The Roselle Catholic bowling team is already rolling.
The Lions defeated Johnson High School of Clark and Roselle Park in the opening week of the season and followed those performances up with triumphs against Linden and Scotch Plains to stand alone in first place un the Union County Conference’s Watchung Division.
Nick Campanelli rolled a 700 series in the opening match of the season, Dec. 3, to help propel Roselle Catholic past vs. Johnson, which has won the last four Union County Tournament titles. Campanelli, a senior, is the defending UCT individual champion.
Senior Jimmy Gramiak delivered a couple of key strikes in the final frame against Roselle Park on Dec. 4. RC kegglers Justin Riddick, Corinne Clemente and Makell Rainer have also contributed plenty of pins to the Lions’ fast start.
Roselle Catholic is the defending North Jersey Section 2 Group I champion with four starters – Campanelli, Clemente, Gramiak and Rainey – returning from the 2013-14 team.
Rainey and Campanelli each rolled a 200 game in the opener vs. Linden on Dec. 10. Clemente and Gramiak were the high scorers in the second to help the Lions seize five of a possible seven points vs. the Tigers.
On Dec. 11, the Lions faced Scotch Plains and again took five of seven points, winning the second game of the three-game series in dramatic fashion. After a strike from Gramiak kept the Lions’ chances alive, Nick Campanelli, with RC down nine pins, rolled a strike on the final ball of the match to give the Lions a one-point win.
The Lions rolled a 1,085 game vs. Scotch Plains, their highest pin total for one game so far this season.
In the Bishop Ahr Bob James Holiday Classic, bowled Dec. 6 at Carolier Lanes in North Brunswick, Roselle Catholic finished seventh out of 40 schools.