Extra work paying off for Friedrichs

Updated: December 6, 2011 7:00PM

Hours of drills and instruction have resulted in higher scores for Stevenson bowler Scott Friedrichs.

The senior posted the third-highest, single-game effort — 267 — during Saturday’s 26-team Cougar Classic at Vernon Hills. Friedrichs wound up 18th overall (1,236) thanks to scores of 235, 189, 179, 267, 174 and 192.

“Scott has really worked hard on his game,” said Patriots assistant coach Jim Feurer, who works with head coach Barry Lapping. “Scott has been to lots of bowling camps, and he’s had some good lessons from several different pros.”

Friedrichs has carried a 200-plus average for most of the season.

“He’s become much more consistent,” Feurer said.

Stevenson finished sixth in the 26-team gathering, totaling 5,645 pins in six games.

Other Patriots in the top 25 were senior Arnie Nadel and junior Zac Keith. Nadel placed 19th (1,232), rolling games of 193, 255, 178, 196, 172 and 238. Keith (22nd, 1,215) delivered scores of 200, 191, 198, 200, 201 and 225.

“We have a good base of veteran bowlers,” Feurer noted. “They were able to keep consistent throughout the tournament.”

A pair of Patriots have rolled 300 games in practice this winter. The 12-strike games belong to senior Brenden Horwitz and freshman Matt Poetker.

“I’m pretty sure Matt is the first freshman we’ve ever had on varsity,” Feurer said.

Horwitz is the club’s No. 1 bowler. Heading into recent action, he carried a 217 average.

Stevenson is pleased to have Nadel back in the fold. After opting to skip his junior campaign, the senior is second on the club with a 207 average.

“Arnie was bowling on his own, but he missed out on the competitive side of it,” Feurer said.

Nadel made up for lost time against Lake Zurich on Dec. 1. Although the Bears won the match, Nadel fired the third-highest series in school history with a 725. His high game of 279 also marked the third-best total in SHS history; he also posted games of 225 and 221.

Other Patriot standouts in this meet were Horwitz (high game 228) and Poetker (high game 221). Lake Zurich star Mike Schmidt bowled a 300 en route to a 799 series.

Schmidt also came up big in the Cougar Classic. The champion from Lake Zurich had the highest game of the tournament (278) and the highest average (233.7). Andrew won the team title with 6,290 total pins, while host Vernon Hills (5,784) was fourth.

Stevenson returns to action in the Rockford Guilford Invitational on Saturday. The Pats will visit Vernon Hills on Dec. 13 and Evanston a day later.

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