In the heart of the Pine Barrens, there is one school that stands out. A “small school” in the eyes of the NJSIAA. A “small school”, who’s boys Bowling team is anything but weak. The Hawks have a track record of nothing but greatness, and this year was no different.
For the Hawks, this was a bittersweet season all the way to the end. There were five seniors on the roster this year, and they all bowled at least one match. They are: Team Captain Tyler DeSantis, Donovan Kelleher, Alex Feliciano, Ryan Goertz, and Kenny Jorgensen. Jorgensen suffered a foot injury at the start of February, and was out for the rest of the season. He was able to play in a Varsity match, however he never was a starter, he was the JV Captain this year.
The Hawks went undefeated until the very end, as they had a 22-0 record, and ultimately came up short in a 2-1 loss to Snyder in the Group 2 State Finals. The Hawks are still B South Shore Conference champions however, which is no small feat. They were undefeated in their conference, going 17-0, with an overall record this season of 23-1.
The Talon writer Valentino Vaccarella attempted to reach out to Coach Sullivan for a statement but didn’t get a response back.
The JV Team won their division, and holds nearly all the bowlers who are projected to be on the starting roster for Varsity next year. This can change by November, but a projected lineup would be
Captain – Jacob Quinones (Sr.)
Jacob Pietrafesca (Sr.)
Trent Gallo (Sr.)
Samuel Tecalero (Jr.)
Aaron Blackmon (So.)
Backup/JV Capt. Aaden Bouchard (So.)
The team average was 194.95, with Tyler DeSantis’ 205.77 average being the highest on the team. Jacob Quinones had a 201.57, the second highest on the team.
Quinones reached out to The Talon with a message for our student audience. He said “On behalf of the entire team, we say that bowling can and will be the funniest game you can ever play, but it’s hard to master. Even if some of our team are graduating seniors, we still bowl together throughout the summer. Come and join, we’re always looking for new bowlers.”
While the Hawks didn’t get the elusive state championship that has been awaiting them since their last win in 2010, they still had one of, if not the best team in the school’s history. The firepower on this team couldn’t be matched, but it all fell apart in finals. They tried so hard, and only got so far. This season was a farewell for some of the best bowlers that the Hawk’s Nest has ever seen. The aforementioned Donovan Kelleher would post a post-state-final message on his Instagram, and the final sentence was “Kelleher out.” This could be re-shaped into a message from all the seniors. They’re out, the time is now for the underclassmen to step up for next year and continue the legacy bowlers like Kelleher and DeSantis have left.
Here are the final varsity stats for this season:
C Tyler DeSantis (Sr.) – 13,375 pinfall, 755 high series, 267 high game, 205.77 avg. 23 games played
Alex Feliciano (Sr.) – 12,326 pinfall, 664 high series, 234 high game, 189.63 avg. 23 games played
(JV) Trent Gallo* (Jr.) – 610 pinfall, 468 high series, 160 high game, 152,50 avg. 2 games played
Ryan Goertz (Sr.) – 11,656 pinfall, 670 high series, 260 high game, 188 avg. 22 games played
(JV C) Kenny Jorgensen* (Sr.) – 251 pinfall, 251 high series, 141 high game, 125.50 avg. 1 game played
Donovan Kelleher (Sr.) – 12,125 pinfall, 660 high series, 246 high game, 195.96 avg. 22 games played
(JV) Jacob Pietrafesca* (Jr.) – 316 pinfall, 316 high series, 163 high game, 158.00 avg. 1 game played
Jacob Quinones (Jr.) – 12,699 pinfall, 702 high series, 268 high game, 201.57 avg. 23 games played
(JV) Aaron Blackmon* (Fr.) – 0 pinfall, 0 high series, 0 high game, 0 avg. 0 games played
(JV) Aaden Bouchard* (Fr.) – 0 pinfall, 0 high series, 0 high game, 0 avg. 0 games played
Ethan Cardoso* (Sr.) – 0 pinfall, 0 high series, 0 high game, 0 avg. 0 games played
(JV) Ryan Flatley* (Fr.) – 0 pinfall, 0 high series, 0 high game, 0 avg. 0 games played
(JV) Samuel Tecalero* (So.) – 0 pinfall, 0 high series, 0 high game, 0 avg. 0 games played
(JV) Valentino Vaccarella* (Fr.) – 0 pinfall, 0 high series, 0 high game, 0 avg. 0 games played
*bowler did not bowl full season*
Bold text indicates team high in statistics.
2024-2025 Season Results/Schedule
Final Record: 23-1
12/2 vs. Barnegat – W 3-0
12/4 vs. Pinelands – W 3-0
12/9 @ Lakewood – W 3-0
12/12 vs. Donovan Catholic – W 3-0
12/13 @ Manasquan – W 3-0
12/16 @ Point Boro – W 3-0
12/18 vs. Lacey – W 3-0
12/19 vs. Barnegat – W 3-0
1/8 vs. Matawan – W 3-0
1/9 vs. Pinelands – W 3-0
1/13 vs. Donovan Catholic – W 3-0
1/15 @ Central Regional – W 3-0
1/16 @ Point Boro – W 3-0
1/20 @ Lakewood – W 3-0
1/22 vs. Lacey – W 3-0
1/23 vs. Barnegat – W 3-0
1/29 @ Lakewood – W 3-0
2/3 vs. Pinelands – W 3-0
2/13 vs. Pemberton – W 2-0
NJSIAA South Jersey Group 2 Tournament, Quarterfinals
2/19 vs. Pennsauken Tech – W 2-0
NJSIAA South Jersey Group 2 Tournament, Semifinals
2/20 @ Point Boro – W 2-1
2/22 vs Overbrook – W 2-0
NJSIAA South Jersey Group 2 Tournament, Finals
2/25 vs. Lyndhurst – W 2-0
NJSIAA Group 2 Tournament, Semifinals
2/25 vs. Snyder – L 2-1
NJSIAA Group 2 Tournament, Finals
