St. Peter’s bowler lives up to prediction, wins state title
After finishing what he believed to be a disappointing 10th in the NJSIAA state bowling championships last year, St. Peter’s Prep’s Jeff Butler made a bold prediction upon leaving the Carolier Lanes in North Brunswick.
"I was so angry with myself," Butler said. "I thought I should have won. Bowling is the number one thing in my life and I didn’t bowl well that day. So I told my family and friends that I was coming back next year to win the state championship. I really felt that way."
Then, two weeks ago, Butler backed up the prediction to a local reporter, telling him to print that he was about to win the state tournament.
"I didn’t bowl well at the county tournament," said Butler, whose 590 series was good enough to help the Marauders win the county championship, but wouldn’t hold water against the state’s best bowlers. "It was my lowest series of the year. I was so frustrated, so I told (Steve) Rosenberg (of the Jersey Journal) that I was a lock to win the state championship."
Butler made himself one gargantuan prediction, considering that no Hudson County bowler had ever won a state championship before. And after telling Rosenberg, the bold statement wasn’t just made between friends. Now it appeared bodacious as anything, in print.
"I guess I put a little pressure on myself," Butler said. "When I said it, I didn’t think much of it. But the next day, I saw it in the paper and I said, ‘Wow.’ I knew I had to back it up. I knew it wasn’t easy to do."
No kidding, considering the feat was never done before by any local bowler.
"I figured that I better bowl really good or I will look really bad," Butler said.
St. Peter’s Prep Bowling Coach Bob Zawistowski was confident that his premier pin destroyer was ready to live up to the challenge.
"I was confident that he could do it," Zawistowski said. "He predicted this when we walked out of there (Carolier Lanes) last year. He said he was going to concentrate on one thing. He was very intense, on a mission all year. He was zoned in right away. It was what he was focused on for the entire year."
Last Saturday, as Butler made a return trip to North Brunswick, he remembered his bold words.
"I had to do it," Butler said.
Sure enough, Butler most certainly did it.
Butler rolled a high game of 279 en route to a series of 719, some 20 pins better than runner up Mike D’Angelo of Wayne Hills and 30 pins better than third place finisher Joe Quinn of Linden, to win the individual state championship and to make good on the promise he made almost a year ago to the date.
"There is a lot of skill and luck in winning a state championship," Zawistowski said. "With the placement of the ball, you’re leaving things to chance. But Jeff was so consistent, throwing the ball in the pocket. He only had one open frame all day. He just took care of matters."
Butler didn’t realize he was the first bowler from Hudson County to win the honors.
"When I found out I was the first, I was very proud," said Butler, a Union City native who has bowled at Bowl-Rite Lanes in Union City since he was four years old and still works part-time at Lanes. "It’s a wild feeling to be able to live up to what I said."
Butler had made plans to try out for the bowling teams at either Michigan State or Indiana State next year, but he recently received a scholarship offer to stay home and bowl at St. Peter’s College. See what winning a state championship can do?