BOWLING: Raul Macias rings in Christmas with a career-first 600 series in Mesquite Bowling

Raul Macias is finding additional joy over and above what he normally would during this holiday season. And that’s because in addition to getting a headline in the Mesquite Local News for throwing his first-ever 600 series, he also gets a perfect stocking stuffer with his bowling exploits going online for others to read about it on of all days, Christmas.

Next, here’s a window into how he was not gonna be denied his first 600 after almost reaching that milestone a month ago only to finish with a 598. Anyway, he began his City High Rollers League action with a 235 game which included a five-bagger.

He followed with a 177 game, and now let’s fast forward to the 8th frame of his third game in which he threw a strike, but in the 9th missed a 10 pin for an open, resulting in his 10th frame becoming a nail-biter because an open would dash any hope for a 600. However, seemingly unfazed by the pressure and determined to capture his first 600, he left a 7 pin on his first ball in the 10th but delivered a clutch spare followed by a strike on his fill ball for a 191 game paving the way for his first-ever 600 series, a 603 which included a total of 17 strikes and 10 spares.

He’s an alumnus of Virgin Valley High School where he was on the soccer and track and field teams, and he’s an avid fan of both the Florida Gators and Minnesota Vikings football teams.

Macias who lives in Bunkerville, is in just in his second year of league bowling, has adopted a two-handed bowling delivery which will help him attain his next goal in bowling which is a coveted 700 series, and years down the road he’s looking forward to visiting Paris, France.

In other abbreviated league action, John Hollaway is one heckuva bowler and raised his Kings & Queens League average to 214 from 212 after chalking up a 714 on games of 246, 242, 226 and made all the more remarkable by the fact he’s bowling with a torn rotator cuff.

Meanwhile, after beginning CHR League play with a 177, Milan Carr fired a barrage of strikes for a 276 before finishing with a 246 in a standout 699 effort, and Steve Serrano, fueled by 22 strikes including a six-bagger in a clean 247 narrowly missed his first 700 series before finishing with a stellar 697after finishing with games of 238 and 212.

And Larry Willis punched out 22 total strikes including 11 in a 278 en route to a 695 set raising his CHR League average to 201, Sal Diaz chalked up another top-notch 695 series with a 259 game, and Mike Yoder’s 679 raised his Wednesday Men’s League average a pin to a mouthwatering 217, and as the season continues to unfold his average is going even higher.

Bob Marget’s first-rate 668 with a 265 game maintained his CHR League 216 average, Michael “Smurffzzz” Ramirez uncorked 19 strikes in a 663 outing in his WM League where he’s averaging 219, and Alan Jacobson, a retired U.S. Postal Service worker delivered 17 strikes in games of 227, 221 and 205 in a darn good 653 outing.

And Stan Benally tattooed the 1-3 pocket with 20 strikes in a season-high 646 series that included a six-bagger in a clean 243, and along with games of 210 and 193 raised his WM League average to 183. And his 646 continued a hot hand over the last month during which he averaged an impressive 198.8 over those12 games with series scores of 589, 613, 537 and his 646 last week.

And a day later, Dave Castro raised his CHR League average two sticks to 190 with a 632 effort including a 258, and on his high school’s track and field team he ran the 100 and 200 meter sprints which explains why he was also a halfback on the football team, and both of those help explain how some years later he landed a gig as a ballroom dance instructor.

Duane Sullivan garners ink for a season-high 629 series with18 strikes and here’s betting his scoring production will be ripping even higher in the week’s ahead because over the last six weeks his game has really taken flight as he averaged 191.2 over his last 18 games throwing series scores of 593, 577, 562, 534, 547 along with his 639 from last week.

And Ernie Kala delivered 17 strikes along with 11 spares in a 628 which raised his WM League average to 197, Jorge Munoz merits kudos for a season-high 622 series that lifted his Early Risers League average to 170, and Overton’s Mardon Connelly fell just shy of a 600 with a 599 and season-high 234 game.

Meanwhile, Tony Urias, a former three-sport athlete at Virgin Valley High School put together a heckuva good outing leading to a 617 series with 17 strikes including a seven-bagger in a 225 for his Bulldog Towing team. Urias, an avid ‘Blitzburg’ Steelers fan is in his sophomore season of league bowling after a successful rookie campaign during which he tossed a career-high 657 series.

Jim Rappe tossed a season-high 598 in his CHR League play and also bagged a 245 in another league, while Russ Marshall is a lucky dude who spends his summers in Alaska was fired up after throwing a season-high 597 with 15 strikes on games of 224, 192 and 182 which is also the first time in like three years he actually tossed a higher series score than his wife, Kim (527-180). So it’s a slam dunk she’ll come back in her first outing of 2025 with significantly better scores than his, and will be for the next three years. Ouch! Russ is probably getting in touch this very minute with his weight lifting buddy, The Krusher.

Finally, Gary Smith flirted with a 600 before finishing with15 strikes in a 594 with a 214 raising his WM League average two pins to 185, and Ken Thompson did a great job in K&Q League action tossing a 583 with 14 strikes and a clean 228.

In the single game front, Darren Simonds’ (671) super 279 with 11 strikes is his second 279 in as many weeks, Austin Finster (632) popped 11 strikes in a 279, and Dean Baum (678) hammered out a 277 and during his heyday bowling in Salt Lake City he threw a hefty number of big games.

