Oakville Bowling had one of the top teams in the St. Louis area last year, but the bowlers who led the team to a league championship have since graduated. Oakville is back with a new group of bowlers — and they are exceeding expectations.

The team of David O’Donnell (11), Connor Jones (11), Dan Vierling (11), David Cormack (11), Jackson Klump (12), Nathan Long (11), and Tom Hoffmeister (12) has been ranked first in the Metro Area High Schools South (MAHA South) bowling league for the entire season so far (nine weeks).

This was unexpected considering they only have two returning bowlers. This is Vierling’s third year on the team and Cormack was on the team his freshman year. The other bowlers joined this season after bowling with their friends and deciding to take it a step further.

“Being successful is always fun; no one wants to lose,” Long said. “But the collaboration and improvement is what makes the bowling team such a fun experience.”

The team practices for two hours every Monday at Du Bowl Lanes in order to prepare for the competitions almost every Sunday morning.

“We do our best to help each other out and improve,” Cormack said. “We’ve done our best to out bowl every team that we’ve faced.”