For the sectional semifinalist Salem High bowlers, it’s all about brotherhood, energy and consistency to create a ‘generational run’ of a season

SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I BOWLING
Wednesday’s Semifinals
No. 5 Asbury Park at No. 1 Camden Catholic
No. 6 Doane Academy at No. 2 Salem

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – Troy Carey is the consummate team player. He’s the best player on the Salem bowling team and he’s headed to college on a scholarship, but when he was approached by a reporter for an interview on the season he wanted to make sure his teammates and the accomplishments of the Rams this year were highlighted as well.

It’s a request leaders make. He values his teammates so much he asked the school’s vice principal if they could accompany him to next week’s Top 100 Tournament for the best players in the state. He went last year and missed the cut for match play by one pin, but it was only him and coach Kenneth Buck in the big bus and he thought it’d be nice to have the company and support.

It’s been another good year for the Rams and the senior wanted to spread the love in a sport where there is no defense and success hinges on finding the right line that day. Carey and Company are back in the South Jersey Group I semifinals looking to handle some unfinished business when they host Doane Academy today at Wood Lanes.

The Rams were in this same position last year and lost to top-seeded Clayton. But this time, with a year of seasoning and the swagger of a first-time division champion, they are the hunters and confident of extending what already has been a “generational run.”

All five of their projected starters – Troy (206), Semaj Carey (178), AJ Carlson (150), Rudy Perez (188) and Jacob Puni (170) – all have better averages than a year ago. Semaj is nearly 30 pins better.

Unsure whether their season-opening match was a scrimmage or a counter, the Rams didn’t bowl particular well and lost to Kingsway 3-1. When it was over, Troy gathered his teammates and delivered the line that has defined the season.

They won the next eight matches in a row and won the Tri-County Classic Division title for the first time. The only teams they lost to since delivering the line of the year were the No. 2 seed in SJ Group 2 (14-1-1 Lindenwold) and No. 4 in SJ Group 3 (13-0 Deptford). Both are semifinalists in their respective sectionals. They handed Lindenwold its only loss in their first meeting.

Riverview Sports News caught up with Troy and teammates Semaj Carey and A.J. Carlson on Presidents Day at Wood Lanes practicing for the big match. Here is the conversation. Let’s go 10 frames with the Rams.

Riverview Sports News: Troy, why was it important to you to make sure everybody on your team get recognized for the success it has enjoyed this season?
TC: Without them I wouldn’t be where I’m at now. The energy we bring as a team not only fuels one another but everything we do. Our energy is unmatched. When we put up our energy that’s when we do our best. Those days where we’re flat and lackadaisical that’s when we have all of our mishaps and mistakes happen. We are firm believers if we bring energy, we come ready to play, no matter how we play we’re ready to show up.

The two words we say before every match are ‘energy’ and ‘consistency’ because that’s when we bowl our best, when we’ve got energy because the energy is going to bring our consistency and that’s just going to let the brotherhood and rest of the team grow even more.

RSN: What did you think of Troy thinking so much of you guys to ask you be allowed to join him at the Top 100.
SC: Troy is a factor. He’s basically the leader of the team. He’s like the second coach. He didn’t have to do that. I guess he felt like if he made it, we’re a team, he might as well bring his team with him.

RSN: What is it that makes this team work?
SC: First, we’ve got a good coach, and everybody picks each other up. You make a bad shot and the next man picks you up. It’s always the next man up, help your brother out. It’s a brother sport, for real. If somebody does something bad, we pick them up.

And people stepped up and played a bigger role than they did last year. We have some people who played JV last year, now they’re averaging 170-180 on varsity. They really played a big role.

AJC: The thing that’s made us as strong as we are and consistent as we are is chemistry. We try to keep the energy up. We try not to get in our heads too much. Bowling, from my experience, is mostly mental. You’ve got to make sure to stay on your mark consistently and try to stay out of the negative headspace because the second you start getting in your head you start doing bad and then you bring the team down. We really keep the energy up by just being positive.

TC: Last year we were teammates and everything like that, but we weren’t as tight together as we are now. And that comes from just days when we don’t have practice, just going out as a team or some days before the season just going out with each other just bowling, laughing and joking and hanging out outside of this. We’ve got a bunch of classes together and we talk bowling all the time. At the end of the day I’m just glad I can be a part of a team like this.

