By Michael O’Brien
Staten Island Advance | silive.com | mobrien@siadvance.com
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.— Emerging from a semifinal field of four first-time title contenders at the 50th New Year Singles Classic at Rab’s County Lanes on Saturday, Joe Scianna edged Nikolas Boyd, 247–246, in a thrilling final to claim the $1,000 first-place purse and add himself to the storied list of winners.
“I think I bowled well today,” Scianna said following the nail-biting final, which featured two righties.
“I missed a big spare there, but I came back. I’ve been around a long time, so I know how to deal with this stuff. He (Boyd) bowled really well, too. I honestly thought I was going to lose,” he went on.
To Scianna’s point, after Boyd left consecutive spares in the fourth and fifth frames, he closed furiously with seven straight strikes, nearly completing an all-time comeback.
“For the young bowlers out there, your hands get sweaty and you have to wipe your hands. I didn’t wipe them off. After those two misses, I came back down to reality and I just had to finish strong,” said Boyd, who took home $700 in winnings for himself.
Tournament director Jim Elliott also offered his congratulations to Scianna and all of the participating bowlers at the borough’s longest-running open tournament, noting that, “He bowled very well, but he’d bowled well the entire tournament, so it didn’t surprise me.”
“I was just glad to see him do it in the finals. The finals were excellent — a lot of competition and a lot of good bowlers. I’m very happy with how it went, without anything going wrong. It went great, and we’re really happy about it.”
Elliott also spoke to the longevity the tournament has enjoyed in its fifth decade, saying that, “I just can’t believe it’s been 50 years. We’ve always had good competition; I’m very happy to still be doing this.”
Returning to Scianna’s game, the kegler employed a deceptively simple release throughout the tournament, explaining that he adjusted his mechanics to meet the unique challenges Rab’s presents.
“This is just one of the styles I can do,” he said.
“I could do a lot with the ball. I chose to go straight here since it seems to be a straighter house; I try to keep it simple, especially as I’m getting older,” he added with a chuckle.
Scianna, who currently resides on Long Island after previously living on Staten Island for a year, said he learned about the New Year Singles Classic from a friend a few years ago and has returned ever since.
“It’s a fun tournament. It always feels good to win, and especially at the 50th one here today,” he concluded.
NOTES: Scianna beat Justin Arenas, 236-205, in the quarters, before disposing of Kyle Umahog in the semis 252-182 … Boyd toppled Anthony Arias, 221-206, in the quarters before beating Mike Orlando, 214-145 in the semis … Two-time defending champ Jeff Scire got ousted in the second round by Rob Lampariello … Six-time champion George Cretella looked impressive early on but got knocked out in the quarters.
Top 8 standings with prize money
- Joe Scianna ($1,000)
- Nikolas Boyd ($700)
- Kyle Umahog ($500)
- Mike Orlando ($350)
- Rob Lampariello ($275)
- Anthony Arias ($225)
- Justin Arenas ($185)
- George Cretella ($170)