Week #13 is now in the history books and with it came a massive shuffling of the league standings. With the exception of the teams at the very top and the very bottom, all six teams from 2nd through 7th place swapped places with one another during the week that saw our league break the all-time record for most 200+ games in a single season. Congrats to one and all for being a part of this historic season. All season long, Brunk Enough to Dowl and Ballz Out have been battling it out to not be the team at the bottom of the league standings. In what may have been their last matchup against one another, Brunk Enough put it to their opponents in a 3-1 matchup victory. With Game #1 going to Ballz Out, compliments of a 571 series from anchor Cliff Barendsen (and a shocking 217 from Scott "Scooter J" Murdock), Brunk Enough struck back with a surprising 1-2 punch. With Kody Karnes leading the team (and the league with the lone 600+ series of the evening) with his 664 series, it was the contributions of this week's Most Valuable Bowler – Sarah West – that propelled the team to reverse their fortunes and come away with the wins. Brunk Enough to Dowl improves to 6th overall while Ballz Out remains in 8th place.Up until this week, Seth Gunderson of Murder, He Wrote has been having a rough go at it this season. Coming off his personal best in our Fall session, he's struggled for reasons unknown. That all changed Tuesday night. Hoisting a 570 series – the same as anchor Bill Krejci – to lead the team, Gunderson earned #1 Power Ranked bowler honors during a 3-1 beat down over opponents Split It and Hit It. Game #2 was the team's only detour en route to a sweep as they ran into Split It's anchor Dennis Blake and his 211 game and his 545 series. Game #3 and total pins went to Murder, who hopped up into 4th place. Split It, with the losses, fall down a spot into 7th place by a mere half a game.Before the battle began on Lanes 45 & 46, Will Strike if Provoked and Three Strikes and You're Out! shared the best win record in the league. Separated only by total pins, it was anyone's matchup to win. With the greater will to win, Will Strike came out firing and took Games #1 and #2 behind a 599 series performance by anchor Aubrey Moren. Game #3 hung in the balance, as Three Strikes looked to come away with the win but faltered and walked away winless. Bob Brunker led Three Strikes and You're Out! in the losing effort with his 516 series. With the only sweep of the evening, Will Strike if Provoked extends their lead over the lead to four games to remain in first. Three Strikes falls a spot down into 3rd place, separated from second by total pins.On the final pair of lanes, the men that did battle in the Finals last year faced off against one another for the second time this season. And, like their last matchup, Snakes on a Lane and Dragon Balls battled one another to a standstill by narrow margins. Game #1 went to the Dragons, with Rob Kaszuba leading the way with his second highest series of the season – a 550. Game #2 went to the Snakes, compliments of Ken M. Wilson's below-average 599 series to lead the team. Game #3 came down to the wire with the Dragon Balls claiming the victory but losing total pins to end the night at two wins apiece. The two wins propel Dragon Balls up one spot into 2nd while Snakes on a Lane use their two wins to fall down into 5th place. Bowlers putting up the games necessary to push us beyond the all-time season record this week deserve free drinks in The 200 Club. They include: Aubrey Moren (227), Bill Krejci (204), Bob Brunker (203), Carl Goetz (219), Dennis Blake (211), Ian Goetz (224), Ken M. Wilson (213, 215), Kody Karnes (232, 233), Rob Kaszuba (223), Scott Murdock (217), and Seth Gunderson (203, 206). With only two more weeks to qualify for the top eight seeds in the Tournament of Champions, we saw some shifts this week across the four divisions. Carl Goetz (19) and Aubrey Moren (19) own the top spots in Division #1. Division #2 is still owned outright by Dennis Blake (25) while Kody Karnes (14) and Dennis "Pops" Laube (14) do battle for second place. Division #3 has Phil Schroeder (20) still owning the top spot while Freda Schroeder (16) and Eric Lynch (16) vie for the next best spot. Michael Smith (22) and Mark DeVoe (18) continue to be the 1-2 punch in Division #4. The ballot for this season's Hall of Fame inductee will be closing soon so, if you haven't done so yet, please take a moment and vote. Six highly regarded candidates are up for induction this season and it's up to you to send your favorite into the Hall. See you next Tuesday!
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#1 POWER BOWLER
Seth Gunderson Runner Up: Kody Karnes
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#1 H2H BOWLER
Scott Murdock Runner Up: Kody Karnes
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FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE)
"Hey, at least Seth likes me...will you let me hump you?"
Cliff Barendsen, trying to make friends...we think.
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EXPANDED STANDINGS
Top Individual Achievements for Week 13