NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – Michael Oakes led McCantech's bowling team to its first Berkshire County title since 2018 on Friday.
And the Hornets got there by defeating two of the league's best teams in the regular season.
Oakes hit a spare in the 10th frame of the deciding match to beat Leigh 4-2 and claim county honors at the Greylock Bowl & Golf.
To advance to the finals, McCann Tech had to battle through Pittsfield, finishing the season tied for points with the Wildcats at the top of the six-team league.
“It means a lot to us,” said Oakes, who served as the anchor for all 13 games played by the Hornets on Friday. “We've been working hard for the last 10 weeks or so here at Greylock. Making spares and just executing and coming together in each Baker game like we saw tonight, we've been able to keep our own devils in shape throughout the season.” have been thoroughly refined.”
During the regular season, up to five bowlers from each team play two full games against an opponent from another school, before the teams meet in a best-of-three Baker format series. The County Championship, on the other hand, is contested entirely as a Baker game, with bowlers rolling up to two frames per game for their teams.
Each round is a best-of-sevens competition.
In the semifinals, Lee defeated fourth-seeded Taconic 4-1.
The Wildcats jumped out to a 3-0 lead, and anchor Emily Holian hit a spare in the 10th frame for a 157-145 victory.
The Hornets had to fight Pittsfield tooth and nail to get out of the semifinals.
The flow of the game was determined by the first game, which ended in a 159-159 tie between the teams.
This settled the contest, with frames 9 and 10 repeating, necessitating a tiebreaker for the first time in league history.
Pittsfield's Ryan Russo and McCann Tech's Ryan Putin rolled the ninth frame, each earning a split with their first goals. Russo ended up leaving two pins remaining. Putin left one.
In the 10th frame of the roll-off, Oaks and Pittsfield's Matt Dupuis each rolled a turkey, giving the Hornets a one-pin victory.
McCann Tech rode that momentum to a 20-pin victory in the second game, but Pittsfield came back with a 204-134 victory in the third game.
After the Hornets won the series 3-1, the Generals rallied and defeated McCann Technological University with a 167-155 Game 5 victory after Dupuis finished with a turkey in the 10th inning.
In Game 6, Chris Barroso, Dupuis, Russo and Grace Mason hit four-baggers in frames 4-7 to give the Generals a commanding lead and even the game with a 200-124 win.
Pittsfield then carried that momentum into a decisive seventh game, taking an early lead.
But triples from Riley Lefebvre, Yves Labalon and Putin in the seventh, eighth and ninth frames got McCantek back on track. Oakes had a strike and a spare in the 10th inning to win 191-167 and qualify for the title match.
“Baker was our biggest motivator all season long,” Oakes said. “Welcome the rider. [Lefebvre]our leadoff man, make one good shot, and once we get loud, it's hard to stop us.
“That's one of the things I've realized over the past year.”
In the first match of the championship round, Ryder Lefebvre's strike in the sixth frame started a stroke finish for the Hornets, who remained without a pin for the rest of the match, getting a spare from Riley Lefebvre and a strike from LaBarron. A strike, a spare from Putin and a spare/strike from Oaks led to a 183-168 victory.
Midway through Game 2, the Hornets took a 2-0 lead over Lee thanks to a four-bagger effort from Putin, Oakes, Ryder Lefebvre, and Riley Lefebvre.
Then it was the Wildcats' turn to fight back, winning two straight to even the series.
In Game 3, Devin Figlio got a strike in the eighth inning, Bela Kotek got a spare in the ninth, and Lee pulled away late to win 157-154.
In Game 4, back-to-back strikes from Nate Terry and Figlio in the seventh and eighth frames were key to Lee's 174-129 victory.
The Hornets finished Game 5 on a high note, opening the 10th with a strike from LaBaron, a spare from Putin, and back-to-back strikes from Oakes, winning 170-137.
Lee took an early lead in the sixth game thanks to Makayla Schuler's first strike. However, Labaron and Putin hit doubles in the third and fourth frames, and the Hornets were unable to relinquish the lead.
The county's top teams will spend the next two weeks preparing for the state championship, which will be held at Chicopee Lanes on March 2nd and 3rd.
Semi-final
McCanntech 159, Pittsfield 159 (39-38 bowl off). McCantec 163, Pittsfield 143; Pittsfield 204, McCantec 134; McCantec 230, Pittsfield 165; Pittsfield 167, McCantec 155; Pittsfield 200, McCann Tech 124; McCantec 191, Pittsfield 167.
Lee 151, Taconic 136. Lee 181, Taconic 120; Lee 160, Taconic 150. Taconic 186, Lee 181. Lee 157, Taconic 145.
championship match
McCanteck 183, Lee 168. McCanteck 221, Lee 161; Lee 157, McCanteck 154; Lee 174, McCanteck 129; McCanteck 170, Lee 137; McCanteck 161, Lee 137.
Berkshire County Champions
2006, Taconic
2007, Mount Everett
2008, McCann Tech
2009, Hoosac Valley
2010, McCann Tech
2011, Drury
2012, Taconic
2013, Taconic
2014, Drury
2015, Lee
2016, Lee
2017, Drury
2018, McCann Tech
2019, Wacona
2020, Wacona
2021, no season
2022 Taconic
2023 Taconic
2024, McCann Tech
