Tuesday, April 8, 2025 – CENTRAL LANES BOWLING CENTER, Tamuning, Guam
The Easter Baker’s Tournament was a fun-filled and fiercely competitive event that brought together ten teams of four players, each taking turns to bowl a frame throughout the game. The tournament unfolded on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, at Central Lanes Bowling Center, where the lanes were alive with energy and unexpected twists.
In a stunning turn of events, teams favored to win the title were left watching the step-ladder finals from the sidelines, as a mix of rising young talents and seasoned league bowlers stepped up to claim the spotlight. Scoring was determined by a combination of their scratch total, handicap, and bonus points, adding layers of strategy and suspense to the competition.
Early Contenders and Unexpected Shifts
The team of Corey Granillo, Zayne Zamora, Nikko Gutierrez, and Jared Gutierrez started the tournament with an explosive 232 game, setting the pace early on. However, they faced stiff competition from the squad of Bruce Calip, Ty Etheridge, John Mercado, and Francis Prado, who surged ahead after games four and five.
Yet, the unpredictable nature of tournament play struck in game six, as Calip’s team suffered a catastrophic setback, dropping them to third place—just enough to edge past the team of Jay Leon Guerrero, Sean Lee, Aaron Elliott, and Graig Reyes by a margin of five marks. Meanwhile, Granillo, Zamora, and the Gutierrez duo maintained their momentum with a steady stream of spares, securing the top seed with a total score of 1508.
The young guns team, consisting of Riel Brantley, Jaden Milan, Raf De Guzman, and Ezekiel Gatan, also made an impressive leap, moving up a spot after a tense showdown with the favored group of Evan Duenas, Cisco Uncangco, Jeremiah Camacho, and Noah Taimanglo, who faltered in the final match.
Step-Ladder Finals: A Battle of Nerves
With the step-ladder round set for the top three teams, Calip, Etheridge, Mercado, and Prado took an early lead over the young challengers. However, back-to-back mishaps by the third-seeded team opened the door for their youthful opponents, who seized the opportunity to capitalize on the mistakes. The young guns delivered under pressure, securing a 181-177 victory, earning their spot in the championship match.
The Championship Showdown
The final match saw two evenly matched teams battling it out frame by frame in a thrilling contest for the championship. As the game entered its waning frames, the second-seeded team of Brantley, Milan, De Guzman, and Gatan pulled off an impressive four-bagger, sealing their victory with a 189-168 tally. Their late-game surge secured them the Easter Baker’s Tournament title, proving that resilience and clutch performances can turn underdogs into champions.
Guam Bowling 