- December 20, 2024
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FPC's Emma Pezzullo (right) clinched first place at the District 3 bowling championships and is headed to state. Seabreeze's Breanna Hess placed second. Photo by Michele Meyers
The Palatka Panthers take the runner-up tropy home after the bowling championship held at Ormond Lanes. Photo by Michele Meyers
Seabreeze girls won their fourth consecutive district title. Photo by Michele Meyers
It's a four-peat for the Seabreeze girls' bowling team after winning against the Palatka Panthers. The team heads to the state tournament next week. Photo by Michele Meyers
The Seabreeze girls bowling team grabbed the District 3 title and is headed to the state tournament next week. Photo by Michele Meyers
The Seabreeze boys bowling team brought home the runner-up trophy from the District 3 championship. Photo by Michele Meyers
The DeLand boys bowling team is the District 3 champ after the championship matches at Ormond Lanes. Photo by Michele Meyers
Matanzas' Grant McMillan watches his ball intently after the roll during the District 3 tournament. Photo by Michele Meyers
Sandcrab Leiten Lundell high fives Derek Emmons after a good frame. Photo by Michele Meyers
Seabreeze bowler Michael Nichols . Photo by Michele Meyers
Seabreeze bowler Logan Compton puts his head down for the strike. Photo by Michele Meyers
Matanzas bowler Mason Evans. Photo by Michele Meyers
Sandcrab Dalton Boice launches the ball down the lane. Seabreeze boys clinched a spot at states. Photo by Michele Meyers
Matanzas bowler Grant McMillan focuses on his delivery. He finished second in Districts for individual high series. Photo by Michele Meyers
FPC's Emma Pezzullo clinched first place at the District 3 bowling championships and is headed to state. Photo by Michele Meyers
Matanzas bowler Jett Walden. Photo by Michele Meyers
Seabreeze's Logan Compton gets a strike at the District 3 championship. Photo by MIchele Meyers
Back-to-back strikes for FPC's Emma Pezzullo. Photo by Michele Meyers
Austin Weeks, Kaleb Costello and Grant McMillan relax in between games at the FHSAA District 3 championships. Photo By Michele Meyers
FPC's Victoria DaSilva-Carvalheira cheers for Emma Pezullo and her back-to-back strikes. Photo by Michele Meyers
Grant McMillan's teammates congratulate him after he slammed a strike against the DeLand Bulldogs. Photo by Michele Meyers
The Seabreeze girls bowling team won its fourth district championship in a row, while the Sandcrabs boys team finished second at the District 3 bowling championships on Monday, Oct. 23, at Ormond Lanes.
Both teams advanced to the state championships. They will be joined by Flagler Palm Coast's Emma Pezzullo and Matanzas' Grant McMillan.
The Sandcrab girls had three straight baker wins, defeating University 3-0, FPC 3-1 and Palatka 3-0. They will be returning to the Boardwalk Bowl Entertainment Center in Orlando for another run at the state championship next week starting on Oct. 31. The Sandcrabs won the state championship in 2021 and finished second last year.
Seabreeze's Madison Kuenning was speechless regarding her team's return to the state championships.
“I mean, I really, really hoped we were going to (go to state),” she said. “But we did win state two years ago and we were runner up last year. It’s obviously a taboo topic in our group. We weren’t going to be cocky about it and we weren’t, but we are happy we made it this year because it is most of our senior years.”
Kuenning said the driving factor behind the team’s success is Brian Beissel— teammate Kara Beisssel’s dad. He started recruiting the girls to bowl when they were 10 or 11 years old. They have been bowling together for seven years.
“I knew when Kara got to high school to bowl, we weren’t going to have any girls, so I started working with all of these girls when they were in fourth grade,” he said. “
Four Seabreeze girls placed in the top 10 among individuals. Pezzullo finished first with a 662 series and the district championship. Breanna Hess snagged second with teammates Kara Beissel placing third, Stacey Spaulding fourth and Hailey Holcomb finishing ninth.
When I first joined the bowling team, I stuck around (for other reasons) and ended up falling in love with bowling. Having a team of guys around my age who all enjoy the bowling team as well, is really great. — Grant McMillan, Matanzas senior
Beissel has been bowling since she was 4 years old. Her parents took her to the bowling alley just to find out if she liked it or not. She did and aside from a brief stint in gymnastics, bowling has been her only sport. After graduating from Seabreeze she will head to Youngstown State University on a bowling scholarship.
“Being a team made us all come together and realize that if one of us has an open (frame) then we make sure we pick each other up,” she said. “It hasn’t been the best season (for me) bowling-wise, but friend-wise it has been amazing, team-wise it has been great. Having Breanna back on the team has been amazing.”
Seabreeze's boys had two baker wins against Spruce Creek and DeLand but lost 3-0 to DeLand in the final rounds. Logan Compton and Brayden Barnes placed fourth and fifth, respectively, among individual scores.
Pedro Menendez’s Eli Anckner won the boys individual title with a 705 series. McMillan and Spruce Creek’s Logan Wolak tied for second with a 692. The two competed in a rolloff to decide the second state qualifying spot. McMillan won it with a strike and a nine-spare. Wolak rolled a strike and a six on the first ball of his second frame.
“I didn't think I'd won yet,” McMillan said. “I kind of did it in my head, but I'm used to when it comes to bowling math, not being right ... I turned around to the hundred people saying he won before I realized I won. Then all of a sudden there's a whole bunch of fists everywhere and hands. It was a big relief. I'm done. I finished it. Now I can go home. I have physics homework.”
In June of this year he was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Disease site, Fibromyalgia can affect anyone, but it ordinarily starts in people middle aged and the risks increase with age. More women than men get the chronic disorder. At 17, McMillan is in the minority.
He said he grew up playing most sports and got pretty good at them. He picked up bowling his sophomore year just before Fibromyalgia struck. It is the only sport he can participate in today.
McMillan said his plan for going into the state championship is to control his pain with Tylenol and Advil. He will also make sure he sits down in between shots since the tournament is an all day affair.
“It's rough to go from waking up in the morning and going for runs or bike rides, then to the bowling team and realizing, if I hadn't joined the bowling team, I would have no idea what to do — I would have nothing,” he said. “When I first joined the bowling team, I stuck around (for other reasons) and ended up falling in love with bowling. Having a team of guys around my age who all enjoy the bowling team as well, is really great.”
