BOWLING: Rapidly Improving Roman Perez Averaged Almost 190 In His Last 18 Games

Roman Perez won the Most Improved Bowler Award in the Wednesday Men’s League last season going from a 131 average after 21 games to finish his freshman 2023-24 season with a 155.50 average.

And his game continues showing terrific improvement early in his sophomore 2024-25 campaign. And one key to his improvement is he’s put in some serious time practicing. Another is his delivery generates a good share of revs resulting in a good number strikes, and another really big reason is he’s picking up his spares at rate that keeps his open frames to a bare minimum.

So, let’s illustrate the progress in his game by breaking down his second 600, a 611. It began with a189 game, followed by a 187 with only one open, and punctuated his career-high series with a six bagger and only one open frame for a 235 en route to a 611 series with a total of 18 strikes and marks on 8-of-12 spare shots.

Another quick peek into his improved game is beginning with week 3’s 576. he’s thrown nice scores of 573, 611, 497, 566,  and 568 last week, and over that stretch of his last 18 games, he’s averaged an impressive 188.38.

Away from bowling, he plays in a good men’s softball league in St. George and also plays volleyball.

He graduated from Virgin Valley High School where he played baseball, basketball and soccer.

Perez is a huge fan of the San Francisco 79ers, and also of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Vegas Golden Knights, and high on his bucket list down the road is a trip to both Europe and Hawaii.

In other pin action, Mike Rogers put on a shot-making clinic which fueled a run to the top of scoring charts last week.

And as soon as word spread about his scoring feast I worked my way to the front desk and plunked down the required quarter for a printout so I could do a deep dive into his series..

And the first thing I looked for was seeing if he had a clean series. Check! The next thing that jumped off the score sheet is two recalcitrant pins put the kibosh on what would have been a mind-boggling 9 pin no-tap 900 series which I’ve never seen in Mesquite bowling since doing this column.

Yes, in every frame but two, he either had a strike or single pin spare with the exception of the two frames he spared shooting at two pins.

And the end result was a standout 740 on games of 256, 248, and 236 with 23 strikes and marks on a perfect 10-of-10 on his spare shots.

Meanwhile, stoked by 24 strikes, Milan Carr uncorked games of 268, 227, 225 for the week’s next best score, a 720, and Orlyn Meyer, an avid fan of North Dakota State football averaged an impressive 228 between a 706 on Wednesday night and his 666 that same day in his morning Early Risers League.

Not surprisingly, Austin Finster joined the 700 party with a hard-hitting 710 series, and Ricky Trujillo chucked the week’s fifth 700, a 701 which included a pair of super 278 and 267 games.

And Alfred Oliveira V ran the front seven in a clean 269 en route to a season-high 692 which raised his King & Queens League (KQL) average to 203 from 197. Additionally, it’s a slam dunk young Oliveira V will finish the season with an even high average and multiple 700s.

Sal Diaz is another young top-notch bowling talent who raised his KQL average to 208 from 205 with a 686 effort which included 26 total strikes, Chris Scott’s (681-242) highly competitive scoring output raised his Wednesday Men’s League average to 198 from 194, while Bob Marget who’s a serious Minnesota Twins baseball fan tossed a 667 on games of 236, 216 & 215, and sparked b a season-high 257 and 18 total strikes, Brian Collins thumped the lanes with a heckuva nice 657 set.

Harry Uncles (643-228) is putting together a really good season, Mike Dunlop (635-233) delivered a first-rate effort, Rob Cormani tossed a quality 630 and his first job in life was an extra in movies and film and he can give you some fascinating inside scoop on actors like James Garner, Glenn Ford and others, while Angel Hernandez raised his KQL average to 205 with a 622 series along with 19 total strikes, and Bryan Pierce (619-225) continues piling up the 600s.

In single game play, while not the highest game of the week, Jonny Manning’s clean 263 with a six-bagger and nine total strikes was the most impressive given it was rolled in the Sunday Sport Shot League using The Scorpion shot pattern of the PBA. And he just missed a 600 series with a 595. He works on the machines and lanes at the bowling center, and is an outstanding young bowling talent.

Dave Pershing (657) capped off a good week with a 265, Logan Hendrick (608) pounded out a 258, while Dale Knight (666) hammered out a 256, and Dean Baum (644) who enjoyed lotsa success bowling in Salt Lake City delivered a 253.

