Senior Cesar Izguerra spent the 2023 boys bowling state meet as Lyons Township High School’s first alternate, entering for the sixth and final game.
“I was the seventh man, really did not see the lane at all, but I was just happy to make it there and get the experience,” Izguerra said. Now he’s one of the main reasons the Lions are returning to state for the third year in a row.
“I put in a lot of work during the summer and I just wanted to be able to take the team myself instead of being back there like last year.”
Izguerra finished eighth (1,389 pins for six games) as the Lions finished fifth (6,207) at the Sandburg Sectional at Palos Lanes, Saturday, to advance with a top-six finish.
Senior Kalin Burns (42nd, 1,238) also was a top-50 finisher, followed by freshman Anthony Bonilla (1,204), and junior Danny Healy and senior Jacob Healy (1,188 each).
Had the Lions not advanced, Izguerra would have gone to state individually.
“I did not want that. It’s a lot more fun when you go with a team and it’s just a much better experience when everyone’s there,” Izguerra said, “basically a brand new lineup. We had a lot of new people come in, like Anthony, Kalin. We figured it out, locked in for playoffs and now we’re going to state.”
The only other returnee from last year’s senior-heavy state lineup, which finished 18th (5,690), is Danny Healy, who bowled five games.
The Lions equaled their program-best streak of three-straight state berths from 2015-17. On Jan. 13, the same five bowlers helped the Lions win their first regional since 2019.
“The boys did really well. I’m really proud of these guys,” LTHS coach Gary Morrill said.
“[In preseason] I talked about this was going to be a slow process. I thought we could [qualify] but I knew there were going to be an awful lot of growing pains. Around the middle of December, it all started clicking.”
The Lions were third entering the sixth game but then had their lowest total (936). They still finished 79 pins ahead of seventh place.
“In the beginning of the year (936) would have been one of our higher games,” Morrill said. “At one point, we should have been competing for first place. The whole goal is to qualify. My goal is to make sure we’re one of the six teams going.”
A longtime bowler, Bonilla was persuaded to join by his cousin. Initially, state as a freshman was the furthest thing from his mind.
“We were all excited [Saturday]. We felt we had a good chance because we knew what we were capable of,” Bonilla said.
“I figured we’d bowl a few good games [this season], I’d be happy and I’d come back next year stronger. Once I was with the team, I felt we had a really good chance at state.”
Nazareth Academy sophomore Chris Martinez was 95th (1,034).