Boys Bowling: Deerfield’s Cole earns top 20 finish at State Finals

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Deerfield's Zach Cole, seen here in earlier action this winter, placed 20th at the IHSA state tournament. | Ruthie Hauge ~ Sun-Times Media.

Updated: March 3, 2012 8:12AM

Deerfield junior Aaron Horwitz went into the bowling laboratory, so to speak, during winter break and did some major experimenting.

When the Warriors began practicing after the break, Horwitz was committed to being a two-handed bowler. Only a few bowlers in the entire state use both hands on the ball, with the best example being Andrew High School’s Josh Powell, who placed fourth at the IHSA state tournament in O’Fallon Friday and Saturday.

On the PBA Tour, Jason Belmonte also uses both hands.

“It was something I had done during practice, but I didn’t take it too seriously,” Horwitz said. “But I realized I wasn’t getting enough (revolutions) on the ball with one hand, and I thought bowling two-handed would get me more power, and I would (carry) some of the 10-pins that I would normally leave.”

The style may be unorthodox, but it’s hard to argue with the results.

Horwitz, along with senior teammate Zach Cole, competed in the state meet. Cole (2568 pins in 12 games) and Horwitz (2379) placed 20th and 49th, respectively.

Horwitz was uneasy the first time he tried his new style in competition.

“I was nervous that I would fall on my face, but I was consistent right away,” he said. “I think I averaged about 205 and decided that I was going to stick with it.”

Horwitz, a right-hander, uses both hands for spare shots on the left side of the lane. The only time he uses a traditional, one-handed release is when he’s shooting at spares to the right of the head pin.

After advancing from sectionals with a clutch performance in the final game, Horwitz said he looked at making State as a bonus. As a result, he was not nervous, and that was reflected in his scoring early on.

Horwitz bowled five games of at least 200 on Friday. His only score below 200 was a 199. The result was a 623 and 608 series. Horwitz was paired with Cole, and that helped both bowlers.

“He was always high-fiving me after a strike, and I did the same,” Horwitz said. “It was nice having a teammate on the same lanes.”

Horwitz opened with a 244 game on Saturday, but then struggled in his next two games (132, 176). In the afternoon, he bowled better and finished in 63rd place with a 198.3 average.

Deerfield coach Peter Cullen was impressed with how unflappable Horwitz was during the tournament.

“He has a great poker face,” Cullen said. “He doesn’t get emotional and is very consistent.”

Cole rallies: After being mired in 43rd place at the end of Friday’s action, Cole rallied all the way back to 20th place. He did that by firing 655 and 665 series. He was consistent throughout, with only one game below 200.

“I knew I really had my work cut out for me after Friday,” said Cole, who finished seventh at State last year.

Cole converted every one-pin spare throughout the tournament. He was always in the pocket, but simply didn’t record the number of strikes to which he’s accustomed.

“I definitely bowled better than I scored,” Cole said. “I did the best I could. The results just didn’t turn out as I planned.”

Added Cullen: “Zach was like a sniper. He was hitting (the pocket), but he just wasn’t stringing a bunch of strikes together.”

This was the third time Cole qualified for the state tournament. The last two seasons, he posted the highest average in the conference.

Cullen said Cole’s commitment to bowling is an excellent model for teammates who will return next year.

“You couldn’t ask for anything more,” Cullen said. “His game improved each year because he worked so hard in the offseason.”