Coleman completes comeback for the ages with York County Match Play win
It was a comeback for the ages.
Josh Coleman, who was 44th after the first day of qualifying, wrapped up the 2024 BowlerMaxx York County Match Play Championship with an insurmountable 159-pin advantage entering the final game Sunday at Lion Bowl.
There was nothing Paul Wolfram, who was in second, could do to dislodge Coleman. Wolfram won the championship match, 237-181, to shave Coleman's final margin to 73 pins.
Coleman, a 38-year-old right-hander, rocketed to 13th out of a record field of 77 bowlers on the second day of qualifying at Suburban Bowlerama. The top 16 bowlers advanced to match play.
After eight games of match play at South Hanover Lanes on Saturday, Coleman moved into second place by winning seven of his eight matches. He took over first place after the second game Sunday, when he defeated Shane Bunnell 289-218. While Coleman focused on making each shot and keeping an even keel, he padded his lead, averaging 247 until his final game.
"I was emotionally spent by the time I reached the final game," said the New Oxford resident. "I'm glad I had the win wrapped up at that point. It was just a matter of filling frames. It's a relief to finally win."
Coleman's victory is a lesson in not giving up.
"I thought I was finished after being 44th at the end of the first day," he said. "It was discouraging to bowl so poorly at Hanover Bowling Centre, my home house. But I went to Suburban Bowlerama with a nothing-to-lose attitude. I started out with games of 279 and 267, and that lifted my confidence. And in this game, confidence is everything."
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Coleman, one of the area's top bowlers, has been chasing the BowlerMaxx York County Match Championship title for 15 years.
"I have struggled in this tournament," he said. "The last couple years I haven't made the top 16 qualifiers for match play. This is one of the toughest tournaments to win because of the extremely competitive field, and you have to bowl in four different centers."
"You know it's tough when the two best bowlers in the county (Adam Baer and Jerred Poff) didn't qualify for match play this year."
Coleman, who collected $1,200 for the victory, plans to savor the experience.
"This is the last item on my bucket list," he said. "I had reached the point where I would have been okay, but disappointed, if I never won the tournament. Winning the title hasn't really sunk in yet."
Here are the final standings:
- Coleman (+1,474)
- Paul Wolfram (+1,401)
- Shane Bunnell (+1,309)
- Eric Smith (+1,302)
- Cody Bell (+1,281)
- Dan Breen (+1,211)
- Jeremiah Mann (+1,193)
- Gage Shultz (+1,170)
- Mike Spangler (+1,161)
- Drew Coyle (+1,124)
- Dave Gerhart (+1,102)
- Chris Green (+1,003)
- Scott Schnur Jr. (+908)
- Andrew Carl (+827)
- Jimmy Plessinger (+817)
- Jeremiah Reichert (+696)
