Senior Andrew Kettmann Reflects on Bowling Challenges, Looks to Future

It’s the last game of the season with a trip to the playoffs on the line. A veteran player steps up, battling back from injury, to help guide his team to one last shot at glory.

If this were a movie review, the filmmaker might be chastised for using a cliché that never happens in everyday life.

But don’t tell that to Manchester Township High School senior Andrew Kettmann, as the Hawks bowler found himself in a similar position just a few months ago.

Returning in the second half of the season from a foot injury that sidelined him for several matches, Kettmann helped his squad narrowly pass Toms River East by a single game for a trip to the Shore Conference Tournament.

At the time, Hawks head coach Bryan Vargas described Kettmann’s return as "vital to our late season success."

Vargas went on to say that during Kettmann’s injury his teammates missed his "leadership and on the lanes support."

So how did the senior find himself in a position to make such a difference to his team?

Kettmann credits his time with junior dragsters as preparation for the mental aspects of bowling.

"Drag racing is a lot of mental stress," Kettmann said, recalling days of racing in 95-degree weather while wearing a full fire suit. He compares the mental games at the start line as something he has been able to carry over to the lanes.

"Whether it’s waiting longer, or the pace at which you bowl at, throws a lot of people off their game if they're not ready for it," he said.

Kettmann refers to the mental aspect of bowling as "crazy."

"People don’t realize how much mental preparation goes into a match or tournament," he said.

It may come as little surprise to find that someone with that much control on the lanes also is decisive in declaring what field he’ll be studying when he leaves for college in the fall.

As Kettmann prepares to leave for Rider University to major in multimedia web design in just a few months, he credits two different points in his life for instilling the love of the field within him.

He credits his fifth grade computer teacher as being the first one to give him the love of computers, reflecting back on his time in junior webmasters, which provided students an opportunity to design a website for teachers. The interest in web design was peaked again in high school, as Kettmann refers to his high school graphic arts teacher as someone who "really opened the door" for his passion and future career choice.

When asked about his goals at Rider, the very first thing out of Kettmann’s mouth is to maintain a high GPA similar to the one he held in high school.  After that, he hopes to earn an internship that could lead to a job in multimedia, particularly in the sports field.

With a bright future ahead for the Manchester senior, it was a chance to look back on his bowling career with the Hawks over the last few years, one that saw him win a Sportsmanship Award this season, despite missing some time with an injury.

The injury wasn’t an excuse for Kettmann to stay away from the lanes. He admits it was "very tough" to have to sit out and only watch his teammates compete. But he still showed up to the lanes, lending his support to his teammates. He cheered them on as they battled down the stretch of the season to earn the final spot in the Shore Conference Tournament.

This made her most proud, said his mother, Joanne Kettmann, who is quick to mention that being sidelined allowed her to see "how very mature he is."

"Through this whole injury thing, he was always there supporting his team, encouraging them, not letting his injury keep him down," she said.

But while Kettmann came back from injury to help lead his team to one of the final spots in Shore Conference, something he describes as "very important" for his team to achieve in his senior year, it’s not what he lists as his biggest accomplishment while bowling for Manchester.

"Winning sectionals and states junior year," he said, took that distinction.

Though Kettmann didn’t start in the state championship, he was called on mid-match to jump in and help his team clinch the championship.

When reflecting on the moment Kettmann, is not one to hog the glory. He is quick to point out that "the high scores everyone else put up really helped push us to that Group 2 State Championship."

Kettmann has his teammates in mind as he leaves some final words of advice for those who will still be bowling next year.

"Stay hungry," he said. "Don’t hold back on the high horse (now) that Manchester is a power house. Stay competitive."