And Shaun Edwards navigated the lanes for a 246 and this past summer became the first person I’ve ever met who’s completed an amazing bucket list item coveted by many baseball fans, Wally Posey (591) raised his ERL average to 183 from 181 and also smacked a season-high 243, and Gil Niimi chalked up a 237 with seven strikes.

Bobby Dixon tossed a clean and season-high 234, Al Legan cruised to a 219 and as a Chicago Bears fan isn’t sure if he’ll ever see a Bears team again as good as the 1985 Bears, and Steve Kenyon is a former air traffic controller who KO’d 216 pins.

Nick Paul bagged a 210, Ron Johnson delivered a 209 with six strikes, and Bob Ballard a sprinter on his high school’s track team popped a 205.

Finally, Ronnie Montoya snared his first ink here for a 204, Wade Heileson is a heckuva super good guy from Idaho who’s 203 may ignite a run of weekly deuce games as he has a track record of doing exactly that in past seasons, and Nick Medina continue a recent string of deuce games with a 202.

On the women’s side of the ledger, Diane Marget, a terrific Hall of Fame bowler from the People’s Republic of Minnesota and 10,000 fleeing residents finished atop the scoring food chain with a 597 and 211 game, Lee Ann Harmes put up the next best score with a 574 including a 213, and without much fanfare, Lynae Page (573-210) continues dialing up some darn nice scores.

Kim Marshall’s 559 was good for the week’s next best score, Ashlee Yokoyama powered by 16 strikes including a four-bagger in a 213 fired a 553, and Suzie Fehseke raised her Ladies Trio League average to 150 from 143 with a season-high 525 series with a 210 game.

Cathy Gardner tossed a 512 and her bowling delivery holds the promise of even higher scores in future outings, and Sheila Green has put up some huge scores in the past at the former Sunset Lanes in St. George and her 504 should end a recent scoring funk and lead to more 500-plus scores and potential for some big game scoring production.

And Jane Burgoyne worked the lanes for a 502, and she hails from a bowling family including a daughter, Amanda, who went on to become a bowling great at the University of Nebraska and eventually was enshrined in their Sports Hall of Fame. Meanwhile, Sandi Scheiderer captured her first ink for a 501 in the Tuesday Ladies Trio League.

In single game play, Molly Gomes peppered the lanes with a 208, Cindi Petersen (530) hails from the great state of Iowa and tallied a 204 with a four strikes in her Early Risers League, while Mary Posey pocketed a 202, and MaryAnn Davis chalked up a 201

Ann Weast received a 175 Game Award for a 190, Cheryl Carr put together a four bagger in a 190 and she rides a bike roughly five miles a day, and Kerri Roberts picked up the 4-7-10 and 5-10 splits in a 183.

Johnny Manning 595-263; Michael Ramirez 524-179; Dylan Kesl 524-202; Mike Gentry 423; Kelly Williamson 506-195.

Bob Wells 666-236; James Hartley 658-234; Dylan Kesl 657-268; Harry Uncles 643-228; Max Baarz 642-224; Michael “Smurffzzz” Ramirez 637-257; Bruce Hooley 636-217; Mike Dunlop 636-233; Bruce Hooley 636-228; Jeff “Mr. 300” Harmes 632-233; Britt Kesl 631-225; Scott Mattingly 627-251; Angel Hernandez 622-232; Alan Jacobson 619-225; John Martin 617-246; Dave Harris 617-216; Darren Simonds 614-234; Logan Hendrick 608-258; Dean Sheppard 602-245; Dave Johnson 600-212; Chris Westwood 600-215; Ernie Kala 233; John Hollaway 229; Jimmy Webb 227; Jim Lytle 226; Chad Klein 221; Ryan Baeza    216; Tony Zacheus 215; Doug Love 214; John Gerger 213; Javier Delgadillo 212; Jim Rappe 212; Jerry Bundy 211; Steve Helbig 211; Vic Reading 211; Duane Sullivan 210; Mike Bock 210; Tim McNees 210; Jeff Branche 209; Mike Foote 209; Steve Cominski 209; Tony Urias 208; Carlos Baeza 208; Mike Yoder 207; Chris Eyre 206; Bill RIfe 205; Mark Brackelsberg 204; Dale Davidson 204; Dave Houghton 203; Ken Schloman 203; Michael Donovan 203; Ed Hoepfner 202; Larry Willis 202; Mardon Connelly 202; Al Gans 200; Jerry Holloway 200.

Sandy Sheppard 542-201; Bev Cormani 524-194; Kim Finnegan 511.