CHICAGO — The Whitney Young Boys Bowling team bolted from school on Monday to their first match. An afternoon rivalry game against Taft, emotions were flying high, and the boys were locked in… or so they thought. Over three games, Whitney Young lost to Taft by about four hundred pins. Henry Reiland, a senior, likened the team to a band of misfits, stating “None of us have ever bowled competitively before, and that showed yesterday.” Reiland, being modest, bowled Young’s highest score of the night, a 173.

High school bowling is a one of a kind experience. The alley is packed with teams from all over CPS, each to one lane. To Whitney Young’s dismay, the other teams were composed of tenured bowlers, who each went through rounds of tryouts and hundreds of practice hours. In a 1-on-1 interview with senior Jimmy Anastasi, he illustrated that “most teams have players join because of their love for the sport. Our main goal when we joined was to have a good time with our friends.” Eyewitnesses support Jimmy’s testimony, characterizing Young as a jerseyless yet spirited team.

At the gun, Taft leapt out of the gate, like men on a mission. The average score of the five starters was about a 150, crushing Young’s 110. Game two was nothing different, and only increased the discrepancy between the scores. Coach Nick Maksa huddled the boys together before Game 3, pumping pure adrenaline into their souls with his inspiring words. The Beacon was unable to obtain a direct quote, but senior Liam Herrada-Maher described it as “a life-changing experience” in a post-game interview.

Simply put, the speech worked. Against a strong Taft team, Young rallied back to win Game 3, 746-723. Fantastic performances from Henry Reiland (Sr.), Marc Goldstein (Jr.), and Ben Phillips (Fr.) powered Young to its first win of the season. Despite the hefty loss, the hard-fought victory of the final game provides a glimmer of hope for this inexperienced Whitney Young team.