Slidell’s Mullen, Curtis’ Santangelo claim titles at Capital City Strike Out

BATON ROUGE – Slidell launched a varsity high school bowling program last season, and John Curtis Christian is scheduled to make its debut on the lanes this season.

Top bowlers for both programs scored the biggest victories of their careers Sunday at the Capital City Strike Out at All Star Lanes in Baton Rouge.

Tigers junior Hunter Mullen won four consecutive two-game matches without a loss to take the boys U18 title, while Patriots freshman Carter Santangelo made a clutch late shot to claim the boys and girls combined U15 division.

Mullen, the No. 5 seed in the six-player, double-elimination bracket, defeated Brother Martin senior Jacob Vangilder 428-394 in the boys U18 final match.

Mullen posted an opening-round win over Vangilder, the fourth seed, and then knocked off the top two seeds, Preston West and Jack Perrett, to reach the final.

Two other New Orleans-area bowlers reached the boys U18 final. Vangilder’s Brother Martin teammate, Sam Vollenweider, finished fourth, and Destrehan’s Beau Senior finished tied for fifth.

In the U15 bracket, Santangelo, the No. 2 seed, doubled in the final frame to defeat Aiden Jones of Houma 451-446 in the title match.

Santangelo had a first-round bye and needed just three wins without a loss to claim his championship.

In the girls U18 championship match, fourth-seeded Jordan Wingerter of St. Joseph’s Academy in Baton Rouge came out of the loser’s bracket to win a pair of matches over Caroline Engeron of Albany for the title.

For Wingerter, it was her third tournament title in five weeks. She won the girls classic division of the Louisiana Scratch Match Games in July in Houma and captured the RecruitUS Collegiate Bowling Showcase last weekend in Nashville.

Archbishop Chapelle teammates Alexandra Young and Olivia Bares finished third and fourth, respectively.

The boys and girls combined U12 division went to Evan McGloster of Jackson, Mississippi, who claimed his second title in southeast Louisiana in the last three weekends. He won the U12 division of the Road 2 Junior Gold event at Bowlero Kenner on Aug. 19.