And Jan “Kooz” Kuzy (595) working the port side of the lanes shredded the 1-2 pocket for 16 total strikes including a seven-bagger in a 266 effort in his best scoring output since returning to the lanes after a good two years away following hip replacement surgery. Another bit of good news is he also tossed a 204. However, the bad news is his final game was a measly 126, but we’re giving “kooz” a mulligan on that gawd-awful game because he was so stoked after his 266, that instead of focusing on his third game, he had visions his formerly dominant game had returned so he began thinking he might be able to take out his previous high game in Mesquite, a 290.

In other single game action, Doug Love (665) tossed a 245, Dean Sheppard put together a six-bagger in a 235, and it’s great seeing Jose Martinez roll a season-high 235 and if he puts in the time practicing, his game has big upside and the potential to become a force on the lanes.

And Steve Roberts smacked seven strikes including a four-bagger in a clean 234, and the timing of his game was impeccable because this column goes online on December 25th, and, lo and behold, he was born on Christmas Day in The Badger State. I don’t know if he ever did any ice fishing, but he use to catch some whoppers when he’d go fishing for walleyes in the Lake of the Woods partially located in the People’s Republic of Minnesota and The Land of 10,000 Taxes.

And it is great seeing Eddie Elsner nab his first ink of the season for a 225 game which featured him throwing a five-bagger, and he also had 12 total strikes in a season-high 544, and Ron Johnson did a heckuva nice job throwing a six-bagger in a 223.

Dick Lonick chucked a four-bagger in a 222, and he’s a walking encyclopedia on hockey and the Colorado Avalanche, while Wyoming’s Butch Loger’s 574 included a pair of deuces games, a 215, 209, and Rick Stoneman who hails from the Reno, Nevada area popped a 210.

Martin Carrillo booked a 206, Jaime “Jimmy” Ruvalcaba peeled off five straight strikes from his wheelchair in a 206, and Mike Rosenlof who hails from Beaver, Utah spanked the lanes with a 203.

Finally, Warren Ferber tallied a 201, while Randy Kezior also registered a 201 with seven strikes which is truly amazing because of the fact he’s bowling as a left-hander due to an injury on his right arm, and Dave Houghton scratched out a 200 on the nose to save his amazing string of consecutive weeks with at least one deuce.

On the women’s side of the ledger, Sandy Sheppard added another heckuva good week to a growing list of good ones as she combined 16 strikes and 15 spares in games of 215, 204 and 201 for a 620, and if she continues this scoring pace over the next 14 weeks, in addition to a banner season, we could potentially be talking about a record-breaking one.

Meanwhile, Lee Ann Harmes, fueled by 17 strikes in a 616 series including a nine-bagger in a career-high 268 gem helping to raise her Kings & Queens League average to 185. And the way she’s been throwing the rock, this season is shaping up to be one of the best in her years of bowling which had its genesis about the time she first began going to school which helps explain why she hails from a bowling family. Now I don’t recall the exact year, but I do remember the fact she won 1st Place in All Events in her division in a Colorado USBC Women’s State Tournament, and her dad, Bob Field, bowled an 800 series in Colorado and a 300 in Mesquite on March 3, 2006 as listed in bowl.com.

Cathy Gardner merits major kudos for throwing her first 600 in Mesquite bowling on games of 205, 202 and 193, and while she may just have scratched out a 600, the fact she threw 15 strikes and raised her CHR League average two pins to 172 shows she has a game with potentially some serious upside if she’d begin throwing a hook ball in her delivery.

 And Diane Marget navigated the lanes for a 566 with a 201 game, and she has the most amazing bowling resume of any woman bowler in Mesquite with her ten 300 games and 800 series scores. And so it’s not surprising that just this past summer competing on one of the biggest stages for a woman bowler, the 2024 USBC Senior Championships held in Cincinnati, Ohio she won 550.00 for finishing in 2nd Place Singles in her age group.

And Mary Ann Davis is a southpaw bowler in the Wednesday ER League where she fired a 548 with a 190 game and she has a 300 on her resume from her years competing in Salt Lake City, and Barb Field grabbed her first ink in two years with a 501 in Ladies Trio League action.

In single game action, Lynae Page (512) tossed a 212, Sheila Green, a bowler from St. George competing in the LT League smack a 209 game in a season-high 531 set, while southpaw Kim Finnegan popped a 201, and so did Connie Jenkins in LT League play.

Al Oliveira IV 631-263 & 233; Jerod Bundy 583-239; Kelly Williamson 572-199; Dale Knight 211; Alfred Oliveira V 210; Jonny Manning 201; Dylan Kesl 196.

Ricky Trujillo 665-245; Al Gans 660-237; James Hartley 640-222; Bob Wells 632-247; Dennis Craft 632-244; Mike Rogers 629-258; Dave Johnson 628-212; Scott Mattingly 625-238; Jeff Harmes 624-226; Bob Robbins 622-247; Dave Pershing 600-235; Jerry Holloway 600-222; Jacoby Ford 233; Nick Paul 222; Frank Addamo 222;Tyler Martin 221; Brent Schlesinger 220; Al Oliveira IV 588-216); Chris Westwood214; Robert Melendez 213; Ken Schloman 213; Bobby Dixon 213; Wally Posey 212; Tim McNees 212; Logan Hendrick 212; Dave Harris 212; Harry Uncles 210; Britt Kesl 210; Mike Gentry 206; Martin Carrillo 206; Vic Reading 204; Chris Scott 204; Bruce Hamilton 203; Rob Cormani 202; Mitch Fletcher 202; Juan Morgana 202; Brian Collins 202; John Gerger 201; Bryan Pierce 201; Bob Ballard 200.

Krista Kilpatrick 537-180; Reiko Schultz 507-197.