Donovan Catholic boys bowling team is solid from top to bottom
December 15, 2023 at 7:00 a.m.
Trying to find a weak spot in the Donovan Catholic boys bowling lineup this season is like trying to find a warehouse delivery driver with nothing to do at this gift-giving time of year.
Both are hard to come by.
The Griffins return every starter from last year’s team that went 16-1, won the Shore Conference B South Division title, claimed the NJSIAA South Jersey Group I championship and finished second to Metuchen’s St. Joseph High School in the Group I state finals. Each bowler could be No. 1 on numerous other teams in the conference.
“The boys are very good,” said coach John Boughton. “They just do their thing and don’t get in their own way. … The goals are to try and repeat what we did last year and add a state championship. They definitely have the ability.”
Donovan carried a 4-0 record and 201.8 team average into its Dec. 14 match with Manchester, its top challenger for B South supremacy. It won each contest by 3-0 scores.
The lineup is consistent throughout, as any of the five regulars could be high scorer for the day.
“I’m telling these guys, ‘You are gonna have fun,’ because any one of them can bowl a 250 game at any given time,” Boughton said. “I told them it’s gonna click at least once during the season where you guys are all gonna be stringing strikes. They support and thrive off each other.”
The Griffins are led by Matthew Jinks with a 223.4 average, a 268 high game and a 789 high series. He is followed by junior Nicholas Logan (204.3), senior Collin Hopkins (201.2), senior Luke Strippoli (196.4), and sophomore Chris Strippoli (183.7).
Along with its talent, Donovan Catholic has chemistry as a result of playing together in league bowling year-round.
“Not only are they teammates, but they have become more friendly with each other, which is an asset,” Boughton said. “If they get along, how much better will they be? They’re competing individually but for their school as well, so it becomes a team atmosphere.
“When they know that the next guy behind them is saying, ‘That’s OK, I’ll pick you up,’ it just makes everyone feel better,” the coach continued. “It’s just a stronger team when they are supportive. If you have five great bowlers who aren’t teammates and friends, you lose a little bit of that because they don’t feel comfortable with each other.”
The coach likens his lineup to a baseball batting order. He has Chris Strippoli leading off, saying “he’s always filling his frames … He sets the tone for the whole lineup.”
Next up is Hopkins, who was still learning the game last year. His late-season improvement, however, helped Donovan make its post-season run.
“I’m thinking he might come up on 200 this year,” Boughton said. “Two years ago, he was barely over 100. He’s really progressed well.”
The coach calls Logan and Luke Strippoli “the home run hitters, the guys that are gonna push the other guys forward. Nick has progressed and Luke is the type who can be going bad and he’ll strike out in the 10th. He’s just got that drive.”
At No. 5 is Jinks, who led the B South in average last year and is picking right up again this season.
“He’s gone to (PBA pro) Parker Bohm for training,” Boughton said. “He brings his A game. He’s already signed with William Paterson, which is a pretty good program for boys bowling. They’ve won a national championship.”
The players are fortunate to be competing with Donovan Catholic. Boughton stepped down as coach last year due to other commitments, but the replacement coach quit three weeks before the season started. Boughton returned to save the day.
“They wouldn’t have been able to compete this year, which would have been a shame with the level of team they have,” Boughton said. “Three seniors would have lost their senior year, so they asked me to come back to help.”
And now they are playing as well as ever.
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Trying to find a weak spot in the Donovan Catholic boys bowling lineup this season is like trying to find a warehouse delivery driver with nothing to do at this gift-giving time of year.
Both are hard to come by.
The Griffins return every starter from last year’s team that went 16-1, won the Shore Conference B South Division title, claimed the NJSIAA South Jersey Group I championship and finished second to Metuchen’s St. Joseph High School in the Group I state finals. Each bowler could be No. 1 on numerous other teams in the conference.
“The boys are very good,” said coach John Boughton. “They just do their thing and don’t get in their own way. … The goals are to try and repeat what we did last year and add a state championship. They definitely have the ability.”
Donovan carried a 4-0 record and 201.8 team average into its Dec. 14 match with Manchester, its top challenger for B South supremacy. It won each contest by 3-0 scores.
The lineup is consistent throughout, as any of the five regulars could be high scorer for the day.
“I’m telling these guys, ‘You are gonna have fun,’ because any one of them can bowl a 250 game at any given time,” Boughton said. “I told them it’s gonna click at least once during the season where you guys are all gonna be stringing strikes. They support and thrive off each other.”
The Griffins are led by Matthew Jinks with a 223.4 average, a 268 high game and a 789 high series. He is followed by junior Nicholas Logan (204.3), senior Collin Hopkins (201.2), senior Luke Strippoli (196.4), and sophomore Chris Strippoli (183.7).
Along with its talent, Donovan Catholic has chemistry as a result of playing together in league bowling year-round.
“Not only are they teammates, but they have become more friendly with each other, which is an asset,” Boughton said. “If they get along, how much better will they be? They’re competing individually but for their school as well, so it becomes a team atmosphere.
“When they know that the next guy behind them is saying, ‘That’s OK, I’ll pick you up,’ it just makes everyone feel better,” the coach continued. “It’s just a stronger team when they are supportive. If you have five great bowlers who aren’t teammates and friends, you lose a little bit of that because they don’t feel comfortable with each other.”
The coach likens his lineup to a baseball batting order. He has Chris Strippoli leading off, saying “he’s always filling his frames … He sets the tone for the whole lineup.”
Next up is Hopkins, who was still learning the game last year. His late-season improvement, however, helped Donovan make its post-season run.
“I’m thinking he might come up on 200 this year,” Boughton said. “Two years ago, he was barely over 100. He’s really progressed well.”
The coach calls Logan and Luke Strippoli “the home run hitters, the guys that are gonna push the other guys forward. Nick has progressed and Luke is the type who can be going bad and he’ll strike out in the 10th. He’s just got that drive.”
At No. 5 is Jinks, who led the B South in average last year and is picking right up again this season.
“He’s gone to (PBA pro) Parker Bohm for training,” Boughton said. “He brings his A game. He’s already signed with William Paterson, which is a pretty good program for boys bowling. They’ve won a national championship.”
The players are fortunate to be competing with Donovan Catholic. Boughton stepped down as coach last year due to other commitments, but the replacement coach quit three weeks before the season started. Boughton returned to save the day.
“They wouldn’t have been able to compete this year, which would have been a shame with the level of team they have,” Boughton said. “Three seniors would have lost their senior year, so they asked me to come back to help.”
And now they are playing as well as ever.