Niagara Falls and Depew celebrated their holiday with High School victories at the Festival of Lights, held last week at AMF Thruway Lanes, in Cheektowaga.

The Niagara Falls boys (team members Tim Drglewski, Eric Hengst, Mike Alex, Frank Stanisz, Steve Biondi, Steve Conklin, and Jake Wisor) rolled to a 116-pin victory over second place Lockport, while in the Girls Division Depew pulled out a close final game to emerge over runner-up North Tonawanda.

On the boys side, Niagara Falls rolled games of 1000 or better in 5 of 6 games of the 5-person team event, yet needed a big final game of 1096 to surpass Lockport for the tournament title. Lockport entered the final game with a slim 1 pin lead, while the Falls team held down second followed by eventual third place finishers St. Francis.

Depew's girls (team members Laura Schwamborn, Amanda Wolf, Maria Friend, Aryn Andrzejewski, and Robin Manikowski) also made the jump from second to first in the final game of the event, their event-best team score of 1004 in game 5 moving them just 6 pins off the lead held by North Tonawanda, before rolling 943 to NT's 900 in the last game.

Tonawanda rounded out the top 3 teams in the Girls Division

Lockport's Jon Hejza rolled the best individual total of the event, with 1348 for his six games, while Melanie Hannon of Maryvale topped the girls field with her 1304 series.

Thirty-six boys teams competed in this years event, in addition to twenty-four girls entrants.

Niagara Falls High School Annual Christmas Festival of Lights High School Tournament
AMF Thruway Lanes, Cheektowaga, NY
December 29, 2009

BOYS
(Top 10 finishers with 6-game pinfall totals)

1. Niagara Falls, 6279
2. Lockport, 6163
3. St. Francis, 6078
4. West Seneca East, 6001
5. Grand Island, 5925
6. Liverpool A, 5915
7. Lancaster, 5815
8. North Tonawanda, 5793
9. St. Josephs, 5747
10. Falconer A, 5697

GIRLS
(Top 10 finishers with 6-game pinfall totals)

1. Depew, 5474
2. North Tonawanda, 5437
3. Tonawanda, 5342
4. Frontier A, 5327
5. Williamsville South, 5307
6. Lancaster, 5285
7. Maryvale, 5091
8. Lockport, 5069
9. Niagara Wheatfield A, 5051
10. Niagara Falls, 4887