This winter, Hatboro-Horsham athletes were able to showcase what it means to be a ‘Hatter’ through various athletic activities. You may already know about how well the basketball team has performed or how far our hockey team made it this year; however, there is a certain group of athletes that have been overlooked this winter. Our bowling team made great strides, impressing fans and planting seeds for the future of HH Bowling. Who is paving the way for all of this, you may ask? Sophomore student athlete, Tommy Rawa.
In his second year of action, Rawa states that “from [his] freshman year, [he has] definitely gotten better.” Thanks to his impressive performance this season, he qualified for the Eastern Pennsylvania Regional High School Bowling Championships. Alongside freshman Kloe Gersch, he took the trip to Lancaster for this fierce competition. Rawa reflects, “I wasn’t that nervous. I felt really confident in my ability to do well and place high.” Only 144 boys from 73 schools in the area are chosen for this honor. Entering this massive match with two underclassmen was a great accomplishment for the program as a whole. Ranked 143rd entering the competition, expectations were not high for Rawa, but his results told a different story. He stood out with an incredible 1089 five game series, which would lead him to finish 24 out of 144. He stood only 50 pins away from qualifying for the state competition.
Rawa’s teammates have quickly taken note of his performance and demeanor. Sophomore and teammate Alex Keane shares, “He is a really dedicated bowler who takes bowling really seriously. . . He has a lot of talent. He is always really focused and takes everything very personally.”
“Tommy is a natural-born star. . . He respects everyone and just does his job [for the team],” junior teammate Jude Bogucki said. “It will be exciting to see how he grows.”
Teammates, coaches, and fans alike will be eager to see how Rawa performs in the coming seasons. Having the opportunity to perform at a high stage and coming so close to victory has allowed him to learn and set new goals. Rawa states, “ I learn[ed] that if [I] do bad in one match, all I can do is try better [in] my next match.”
Next year, he enters his junior year and is determined (and willing) to put the work in. “My goal next year, for me as a junior, would be to have an average of over 200,” Rawa shares. Filled with pure talent and determination, the sky’s the limit for this star. With young talent like Rawa leading the way, the future of HH Bowling seems brighter than ever.
