Senior David Daniels has tried a number of different sports in high school. He has received awards for playing soccer and even participated in basketball, but his current sport, bowling, may be the most enjoyable one of the three.

And it almost never came to be.

Last year, Daniels elected not to try out for basketball again and was heading into a winter sports season with no team to play for.

So one day in chemistry class, all of David’s friends were talking about their after-school activities when his chemistry teacher asked what Daniels had planned.

The conversation changed everything for David, as his teacher, who was also the bowling coach, convinced Daniels to give the sport a try.

“[Coach Dennis Sayer] said ‘why don’t you come out for the bowling team’ so I said ‘what’s the worst that can happen,” Daniels said looking back.

And the rest was history.

Daniels joined the team during his junior year as a player new to the sport and immediately was hooked.

He learned from coach Sayer, practiced on his own time and tried to get better with each ball he threw.

Now in his senior year, the hard work is paying off.

Just this season, Daniels has seen his average jump by a whopping 40 pins.

Instead of throwing a straight ball, David’s shot now curves and routinely increases his scores to new levels.

“I have more confidence in the way I bowl,” Daniels said. “My game has taken a huge step. I threw it straight last year. I had no idea what the heck I was doing. Now I’m curving it and entering the state tournament as an individual.”

It has been a long journey in just over a year, but coach Sayer is proud of how much Daniels has progressed into being a top bowler as well as the captain of the boys' team.

“He has learned since his junior year that if he calms down, good things will happen,” Sayer said. “He really is a team leader and helps all of the kids.”

While mentoring a young team, Daniels has also elevated his play, including this past weekend where he competed in the county tournament with a 192 average. He also helped the Bridgemen defeat Cliffside Park 4-1 to complete the week on Friday and was very humbled to be named Patch’s Athlete of the Week.

“It’s a big honor,” the senior captain said. “Coming into the year, I didn’t expect much. We didn’t have an experienced team but with hard work, not only myself but everybody else. They helped me too and I’d like everyone else to be apart of [the award] too.”