There are days where not everybody is going to bowl amazing, but that’s why you’ve got teammates. We play not only a next man up mentality but your next ball be your best one. If you don’t throw a strike, it happens. You’re gonna miss spares, you’re not gonna strike on every ball, but that’s why you have teammates to back you up. That’s why you play for each other.

RSN: Is this team better just because it’s older together?
SC: I wouldn’t say better because they’re older. One, we’ve got a lot of knowledge. Everybody knows how their ball reacts. Nine times out of ten practice is serious. We’re trying to take it all the way this year, so we don’t like negative energy. We don’t like doubting each other. It’s a better run than last year. We had a solid team last year, but I think everybody in some way got better from last year.

TC: We’re firm believers whether you play JV, varsity or you’re just there to support everybody plays a role because at the end of the day we’re supporting each other. We try to stay like a brotherhood as best we can.

RSN: Because you’re basically the new guy, how concerned were you about fitting into the mix and not upsetting the chemistry?
AJC: I know a lot of the members already. My main concern was really just try to be consistent. I’m not exceptional at bowling, but the whole thing was make sure I stay a team player and try to contribute as best I can because you always need somebody who can be consistent.

RSN: Does the success you’re enjoying this year surprise you? I know you got to the sectional semis last year, but they were 5-8-1. Now you’re 10-3 and division champions for the first time with largely the same lineup.
SC: Before the season even started I knew we were going to be something special. It’s like what Troy said before the season. We’re on like Tour. We’re on a generational run. Next man, best man. Next ball, best ball. Pick your brother up.

RSN: Explain to me the origins of this “generational run” concept. Was it something that came off the top of your head that stuck or was it something you’d be thinking about for a while?
TC: We are the first team from Salem ever to win division champs and we’ve gone the farthest any team has. Last year we got to this spot and lost, but I feel like last year for us, yeah, it was a great year, but at the end of the day it wasn’t our full potential. We had great games and everything, but this year it’s really just showing and I just feel like that generational run is just speaking upon how we’re the best team in school history.

RSN: And it started after that first match, right?
TC: We knew at the end of it we’re going to face competition this year, but that kind of drove us that now whoever we play we’ve got to do us, we’ve got to have fun, because at the end of the day, another thing we preach is, if you’re not having fun then there’s no point in doing it. Once you start to lose that focus on just having fun and enjoying it then you’re going to lose the whole point of everything.

After that first game we came over to the huddle and I was like we’ve got to go on a generational run. We’re about to ball out and we indeed did that. I could just tell from the energy and how we were playing as a group that everything was clicking, everybody was just playing their role.

RSN: People come up with those things in sports all time hoping they stick and when they do it makes a great legacy, but could you sense it was going to be special?
TC: I’m not going to lie, after that first match of the season yeah we lost but you could see on the team nobody’s heads were down because we all just sensed the exact same thing: Whoever we play next, it’s personal. As a team that’s all you want to hear. For us, we don’t take losses as a burden, we take it as a learning experience.

RSN: What did you think when Troy brought up the idea of making a “generational run?”
AJC: We weren’t all bowling our best (in that first match) so we lost, but from there we took it as we’re going to keep winning from here. We’re not gonna lose and if we do lose it’ll be a loss because they were better, not that we were doing bad. The main thing was stay positive, take it game by game, and make sure we don’t take it personally, just keep doing the best we can and take it all the way.

GROUP I BOYS BOWLING
Wednesday’s sectional semifinals
SOUTH
No. 5 Asbury Park (6-10) at No. 1 Camden Catholic (9-3-2)
No. 6 Doane Academy (8-10) at No. 2 Salem (10-3)
CENTRAL
No. 6 Roselle Catholic (13-4) at No. 1 Middlesex (17-0)
No. 3 Roselle Park (6-9) at No. 2 Warren Tech (8-4)
NORTH I
No. 4 Butler (17-0) at No. 1 Kinnelon (15-4)
No. 3 Newton (14-3) at No. 2 Pascack Hills (15-0)
NORTH II
No. 4 Belvidere (14-5) at No. 1 North Arlington (22-3)
No. 6 Wallington (14-8) at No. 2 Rutherford (16-5)