Velez, Lopez roll Notre Dame to another league crown

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Updated: February 20, 2012 8:41AM

Seniors Peter Velez and Irvin Lopez led Notre Dame’s bowling team to its sixth straight Catholic League North regular-season title, and give the Dons a chance to advance as a team to the IHSA state meet.

But Velez and Lopez, who are averaging 215 and 213, respectively, took very different paths to excellence.

Velez began bowling at age 9, and needed only to improve one facet of his game to rise to the next level.

“About two weeks before the sectional last year, I developed a better hook. I’ve been pretty consistent since then,” said Velez, who won the Tournament Player of the Year award in the Catholic League Championships at Willowbrook Lanes on Saturday.

Lopez took up the sport only two years ago, and struggled mightily, scoring in the 120s. Not for long. He rolled a pair of sanctioned 300 games last summer, and started this season by winning the Harlem Invitational with a 1,410 series, averaging 235 over six games.

“I think my big advantage is the oil, because I’m good at reading the lanes,” said Lopez, who carries three balls and switches according to the conditions.

Notre Dame made it to the four-team semifinal round of the conference tourney on Saturday, but the Dons misfired in the fast-paced Baker format that measures only team scores. South champion Marist edged St. Patrick in the finale to win the 16-team meet.

Velez, however, earned the top individual honor with a pinfall of 1,075 in the first five games.

“I was excited and proud to win that,” he said. “What I’ve learned is the mental part of just concentrating on one shot at a time and also not getting bothered by a few bad frames. I was at 54 in the fourth frame in my third game, and still wound up over 200.”

The Dons started slowly this season, with a 13-2 loss to St. Patrick, and were mired in fourth place in the eight-team North after the first three weeks of the campaign. But their depth eventually wore down opponents. Notre Dame ended the regular season with 115 points, beating out St. Patrick (102) and St. Joseph (98).

Junior Mike Canova (194 average), senior Frank Rybak (182) and junior Joe Zaccagnini (179) round out a solid top five. The Dons are complemented by senior southpaw Mark Lukasiewicz and senior Joe Reeves, who stokes the Dons with a relentlessly positive attitude. Sophomore Alex Jensen fit right in as a call-up on several occasions.

Before bowing out Saturday, Velez, Lopez, Canova, Rybak and Zaccagnini averaged a scintillating 230 in the fourth game to post the tourney’s high series with 1,150.

“This team has a lot of characters and has been a lot of fun to coach,” said third-year coach Dominic Catalano. “I am very proud of them for winning the regular season and for our doing that six years in a row. We weren’t able to finish well (Saturday), but we think the whole regular season is a lot more important than what happens in one day.”

Notre Dame shifts its attention to the 15-team Stevenson Sectional at Lakeside Lanes in Mundelein on Saturday. Two teams from each sectional advance to the 10th annual state meet the following week. The top two individuals not on the two qualifying teams also move on, while the next six-highest scorers encompassing all 12 sectionals gain at-large berths.

Vernon Hills and Lake Zurich are favored at Stevenson after placing second and third, respectively, in last year’s state meet behind Rockford Guilford. But Notre Dame, McHenry and Huntley are all capable of springing upsets. The Dons were just 100 pins shy of advancing last year, and a mere 40 two seasons ago.