Rolling to the top

CEDAR RAPIDS - Xavier's boys' bowling team has been picking up momentum all year.

With only one match left in the regular season, the Saints hold a half-game lead in the Mississippi Valley Conference Mississippi Division over second-place Waterloo West. The Saints' individual numbers have increased all season, and the team success has come right along with it.

Senior Caleb Miller still is leading the Saints with a commanding game average of 225.8 pins, but it is senior Brett Young who has upped his per game average to 208.4 per game, giving the Saints a two-headed monster of Top 50 bowlers other teams must contend with on a nightly basis.

'I think our team has managed to overcome a lot of our opponents with the right amount of confidence,” Young said. 'When we are feeling confident in what we are doing, we tend to roll higher scores and not get as upset when we make mistakes.”

Miller has continued his dominance, maintaining the eighth highest per game average in the state over the course of 18 games. Only one other bowler ahead of Miller has maintained their average for more than 18 games. Three have played in far fewer.

The Saints bowl Washington on Friday at Lancer Lanes. Xavier is at a Class 2A state qualifier on Tuesday at Plaza Lanes in Des Moines.