“It ain’t over ’til it’s over” is a cliché that teaches athletes to play through the highs and lows, continuing to battle until the final whistle—or, in this case, the final frame.
Those words rang true throughout Johnny Painter Lanes at The Alley Wednesday evening as Greeneville and Chuckey Doak battled until the final shot of their conference bowling matchup. In the end, it was the Greene Devils who prevailed, 16-11, improving to 2-1 on the season and 1-1 in district play.
Greeneville head coach David Painter praised his team’s effort in the hard-fought victory.
“We did not bowl good at all tonight, but the boys came together and played as a team. That’s really what won it for us. Several players came off the bench and made some really important shots to pick us up at certain times of the match. There was a lot of growth this week and I can’t be prouder of the team.
Game 1 started with the Black Knights capturing four of the six individual matches. Johnny Buchanan led the way, defeating Evan Litchfield 208-193, while Samuel Williams rolled a 193, Hayden Williamson a 189, and Holden Williamson a 148.
Jake Harman, with a 167, and Caleb Payne, with a 150, picked up the two individual wins for Greeneville.
The Devils, however, earned the two bonus points for total pinfall with a 946, tying the match at 4-4 after the opening game.
Greeneville gained some momentum in Game 2, pulling ahead 10-6 by winning four individual matches and both pinfall points after outscoring the Black Knights 1,067-994.
EJ Metcalf caught fire, knocking off Prudence Nieder 222-179, while Quinten Scalf, who came off the bench as a substitute in Game 1, defeated Hayden Williamson in a close match, 197-189.
Harman, with a 167, and Litchfield, with a 146, claimed the other two individual wins for Greeneville. Holden Williamson, with a 180, and Samuel Williams, with a 179, picked up wins for Chuckey Doak.
The teams then entered the Baker portion of the match, and the battle continued from the opening frame.
Chuckey Doak stayed clean early and built a 30-pin advantage, leading 98-68 through the first five frames. Greeneville cleaned up a few things and trimmed the deficit to 151-142 after nine frames, but a double in the 10th sealed the Baker win for the Knights, 180-151, cutting Greeneville’s match lead to 10-9.
In the final Baker game, Greeneville jumped out to a 79-66 lead after four frames, only to see Chuckey Doak rattle off a turkey—three consecutive strikes in the fifth, sixth and seventh frames—to surge ahead 145-115.
The Black Knights spared in the eighth but opened in the ninth, bringing their pin total to 173, opening the door for the Devils, and setting the stage for a dramatic ending.
The Devils stormed back with strikes from Noah Stahlman and Jake Harman in the ninth, setting up 10th-frame heroics with Greeneville still fighting to complete the comeback.
Both Chuckey Doak’s Hayden Williamson and Greeneville’s EJ Metcalf willed their teams into the final shots of the 10th as both bowlers delivered clutch doubles, bringing the Baker game to a thrilling finish.
Metcalf needed only an eight-count to tie the game. He calmly stepped to the line and buried his third consecutive strike.
Williamson answered with a strike of his own, but it was not enough as Greeneville claimed the 205-203 victory to complete the 16-11 win in the match.
Metcalf described the emotions of the moment, especially after throwing the first strike in the 10th to give his team a chance.
“It was big and I was super nervous. You just have to have confidence in yourself and your team. Shout-out to Jake for striking in the ninth. That, along with Noah’s in the eighth, just gave me a chance in the 10th. Super proud of the whole team.”
Greeneville’s boys will travel to Johnson City Monday to face Science Hill before hitting the road again Wednesday for a rematch with Carter.
