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BOWL.com | 2024 Junior Gold Notebook
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BOWL.com | 2024 Junior Gold Notebook

DETROIT – Six U12 bowlers survived match play at the 2024 Junior Gold Championships on Friday and progressed to the TV ladder finals, while the U15 and U18 divisions have been reduced to 24 bowlers in each age category.

Franco earns first place for the ladder final, Taylor and Ault also advance to U12 Boys

BOWL.com | 2024 Junior Gold Notebook

From left to right: Top seed Eli Franco, No. 2 seed Eason Taylor and No. 3 seed Thomas Ault

U12 Boys Brace

Before this year, Eli Franco of Fishers, Indiana, had failed to advance past qualifying in two previous attempts, but that changed this week. Franco entered Match Play as the No. 2 seed and went 3-0 in the bracket to move into the door of the U12 boys title.

In addition to Franco, second-seeded Eason Taylor of Chicago and Thomas Ault of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota are also on the ladder.

Franco started off by defeating seventh-seeded Noah Ausderau of Virginia Beach, Virginia, 397-364, before defeating Ault in the next round, 434-289. That set up a match against Taylor for the top seed on the TV show, where Franco won 344-303, needing only one game to claim the U12 Boys title.

“The fact that I didn’t make a cut before this is really special to me,” Franco said. “I kept focusing on just one shot and one frame at a time and I wanted to get as close to my goal as possible. It would mean a lot to me if I walked away as champion.”

Taylor’s journey was one of redemption, as he had made match play in previous years but had gone 0-2. He got a good start in the bracket after qualifying as the No. 5 seed, starting with a win over No. 4 seed Vincent Cintron of Jacksonville, Fla., 383-303. He defeated No. 1 seed Nehemiah Keefer of Bellwood, Ill., 360-319, before falling to Franco to earn the No. 2 seed for the stepladder finals.

“It means a lot to even be on the TV show,” Taylor said. His mindset was simple for this week after falling short in previous years.

“The job isn’t done yet.”

Ault qualified as the No. 3 seed in the bracket and won his first match against No. 6 seed Kayden Curry of Bartlett, Tenn., 324-304. He lost to Franco but bounced back in the Elimination Bracket against Henry Mann of Boerne, Texas, 363-298, setting up a rematch with Curry for the final spot on the TV show. Both bowlers bowled well, but it was Ault who earned the No. 3 seed, 407-352.

“I wanted to make the cut and maybe play match play this week,” said Ault, who finished 46th last year. “This is the icing on the cake for me now.”

Randisi, Newton and Debina-Gasper advance to U12 girls final



From left to right: Top seed Alyssa Randisi, No. 2 seed Daisy Newton and No. 3 seed Aliyana Debina-Gasper

U12 Girls Braces

Alyssa Randisi of Brooklyn, New York, never relinquished her lead in qualifying and went 3-0 in the bracket to secure the top spot in the ladder final. Joining Randisi on the TV show are Daisy Newton of Honolulu, Hawaii, and Aliyana Debina-Gasper of Mililani, Hawaii.

She opened with a 386-280 win over No. 8 Carly Schimmer, then defeated No. 4 Lea Besevic of Machesney Park, Illinois, 380-342 in the next round. She made even more of an advance in the battle for the top spot against Newton, winning 457-352.

Randisi, a left-handed, two-handed boxer, had a unique strategy: she used urethane to get her way onto the TV show, and she was thrilled to be seeded first.

“I feel relieved because I was afraid I was going to get knocked out,” Alyssa said. “I felt really comfortable using urethane and playing on the courts.”

Newton qualified as the 7th seed in her first ever Junior Gold appearance and won a close match against 2nd seed Bryonna Camp, 315-308. She had another close win against Debina-Gasper, 303-283 before losing to Randisi. Nevertheless, she was happy to make it as the 2nd seed.

“I’m super nervous but also excited to be on the TV show,” Newton said. “I had nerves heading here, but once we started competing, the nerves went away and I was able to just focus on my game.”

Debrina-Gasper qualified as the No. 6 seed and defeated No. 3 seed Olivia Titus of St. Charles, Missouri, in the first round, 357-352, before losing to Newton in the next round. Debrina-Gasper was unfazed, however, winning her first match in the Elimination Bracket against Presley Raine of Morriston, Florida, 410-334, before securing the No. 3 seed on the TV show with a 293-268 victory over Besevic.

