Senior Andrew Prejean and junior Ben Ainsworth warm up for the LHSAA state bi-regionals match against Runnels.

The Blue Jay bowling team hurdled the bi-regional playoffs on April 3, defeating Runnels (24-3) and Rummel (17-10), to advance to the state final four for the first time in the  team’s four-year existence. In years past, the team maxed out the season in the bi-regionals.

2014 Boys Bowling Bracket (Final Four – State Championship) (pdf)

Senior leadership from Andrew Prejean and Chris Totaro was crucial in the two matches. Nine of the combined 10 games bowled by the two seniors were solid 200s. Junior Brett Lorio also had a phenomenal day averaging 200 pins in his five games.

The first match against Runnels turned out to be a warm-up for the Jays. Jesuit won the match 24-3 and had the necessary points to wrap up the victory after just two games. Senior Andrew Prejean had a 218 and a 206, senior Chris Totaro a 214 and  211, junior Chris Ainsworth a 235, sophomore Peyton Hidalgo a 211, junior Brett Lorio a 204, and junior Ben Ainsworth a 200. Junior Jared Ohle came off the bench to bowl a 212.

In the afternoon the Jays faced a much improved Rummel team for the third time this season, and for the third year in a row in the second round of the bi-regional. This had been the final round for Jesuit the last three seasons, but not this year.

Rummel came out swinging in the first game and took a 5-3 lead. Coach John Prejean said, “If Peyton Hidalgo and Ben Ainsworth had not rallied from behind, we would have been down 7-1. That was a huge morale boost for us.” Jesuit answered with a 9-7 lead after the second game.

The third game was a virtual tie with each team winning 3 head-to-head match-ups; however, Jesuit won the critical total pin count by 2 pins. The final score was Jesuit 17, Rummel 10. Andrew Prejean led the team with a 699 series consisting of a 223, 238, and 238. Chis Totaro had a 629 series consisting of a 242 and a 211. Chris Ainsworth had a 203 and a 227, and Brett Lorio had a season high 223.

In the final four, Jesuit will face Vandebilt Catholic and Brother Martin will face Barbe on Saturday, April 12 at 11 a.m. at All-Star Lanes in Baton Rouge. The winner of these two matches will play for the state championship that afternoon at 1 p.m.

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Nola.com – Brother Martin, Jesuit advance to state bowling semifinals in Baton Rouge