Glancing over all the scores turned in this past week, it looked like leaders from days gone by.
Ray Fenstermaker and Brian Hower were on top of the weekly leaderboard as juniors at Blue Valley Lanes in the mid-1970s. Back then, neither bowler could have imagined that some three-plus decades later the two would roll matching 807s at the place where it all began.
Fenstermaker will kill you with consistency. He's not the huge series type but managed to roll 815 in March 2000. At the finish of his first season back at the Wind Gap center, Fenstermaker shot 287, 255 and 265.
Hower transitioned his game from a very successful stint at Bangor Bowl where he put up his career-best 804 series in February 2012. Hower stepped up and tallied games of 280, 258 and 269 for his 807.
The area's 124th 800 was turned in by Rob Dutt. He surrounded his fourth perfect game of the season with single efforts of 268 and 236 for 804 at Blue Valley.
The 300 train hasn't slowed despite the season coming to an end as seven more 300s have pushed the season count to a staggering 261.
Once again, Blue Valley made the biggest splash. Brent Tishuk hit double digits with his eighth at Blue Valley along with one at Oakwood and one at Bel-Pike. He just missed 800 with a 796.
A.J. Cordi waited until the end to pick up a 300 en route to a 712. Dustin Webb registered his second career and second of the season.
Phil Bell and Don Gudzinas were inducted into the Easton Hall of Fame this past fall and both have had an impact since. Bell recently picked up a pair of titles in the city tournament at Warren Lanes, and now in the same center Gudzinas packed 12 for the second time of his career.
The final two 300s were posted by a pair of Oakwood bowlers. Anthony Johnston matched Tishuk's 300-796 effort, and Bill Walters ended a nine-year drought between 300s during a 775 match. Since 2004, Walters has five 299s and three 290s.
Krista Sandt followed her mammoth 845 at Blue Valley with the season's fifth-best set, a 789. D.J. Cryan polished off a stellar season with a 749.
The top two scoring junior girls were at it again, and this time Lauren Scholes edged Laura Zaugg for weekly honors. Scholes wound up at 635 and Zaugg topped 600 for the 17th time with 621 at Oakwood.
This will be the final regular column before recapping the 2012-2013 season. Unless you've been in a cave the past nine months it's been a whirlwind and as the final numbers are tabulated, one number doesn't show up on the score sheet. Averages are the true litmus and Dan Schriner destroyed Blue Valley to the tune of 249.22 and his league bowls four games a night.
It's been nearly two years since the area and Bar-Don Lanes in particular lost Teri "Porker" Ackerman. His passing left a huge hole at the Palmer Township center that no one person could possibly fill.
James "Jay" Bowen stepped in and took on much of what Ackerman had on his plate, caring for many of the leagues and even tending to Bar-Don's website.
But tragically on Tuesday, Bowen passed away at the age of 42. His death has once again left the bowling community shocked and saddened. On the lanes, Bowen had crafted a career marked by a pair of 300s and an 813.
Bowen is survived by his wife Valerie and four children, Laurie, LeeAnn, Lillian and James Jr.