She has high expectations for the final.

“If I could win for my state, my parents and my friends, that would be amazing,” Debrina-Gasper said.

McDonough, Crouse, Lesifko, Williams still undefeated in U18 Boys

U18 Boys Brace

After two rounds of match play, four bowlers remain undefeated in the U18 Boys division. Those bowlers are Braden McDonough of Coppell, Texas; Ethan Crouse of Lowville, New York; Jacob Lesifko of Round Rock, Texas; and Owen Williams of Tipton, Michigan. All four are one win away from a guaranteed spot in the U18 Boys finals.

The following players remain in the elimination bracket: Landin Jordan of Sycamore, Illinois; Riley Speer of Beech Grove, Indiana; Ernesto Reynoso of Folsom, California; Michael Pupin of New Baltimore, Michigan; Dominic Catanese of North Royalton, Ohio; Sean Jenkins of Richmond, Virginia; Quinn Tillman of Clermont, Florida; and Quinn Tillman of Clermont, Florida.

Stull, Craig, Mitskavich and Capron have yet to lose in the U18 Girls pool

U18 Girls Braces

In the U18 girls division, Kaitlyn Stull of Raleigh, North Carolina; Kendall Craig of Lexington, Kentucky; Melia Mitskavich of Du Bois, Pennsylvania; and Karina Capron of Fremont, Nebraska are the only four to finish 2-0 in match play.

Eight other bowlers remain alive in the Elimination Bracket, namely: Ashlin Teves of Machesney Park, Illinois; Amanda Lang of Oviedo, Florida; Eliana Occhino of Fulton, New York; Kayla Starr of Crofton, Maryland; Erin Klemencic of Powder Springs, Georgia; Victorya White of Oak Harbor, Washington; Maggie Smith of Ypsilanti, Michigan; and Amelia Droste of Greensburg, Pennsylvania.

Gordon, Sim, Wagner, Moyer finish 2-0 in U15 Boys match play on Friday

U15 Boys Brace

Four bowlers are still vying for first place on the TV show Saturday after going undefeated in match play: Elliott Gordon of Columbus, Ohio; Mel Sim of Queens Village, New York; Kristofer Wagner of Deland, Florida; and Lincoln Moyer of Merritt Island, Florida.

Eight lost once on Friday but could still claim a No. 3 spot if they keep winning: Francis Johnson of Orlando, Fla.; Landon Butenko of Binghamton, New York; Emmanuel Guevara of Largo, Fla.; Anthony Swanson of Des Plaines, Illinois; Matteo Quintero of Smyrna, Tenn.; Dylan Beck of Port Saint Lucie, Fla.; Ryan Campbell of Clinton, South Carolina; and Jackson Alexander Veitch of Edinburg, Virginia.

Castillo, Massingill, Desai and Portillo remain undefeated in U15 Girls match play

U15 Girls Braces

The U18 girls’ division has four competitors who are 2-0 after two rounds of match play: Bella Castillo of Odessa, Texas; Baylie Massingill of Troy, Ohio; Savannah Portillo of Bellevue, Michigan; and Trishna Desai of Nesconset, New York.

In the Elimination Bracket, eight contestants battle it out for the final spot on the TV show, with their backs against the wall. Zoe Skinner of Crystal, Minnesota; Anna Antony of Farmington, Connecticut; Larielle Tharps of Orlando, Florida; Carly Rhodes of Largo, Florida; Lindsay Greim of Poway, California; Layna Linker of Kannapolis, North Carolina; Jasmine Grizzle of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma; and Ava Mazza of Utica, Michigan.

REMAINING PLANNING

The U15 and U18 divisions return to match play at 7:30 p.m. Eastern, with the Winners Bracket final at 8:30 a.m. Eastern to determine the top two seeds. The Elimination Bracket rounds are at 7:30, 8:30, 9:30 and 11 a.m. Eastern, with the Ladder Finals being taped throughout the day for CBS Sports Network.

Junior Gold broadcasts will air on the following schedule: U12 (Tuesday, July 30, 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time); U15 (Tuesday, August 6, 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time) and U18 (Tuesday, August 13, 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time).