Columbus’ Scholer, TERRA’s Manfra are Miami-Dade County’s Bowling Coaches of the Year
No Miami-Dade County bowling teams fared better at the state championships than the Columbus boys and TERRA Environmental girls. Their coaches are now the Miami-Herald’s Miami-Dade County Coaches of the Year.
Coach Adam Scholer led the Explorers to a District 16 title and a 21st-place finish at the state championships -- better than anyone else from Miami-Dade and Broward counties. Coach Catherine Manfra led TERRA to a District 17 championship and a trip to round three in the elimination portion of the state championships -- also better than anyone else from Miami-Dade and Broward.
Both teams won the “triple crown,” as Scholer put, with victories at the Miami-Dade Youth Fair, the Greater Miami Athletic Conference championships and their district tournaments. The Wolves were also the first girls’ team from Dade County to advance past qualifying at the state championship in four years.
It all happened quickly for Manfra, who took over as TERRA’s coach only a week before the semester began. With only a week until practices started, the Wolves were still looking for a coach, and Manfra heard about the opening during a teacher workday and offered to step in. As a first-time coach, she leaned on a trio of seniors, including Miami-Dade County Bowler of the Year Gillian Pons, to help TERRA to its best season ever.
In the district championship, the Wolves lost once to Ferguson, so they had to beat the Falcons twice in the final round to win and they came through.
“They kind of looked at each other and they were like, Oh my gosh,” Manfra said. “I looked at them and I said, ‘Listen: We’re going to state regardless, but you guys beat everyone at youth fair, GMAC. Do you want to be No. 1 now or not? It’s all in your hands. You guys deserve it.’”
When the Explorers went to their district championship, they faced an unfamiliar atmosphere. For the entire regular season, Columbus competed at Bird Bowl against District 17 teams, so it faced new competition and a new alley with the season on the line.
Scholer took his Explorers up to AMF Pembroke Pines Lanes the night before the district tournament to practice for a few hours. They threw all sorts of different balls down the lanes to study the conditions at the unfamiliar alley and then he had them stay the night up in Broward County to be fully prepared.
Like TERRA, Columbus came through to complete the triple crown.
