- April 24, 2024
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Pirates bowler Brandon Bell bowls against FPC. Photo by Ray Boone
Matanzas' Sam Torres bowls against FPC. Photo by Ray Boone
FPC's Trevor Brickhouse bowls against Matanzas. Photo by Ray Boone
A Matanzas player bowls against FPC. Photo by Ray Boone
FPC's Maddie Oliva bowls against Matanzas. Photo by Ray Boone
The rivalry between Flagler Palm Coast and Matanzas' bowling teams appears to be a friendly one.
"It's always fun to bowl against them," Pirates sophomore Corbin Payne said. "We have a good time against each other. It's not a hateful rivalry. We're nice to each other."
Regardless, the Pirates dominated the Bulldogs in their second matchup this season, as the Pirates swept FPC the afternoon of Wednesday, Oct. 16, at Palm Coast Lanes.
"It's always fun to have that rivalry," Matanzas head coach Jens Oliva said, "and it's always fun to be one top."
This is Oliva's second season at the helm of the Pirates' boys bowling program, and as the postseason nears, he's pleased with the consistency and confidence his team has achieved in that time span.
"They have lot of confidence now," he said, "in themselves and in each other."
The goal this season is to qualify for the state tournament. It will be a difficult task, however. The Pirates compete in a tough district, where they'll face the likes of Mainland, University, Pine Ridge and DeLand in the district tournament.
"I feel good about this team," Payne said. "We're all close with one another. When someone is down, we're trying to lift them up the best we can. We just do what we can for each other."
In addition, FPC's girls bowling team handled Matanzas 7-0 and bowled a season-high 688 in one games (the previous season-high was 677).
The Bulldogs have lost one match so far this season: a 10-pin defeat against DeLand during a mid-season match. The Bulldogs expect to advance through districts and eventually qualify for the state tournament.
"We're pretty confident," Bulldogs senior Gabriella Hernandez said. "We're just going to have to work as a team, cheer each other on and motivate each other."
