Riverhead bowling eyes playoff slot in coach’s last season

In Scott Hackal’s final season as head coach of the Riverhead bowling team after more than 20 years at the helm, the Blue Waves are putting together one of their best seasons in nearly a decade. 

Led by a handful of seniors who have been in the program for years, Riverhead improved to 4-1 in League IV on Tuesday with a 23-13 victory over Middle County at Coram Country Lanes. 

“We’ve been steadily improving year after year since my freshman year,” said Eddie Bedell, who’s entering his final season as a Blue Wave. “We haven’t made the playoffs since I’ve been a part of this team, and that’s one of our goals this season.”

Bedell has posted the highest average so far this season, hovering around 200 with a high game of 246. Jayden Oliver, a junior, is not far behind, averaging a 194.5 in the early season. Coming into the day, he has posted the best one-game score of the season (267) and best series (729).

“One of the best things about having an experienced team is when things start going bad, they’re strong enough mentally to get themselves back in the game,” Hackal said. “I mean, you saw it here today. We started off slow but found a way to finish strong and win the game.”

After dominating game one to take the lead 8-2 behind Bedell’s 213 and Braylen Blom’s 199, the Blue Waves essentially gave the lead right back. Middle Country stormed back and won the second game 7-3 to put the Blue Waves on their heels. The whole atmosphere changed and suddenly the pressure was on. 

“We got a little sloppy and left a lot of spares on the board,” Hackal said. “Strikes come randomly, but what makes you a great bowler is knocking down the spares when you get a chance.”

Oliver took matters into his own hands in that third game to put the Blue Waves at a massive total pin advantage, finding a streak of strikes to post the team’s best individual effort of the night with a 234. 

“We need people to step up when the momentum starts to shift, and Jayden did that today,” Hackal said. “When you see the other team hitting strikes back to back, it definitely puts the pressure on a player — especially in a crucial third game.”

Though the Blue Waves lost on matchups in that third game, the overall pin count carried them to victory. Blom won all three games in his head-to-head matchup, showing that senior experience. In a tough second game for the Blue Waves, RJ Cote posted the best score with a 191 to grab some points for the team. 

Further providing evidence that every pin counts, if it weren’t for the team’s overall pin count, the score would have been much closer as the head-to-head matchups finished at 9 to 9. 

“That’s what I’ve been saying all year long,” Hackal said. “Yes, you want to win your matchup, but you don’t want to leave any easy pins on the lane. Every pin is important and every spare is important. You have to make every attempt count.”

The top three teams in the league will make the playoffs, and the Blue Waves currently hold that third spot.

“We’re having fun out here,” Bedell said. “That’s the most important thing. We have the right mentality and I think if we continue to work hard and focus, we can definitely make the playoffs this year.”