By MIKE CAPUTO
Fans filling the hallway at the west end of the center temporarily fell silent as the East Meadow senior focused on his upcoming frame. Bowlers in the adjacent lanes froze in their tracks. The only sound was the crackling of the deep fryer at the snack bar and an occasional knockdown of pins on adjacent lanes.
Juarez quickly retreated, placed the ball down and rested his foot against the rack. The bowlers to his left and right, one from Westbury and the other from Clarke, stepped forward and began their next frames.
"Something wasn't right," Juarez said later of his decision to regroup. "I make sure every part of my body is in check."
Fans remained quiet, as Juarez reached again for his ball, and reset himself for his seventh frame. Again, he stared down the lane in a mode of concentration for about 10 seconds as his fans and fellow bowlers watched attentively.
Juarez gracefully made his move toward the lane. Using his signature, yet unorthodox two-handed throw, Juarez nailed his seventh strike of the game. He pumped his fist in jubilation, as the Conference V champion Jets took a demanding lead in the first game of their eventual 3-0 sweep of rival Clarke last Friday to prepare for the county tournament this Saturday.
Juarez would not finish the game with a perfect score of 300, as he would spare two late frames and finish with an impressive 262. A day earlier, Juarez was even better, bowling a 270 in Game 2 of a 3-0 (934-866, 864-775, 810-707) victory over Uniondale.
Juarez, who already put up a 300 game and a 776 series while averaging 234, is not the only reason why East Meadow is the clear-cut favorite to win this year's county title. The Jets, anchored by a mix of experience and youth, average a series of 862 - 60 pins above the next-best team, Baldwin, according to first-year coach Andrew Ghirardi.
As other conferences remained undecided up until last week, East Meadow had already locked up its own title back on Jan. 13. During the regular season, the Jets had an undefeated 12-0 record in matches, going 35-1 in games. Their only loss came in the second game of a victory over Uniondale on Dec. 11.
Through its impressive run to a conference title, Ghirardi said his players proved to rise to the occasion in big spots, especially in two close victories over Hicksville. "This team knows how to execute shots," said Ghirardi, a former two-time county champion at Clarke and currently a senior bowler for St. John's University. "When we need a shot, they make it."
Justin Juarez is joined by his seventh-grade brother, Jeffrey Juarez, who started the season on JV but was quickly promoted when injuries temporarily befell seniors Cody Osterman and Andy Stanley. "The first match I was pretty nervous," Jeffrey said. "Then I got used to it and the pressure went away."
A string of impressive performances made Jeffrey's case to remain on varsity even after the seniors returned to the squad. Jeffrey, who averages 222 and shot a 729 series, has qualified for All-County status, said his coach.
"He has matured," Ghirardi said. "He loves the pressure."
Despite East Meadow's roll through Conference V, all five bowlers are well aware of the job that is left to be finished. The Jets began the 2008-2009 season coming off of two consecutive disappointing finishes in the county tournament, both of which they entered as the favorite. East Meadow last won the county championship in 2006.
Ghirardi said Stanley and Osterman, both returners from last year's squad, have also contributed with consistency and clutch performances. Stanley averages 209, and has a high game of 259, while Osterman has a 203 average and a high of 267. Junior Corey Rogan has also pitched in with a 216 average. Although the Juarezs tend to be in the spotlight, Ghiardi said the three upperclassmen have been irreplaceable competitors for the Jets. "Their averages don't justify what they mean to this team," Ghirardi said. "They are a very big part. They come through in the clutch."
The elder Juarez, who won a county title with the Jets as a freshman, has sensed a new attitude on this year's squad. "It is a whole different atmosphere," Justin Juarez said. "These guys have a drive for the actual sport. I feel everybody is working together now and we actually have a very good chemistry."
Being so far ahead of the pack in the county has not, and should not have a negative effect on the team's ego and mental approach, explained the team's leader.
"We don't really look at numbers like that," Juarez said. "We just try to bowl the best we can. We know that we are up there, but we have to stay up there."
The Nassau championship tournament begins at 9 a.m. on Saturday at Garden City Bowl, located on 987 Stewart Avenue in East Garden City.
Comments about this story? MCaputo@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 287.
