In the wake of his role model’s death, newly decorated bowler, senior Jake Rubin, was faced with his most difficult challenge. And he delivered with his best performance.

     “My great grandfather was one of my largest fans this year,” Rubin said. “He called my bowling style, ‘revolutionary’ and loved to watch me bowl.”

     Rubin’s great grandfather passed away days before Sectionals, the most important meet of Rubin’s bowling career. However, Rubin’s success was just beginning.

     Rubin led the Kits to their best season in program history, tallying seven more wins than the previous three years combined, for a total of eights wins this season and a .500 record.

    “We had our best season yet,” coach Harold Bailey said. “Thanks to our six senior leaders who stayed positive and encouraging even when they weren’t having great matches.”

     Rubin led the way for the Kits with his scores and his mentality this year, as he finished All-Conference and recognized the importance of mastering the mental game of bowling.

     “It’s really important to remember to have fun,” Rubin said. “Being in the moment and enjoying the moment helped propel me to State.”

     Rubin stepped up at Sectionals, but that wasn’t a surprise to Coach Bailey. The two had talked before the match about what Jake had to do to give himself a shot at qualifying for State.

     Bailey told Rubin that he had to stay above 205 for the first few games to put himself in place to compete for a spot downstate in the last few games.

     Rubin not only qualified for State but finished top five overall at the Sectional.

     “Watching Jake bowl at Sectionals was probably the best part of the year for me,” senior teammate, Gavin Rosengarten said. “He had eight straight strikes at one point and I really thought that he was going to bowl a perfect game. I was so happy for him.”

      Rubin’s ‘revolutionary’ two-handed bowling form made history this year, as he now holds the best six-game, best three-game, and best average scores in the history of bowling at ETHS.