was less drama in the girls classic division as Wingerter had games of 259 and 253 to take a 161-pin lead into the position round. She finished with a 7-game total of 1,609, 120 pins ahead of Dutchtown’s Sydney Lee. Archbishop Chapelle’s Olivia Bares finished third.

In the boys regular division, Cho had a slim 4-pin lead over Zachary Pretlove going into the position round, but won the final match 223-155 to take the title. Brother Martin graduate Jack Nunes finished third.

Doucet rallied in the final game of the girls regular division, defeating Blakely Prestridge 140-128. The 30 bonus pins for the win gave Doucet a 21-pin edge over Prestridge for the title.