Sunday, March 23, 2025 – CENTRAL LANES BOWLING CENTER, Tamuning, Guam
The March installment of the 2025 King and Prince of the Lanes competition witnessed exhilarating action and high scores on the 44-foot long oil pattern. The event proved once again why it is one of the premier monthly bowling tournaments, with fierce competitors lighting up the lanes at the Central Lanes Bowling Center.
In the King of the Lanes division, Noah Taimanglo showcased his exceptional skills during the qualifying rounds, leading the field with a stellar average of 234 pins per game across four games. Taimanglo’s precision and consistency earned him the top seed heading into the finals. However, it was second-seed Ray San Nicolas who stole the spotlight, demonstrating nerves of steel and exceptional form to clinch the title.
The monthly finals saw San Nicolas deliver a masterclass in striking, opening with an electrifying seven consecutive strikes. Meanwhile, Taimanglo, despite a promising start that included a turkey, faltered in the fourth frame with a critical split and compounded his struggles with an open frame in the fifth. These missteps left the top seed watching from the sidelines as San Nicolas confidently seized the crown.
The semi-final round featured thrilling clashes. Taimanglo secured his spot in the finals with a dramatic finish, delivering clutch strikes in the closing frames to edge out the fifth seed, RJ Santos, in a high-scoring 255-238 showdown. On the other side of the bracket, San Nicolas found his rhythm late in the match, defeating third seed Maria Wood 244-222 to set up the championship encounter.
The top ten finishers in the King of the Lanes division included notable performances from Ricky Duenas, Corey Granillo, John Raymundo, John Mercado, Jared Gutierrez, and Jaden Milan.
The Prince of the Lanes division brought its own share of excitement, with 12-year-old two-handed bowler Lyo Sawada making a bold statement. Sawada dominated the qualifying rounds, finishing atop the leaderboard and proving he could compete with his older counterparts. 14-year-old Eyan Duenas secured the second seed with an impressive 217 average, followed by strong performances from Manny Tagle, Joonsang Park, Angelica Malacas, Shane San Nicolas, Graig Reyes, Kevin Fejeran, Jerome Rivera, and Chris Santos, all of whom advanced to the elimination stages.
The elimination rounds produced intense battles, with lower seeds defying the odds. Seventh seed Graig Reyes and eighth seed Kevin Fejeran emerged as contenders, outlasting higher-seeded opponents. Reyes overcame sixth seed Shane San Nicolas and tenth seed Chris Santos, while Fejeran dispatched fourth seed Joonsang Park and third seed Manny Tagle to secure their places in the semi-finals.
In the penultimate round, Sawada maintained his composure to outscore Reyes 161-151. Meanwhile, Duenas capitalized on his nine-pin handicap advantage to edge past Fejeran by a narrow four-pin margin. The championship match lived up to its billing, with Sawada narrowly defeating Duenas by a single pin. Factoring in handicaps, the final score stood at 219-191, cementing Sawada’s place as a rising star in the sport.
Bowling enthusiasts eagerly await the next edition of the King and Prince of the Lanes, scheduled for Sunday, April 13, 2025, at the Central Lanes Bowling Center. The stage is set for another thrilling chapter in this celebrated tournament series.
Guam Bowling 