Girls Bowling: No. 1 Howell goes out on top with its second Group 4 title in a row

Howell bowled like the best team all season long, so it is only fitting that it put a bow on the 2023-24 campaign with a state championship.

The top-seeded Rebels, No. 1 in the NJ.com Top 20, defeated second-seeded and No. 6 Old Bridge, 2-0, in the NJSIAA Group 4 state tournament final on Tuesday at Bowlero-North Brunswick.

For Howell, it is its second group championship in a row. It also was a state champion back in 2002 before these players were born. Old Bridge was searching for its first group crown.

The lasting image of Howell’s perfect 20-0 season is Alyssa Riccio bowling a strike to finish out the win. The senior captain got taken out of the first as she was having shoe issues, but she was reinserted in the second game in the 9th and 10th frames.

Riccio shed some tears after she rolled her last strike at Howell and did her final enthusiastic chant with her team.

“It was very emotional,” said Riccio, who looked like the water works were about to start again. “I walked off the lane crying. Saying that last Howell cheer meant a lot to me.

“This win means a lot to me. I always do what’s best for the team. Today, I got taken out and we ended up winning. Anything for the team.”

“This is a great bunch of kids,” Howell head coach Bob Wetzel said. “You hear all the time it’s all about the team, but for them it’s real. They are the most selfless and caring group of kids.”

Howell tallied 928 pins in Game 1 and 918 more in Game 2 against Old Bridge, which had 811-763, respectively. Madison Lewis powered the Rebels with a 416 series including a 246 in Game 2. Reilly Palmese also shot a 364 (191-173), Sophia Raucher rolled a 354 (204-150), and Keyleigh Germadnig had a 333 (185-148). Riccio (178) and Colleen Stapleton (201) also contributed to championship.

Old Bridge (20-2) was led by its anchor, senior Savannah Gomez, who carded a 364 (183-181) while Savanah Funk also had a 344 (201-143).

Lewis’ 170 in Game 1 was actually the lowest out of anybody on the team. She made some adjustments, and it worked out to perfection.

“I stayed with my ball for the first three games, and then I made a change,” she said. “Everything was going high. I went down a ball and moved to right and I was on the money.”

Lewis finished the season as Howell’s top bowler with a 194.48 average.

“I’m so relieved we won,” she said. “We came this far and we did it. It feels amazing.”

Howell started out as the No. 2-ranked team, but it could have easily been No. 1 from the get-go. All season long the Rebels outperformed the competition. They won a bevy of tournaments such as the CJ Winter Classic, the Monmouth County Tournament, the SJ Super Bowl, and the Shore Conference Tournament among others. They also ran the table in its conference.

“We had an amazing season. It was the perfect outcome of a great season,” Wetzel said. “They stayed focused in what we had to do. You asked me last time we spoke am I surprised. I’m not. I trust them, they trust me, and they trust each other. That’s all it is. They know they’re good, and they know they have to do their job. We respect everyone, and we know any given day anybody can beat anyone. We go out there and do our best and that’s all we could ask for.

“They never got caught up in the hype of being No. 1 this and No. 1 that. You can’t get to the end until we go step by step, frame by frame. They do their job.”

In the morning, Howell topped fourth-seeded Passaic Tech, the North 1 champ, 2-0, and Old Bridge bested the North 2 winner, No. 17 Phillipsburg, 2-0, in the semifinals.

Old Bridge also recorded 20 wins this year and made it to the ‘Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament final as well as the final round at many other tournaments where it had to go up against Howell. The Knights won the Edison Classic.

And as good as Howell was this year, it has the potential to run it back in 2025. Riccio is the lone senior.

“For me, it’s not the end,” Lewis said. “It’s almost like a perfect start to next season. We’re not losing a lot of people, so this is a starting point.”

Chris Nalwasky may be reached at cnalwasky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow us on social: Facebook | Instagram | X (formerly Twitter).

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