Kellenberg bowlers Kerri Callahan, Avery Ling place second in state CHSAA individual championships
From left: Kellenberg’s Avery Ling (second), SJB’s Mia Santiago (fourth) and Kellenberg’s Kerri Callahan (second) at CHSAA event on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
Kellenberg senior Kerri Callahan didn’t end her high school bowling career how she wanted, but it speaks to her ability that placing second in the state is a disappointment to the star bowler.
Callahan took second and St. John the Baptist senior Mia Santiago took fourth at the state CHSAA individual championships at Babylon Lanes. Kellenberg freshman Avery Ling placed second in the boys state individual championships.
Santiago entered Saturday hoping to make the cut — with the top five bowlers after five games moving on to a stepladder tournament — but not necessarily expecting to be.
“I’ve bowled for fun, but I got so good at it,” Santiago said. “Being in the top five, it’s such a great accomplishment, and being a senior, it makes it even better.”
Callahan won her fourth consecutive CHSAA league individual tournament and helped Kellenberg’s girls bowling team win a league title. Saturday was the first time the defending state champion did not have the first or second seed, with her fourth-seeded finish meaning she had to beat all four remaining bowlers to win a state title.
Callahan said she “wasn’t really prepared” to bowl all those games, but it didn’t look that way. She bested Sacred Heart’s Addy Bren, 173-157. Callahan then bowled her best game of the day, ripping off nine strikes to beat Santiago, 233-162.
A 180-149 win over Molloy’s Sofia Tolentino sent Callahan to the state final where she faced Holy Cross’s Kayla Russ. Callahan bowled strikes in the third and seventh frames, but a difficult 7-10 split in the ninth frame put her in a tough position.
“It didn’t really end how I wanted it to,” Callahan said. “I got a couple splits. The oil was moving down faster than I thought, but I’m still proud.”
Callahan needed two strikes in the 10th frame to win but bowled a spare and a strike to finish just six pins behind Russ, 165-159. It caps a terrific high school career for Callahan, who shared some wisdom for bowlers with similar aspirations.
“Enjoy it,” Callahan said. “Don’t take it for granted because it went by so fast. Remember to have a smile on your face — I know it looks like I never have a smile on my face — but I’m happy to be here.”
Ling made his debut at the state tournament a memorable one, knocking down 1,086 pins to take the No. 2 seed.
“I think I exceeded my expectations for myself, and next year I’ll come back bigger and stronger,” Ling said.
He rolled a 222 to best Canisius’s Carson Kwiatkowski’s 180 in the semifinal before facing Cole Skowron of Canisius in the finals. Ling ripped off three consecutive strikes to begin the game — rolling six total in the game — but ultimately fell, 223-202, as he just barely missed a spare in the seventh frame.
“This outcome, I’m very grateful,” Ling said. “I do wish I could be first, but I got to settle for what I have.”
St. Anthony’s Vinny Feraca bowled the high game among all boys bowlers, rolling a 256 in his fourth game.
Michael Sicoli covers high school sports for Newsday. He graduated from Quinnipiac in 2022 and left with a master’s degree in sports journalism in 2023.
