Vinnie Cammarano
Key Points
The Apopka bowling teams delivered strong individual performances at the Class 1A District 7 tournament Tuesday, Oct. 20, at Boardwalk Bowl, but the Blue Darters came up short of advancing deeper into the postseason. The girls reached the semifinal round, and the boys finished just outside the top four.
The tournament began with three games of 10-pin bowling, with the top four teams advancing to the semifinals. The top two individual bowlers whose teams did not qualify for state also advanced.
The Apopka girls opened with a strong performance from Madelynn Scofield, who rolled a 215 in the first game, the highest individual score among all girls in that game. Samantha Carlyle added a 170 as the Blue Darters combined for a team score of 756.
Jillian Fessia led Apopka in the second game with a 134, while Carlyle bowled a 132 and Scofield followed with a 130. The team finished the game with a score of 634.
Scofield led the way again in the third game with a 171, finishing the qualifying round with a 516 series, seventh among all girls. Apopka finished fourth overall with a team score of 2,040, earning a spot in the double-elimination Baker bracket.
The Blue Darters faced Winter Park in the semifinal round, where they struggled to keep pace with the Wildcats. Apopka opened with a 127 in the first game, highlighted by Scofield rolling three consecutive strikes in the final frame, but Winter Park finished with a 154.
Apopka managed 114 in the second game as the Wildcats extended their advantage with a 170. The Blue Darters continued fighting in the third game, but four consecutive strikes late in the game helped Winter Park pull away with a 167-108 victory.
Following the semifinal loss, Apopka faced Oviedo in a matchup that featured several close finishes.
The Blue Darters dropped the opening game 122-113 before falling 129-124 in the second. With their tournament hopes on the line, Apopka responded in the third game, with Eviannah Escalante, Carlyle, Scofield, Fessia and Taylor Blaszak bowling consecutive spares in frames four through eight.
Escalante added another spare before Carlyle had her moment. Down by 19 in the 10th frame, she rolled a strike and knocked down the final pin for a spare on her final delivery to help Apopka edge Oviedo 153-152. However, Oviedo answered with a 139-129 victory in the next game to end the Blue Darters’ run.
On the boys side, Apopka finished just outside the top four with a three-game team score of 2,778.
The Blue Darters opened with a 964 in the first game, led by Colby Todd’s 224 and Logan Licavoli’s 210.
Licavoli continued his strong performance in the second game, rolling three consecutive strikes in the 10th frame on his way to a 199. Maven Cardenas added a 183 as Apopka finished the game with a 908.
The Blue Darters posted a 906 in the third game but ultimately fell short of the semifinal cutoff.
Girls coach Jason Ramos described the team as one of the most talented and hardworking groups he has coached.
“It’s probably the best team of girls that I’ve had as far as talent, effort, just transformation from what they were when they came to me to what they are now,” Ramos said. “It came down to a couple of pins here and there, a couple of spares here and there, and we would have been solidified as at least a runner-up, and I can’t be mad at that. I’m super proud of them. I love these girls, and they make me a better coach.”
The tournament also carried personal significance for Ramos, who said he was unsure whether he would return to coaching next season.
For the seniors, the tournament marked the end of their high school bowling careers.
“If I’m fortunate enough to be able to come back here, I know I got three returners that are willing to bowl with me, and we’ll do everything we can to piece another team together that’s even more successful than this one,” Ramos said.