The jitters were no problem, as it turned out. And Vaccaro, a senior standout on the Carson team, put on a pretty good show for the crowd when he rolled a 687 series to help the Senators roll to a 60-3 High Desert Interscholastic Bowling Program victory against Wooster.
It was simply business as usual for the undefeated Senators, who improved their Mountain Division-leading record to 4-0 record against a formidable Wooster team (now 2-2).
Then again, the Carson bowling team hasn't lost a match in its two seasons of existence.
"If we can keep going with the same attitude the rest of the year, I think we can beat everybody, especially since we've already beaten two of the better teams, Reed and Wooster," Vaccaro said.
Carson coach Marc Dastous is hopeful that the support seen on Saturday can continue to grow.
"The kids are having a great time," Dastous said. "The atmosphere is one of fun and one of trying to improve. Our team average, including the intramural teams, is 175 and you can't beat that. It's been a very positive thing all the way around."
The Senators resume their schedule with a 3:45 p.m. match against 3-1 North Valleys on Thursday afternoon at Starlite Lanes in Reno. Looking ahead, the divisional playoffs will be held on Feb. 16, at Ponderosa Lanes in Reno and Feb. 20 at the Reno Hilton. The championships will be held on Feb. 28, at the National Bowling Stadium.
This past Saturday was an indication of the Carson team's strength and depth. Vaccaro shot a league-high game of 245 and improved his league-leading average to 214 average.
"I've been rolling it where I want it to and all of the pins are falling for me when I need them to, so everything works out OK. I started off kind of shaky and Justin (Wass, assistant coach) said, 'You need to do this, and I then did it and the next thing I know, I'm hitting it in the hole every time," said Vaccaro, who shot a 278 in practice on Monday at Pi-on Plaza.
Dan Dunbar and David Geiger posted respective high games of 234 and 222, third and fourth best among all league bowlers. Geiger finished with a 622 series and Dunbar with a 597 series.
Rachel Caskey had a 571 series with a high game of 205, Robyn Conn had a 568 series with a high game of 188 and Meghan Wass had a 545 series with a 198 high game. Freshman Joe Clay had a 564 series with a high game of 201 in his first match for the Senators.
Those results, and Carson's unbeaten streak, are all reflective of quality junior programs at Carson Lanes and Pi-on Plaza.
"Our youth program in this area is just phenomenal, and this is just an extension of that," Dastous said. "The Tri-County organization, Deanne Wass and people like that, do a fantastic job with the kids on Saturday mornings. And now it's expanded because our kids are bowling Wednesday nights, King of the Hill over at Carson Lanes, and they're bowling in the Junior Olympic Gold program on Sunday night at Pi-on Plaza."
The next step, is to gain recognition as a Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association sanctioned sport.
"We're trying to become a varsity sport," Dastous said. "We're just trying to get our kids some exposure. This gives them an opportunity to support the school, gives them an opportunity to showcase their talent, and show the colleges out there what they can do."
There's hope of creating an avenue leading past Carson High and on to the collegiate level.
"We had 5-1/2 million dollars in college scholarships for the graduating class at Carson High School last year. None of those were for bowling, but why not add that to the list?" Dastous said, adding that the Carson team carries a 3.35 cumulative grade point average. "There are 40 Division I schools that offer scholarships for both men and women. None of them are full-ride, but a couple of thousand dollars here and there, that can make a big difference."
Assistant coach Jason King is a Carson High graduate who went on to compete for national power Wichita State University. Justin Wass, a 2000 Carson graduate, is currently attending classes at the University of Nevada but plans to transfer to Penn State and compete next year. The coaching staff also includes Vernon Barnes, who formerly toured as a professional, and Dave Conn.
Vaccaro has already earned approximately $1,800 in scholarship money, including $100 from Pi-on Plaza for his 300 game last February. Perhaps even more impressive is the 825 series Geiger rolled on Sept. 9 at Pi-on Plaza (games of 277-279-269).
Geiger and Vaccaro will travel to Florida in July, along with Justin Wass, to compete against an international field at the Junior Olympic Gold Tournament.
The Senators put on fund-raisers to help pay for team shirts as well as equipment repair. Dastous says another may be held to try and raise money for a trip to Las Vegas to compete against the best from the Clark County School District bowling league.
"If we win our championship, we would like to go to Las Vegas to see how we would fare statewide," Dastous said. "I really feel our kids would do well down there."
Geiger echoed that.
"I would love to go down to Vegas and see how good they are. No matter what happens, it would still be great to have that kind of competition," Geiger said.
Dave Price is a sports writer for the Nevada Appeal
