Hewlett bowls to county title

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This was not supposed to be the season for the Hewlett boys’ bowling team to win a county championship. At least that’s what coach Nick Paxinos thought three months ago.

Paxinos, who has coached the Bulldogs for 17 seasons, knew there was plenty of talent on the roster, but thought it would take more time for the team to develop into a true title contender. “I kind of had my eye on the next two years,” Paxinos said. “Specifically for next year, because we had a young team and I knew our best bowler would be a senior by then.”

But about halfway through the season, when the Nassau County team stats were released, Paxinos realized his team was right in the mix for qualifying for the county tournament.

Some of the team’s younger bowlers, like freshman Matt Leblanc and eighth-grader Zane Lipson, were having better seasons than expected. That combined with junior Adam Glickman being in the midst of a record-breaking campaign, forced the team’s coach to raise his initial cautious expectations.

“In my mind I said now it’s really time to be thinking about this year,” Paxinos said.

Hewlett finished the season as the top team in Conference 5 and entered the county tournament with a No. 6 ranking. Once the big day arrived on the first Saturday of February, Paxinos felt confident about his team’s chances, knowing that it would only take one strong effort for his to do something special.

“How well you did all season doesn’t matter, it really only matters how well you do that day,” he said.

The Bulldogs rose to the occasion, never falling lower than third place during the event. By the time the tournament was through, Hewlett found itself on top with an unexpected county championship.

The team would likely not have been in a position to win the tournament if it had not been for the season put together by Adam Glickman. The junior bowled games of 300 and 299 this season, and his average of 227 broke a 52-year old school record. “He gave us the ability the first half of the year to feel like we were gonna belong with everybody else,” Paxinos said.

But on the day of the county tournament, it was Glickman’s teammates who stepped up. Andrew Bernstein, Kenny Bernstein and Bryan Krinick all played large roles in helping Hewlett capture the crown.

Up next for the Bulldogs is the state tournament, which will take place this Saturday and Sunday in Syracuse.