Lockport bowler Stephanie Fedder was sitting on the edge of a table when two teammates nearly knocked her over like a 10-pin Friday at the state bowling tournament at Cherry Bowl Lanes.
“We’re in first. We’re in first,” the two squealed as they laughed and ran off.
The celebration, it turned out, was premature. Crete-Monee, with a six-game pinfall of 5,662, sits in first place by two pins over Lockport.
But on a day when pins-and scores-were flying beyond comprehension, nobody could blame the Lockport girls from getting confused.
As many as a dozen unofficial tournament records fell Friday as 24 teams and 77 individuals from around the state took advantage of favorable lane conditions to post staggering scores.
Crete-Monee and Lockport emerged as the early team leaders heading into Saturday’s final round, leading Rock Island (5,618), Lake Park (5,519) and Warren (5,422).
Jody Askam of Rock Island paced the individual field, hitting 200 or better in all six games en route to a pinfall total of 1,307.
Tammy Jordan of Lemont racked up an even 1,300, with Warren’s Arlene Hildago (1,264) and 1993 third-place finisher Lisa Stack (1,234) of Larkin still in the hunt.
But as Lockport’s premature celebration proved, a lot could change before the last pin drops Saturday. The 12 teams that qualified Friday will be pared down to six after one round Saturday, with the scores carrying over each round.
The 24 individuals who qualified will have to make the final 12 to stay eligible for the state championship.
Three individuals cracked the 1,300 mark, led by Aksam, Jordan and Crete-Monee’s Kelly Hansen. Hansen, a sophomore, actually bowled an unofficial six-game record 1,334. Hanson, however, is ineligible for the individual title because she failed to qualify at last week’s sectionals.
“Even though I didn’t make the individual tournament, I really wanted to do well to help the team,” she said.
Hansen’s teammates were equally excited about the team’s surprise showing.
Crete-Monee entered the tournament with the lowest score of any sectional champ, 4,791. It was also just the school’s second appearance at state, and the first since 1981.
But Crete came out firing, hitting 921-980-1,017 for a 2,918 total after three games. The mark was just 16 pins off the three-game tourney record and well above the school record.
Aside from the 284 bowled by Rockford Jefferson’s Jamie Tarbell, Crete-Monee’s showing was the talk of the tournament.
“I’ve never seen a first round like that, and I probably won’t again,” Crete-Monee coach Richard Bone said.
Lockport, behind Fedder’s 1,217 and Sarah Gugerty’s 1,216, also enjoyed a successful day and now finds itself with championship aspirations.
But as Fedder resumed her seat on the table, it was clear she wasn’t going to tolerate any more premature celebrations.
“I’ve had the feeling we could win it the second I walked in,” she said. “We just have to go out and do the best we can. We want it too bad to let it slip away now.”
