Ferndale boys bowling looks to young lineup By Brad D. Bates It’s a different season and set of circumstances for the Ferndale High boys bowling team. A year removed from rolling their way to a Division 2 state semifinal finish, the Eagles return one senior after having four seniors lead them through the 2008-09 season. “We’ve only got one returning senior and four sophomores,” coach Doug Melton said. “They’ve got a chance (to repeat last year’s success). They’re good enough; they’ve just got to show up at the right time.” The Eagles were 4-5 at press time, but with several of their losses coming against Division 1 opponents, they are ready for the competition at their D-2 regional meet Feb. 26-27 at Oak Lanes in Westland. “The teams in our division, we handled pretty easily. The guys in (Division 1), we struggled with a little bit,” Melton said. While Melton feels this year’s squad is talented enough to repeat last year’s success, he said their lack of experience in a setting like the Michigan High School Athletic Association postseason could provide some challenges. “There’s a little bit of experience that they need,” Melton said. “Lane conditions are the major thing, because in the meets, the oil patterns are different than what they normally would be.” Adjusting to things like lane conditions is where Melton turns to his senior captain, Joe Arocho, to guide his young teammates. “That’s when I hope Joe gives them a little talking to, because he’s on the lanes with them,” Melton said. “I’m behind them, but I can only say so much. He’s on the lanes; he’s one of them, and he’s bowled for four years.” Ferndale started its season 3-0, but dropped five of its final six matches. Part of that was due to a schedule that included several Division 1 opponents, but another part was Melton’s young team learning on the fly. “They see they need to step up their games a little bit,” Melton said. “They’re not going to be able to coast.” Melton said a good example of where his team has shown improvement is its ability to pick up key spares. “Making a spare is a big part of the game,” Melton said. “Strikes come along easy, but if you miss spares, you can really go downhill. “It’s like in baseball. If you strike out a couple times, you can’t find the ball. You miss one spare, and you do it again, it plays with your mind.” Despite still learning the varsity ropes, the Eagles turned in a team average of 954. “Three out of the four of them are averaging over 200,” Melton said of his sophomores. “They all seem to want to be co-captains next year.” You can reach Sports Writer Brad D. Bates at bbates@candgnews.com or at (586) 4987-1029. 
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