Shane Ozella

JEFFERSON TWP — Bowling was never a part of Shane Ozella’s life as a youngster.

The Jefferson Township man only started bowling when he was 17 or 18 years old because “it was something to do on Friday nights.”

Now 48, Ozella has gotten pretty good at doing it.

He is averaging 207 in his Monday night league at the Belmont II Bowling Center in Butler. And he rolled a perfect game and 812 series — the first 800 series of his career — during singles competition at Family Bowlaway last weekend. His performance was part of the first weekend of the PSBA state tournament.

Ozella rolled a 256 in the first game, 300 in the second and 256 in the third. His previous high series was 779. The perfect game was the seventh of his bowling career.

“All seven have been at Family,” Ozella said. “I haven’t bowled there in something like seven years. My wife and I used to bowl in a couples league there.”

Ozella rolled a 706 series in doubles, teaming with Kevin Richardson.

“My shot had a lot of room,” he said. “From the sixth board to the 10th, I could release the ball and it was going into the pocket. We bowled six games and I never had to change my shot.”

In the state tournament, four bowlers roll on the same set of lanes. Ozella was included with a foursome that had two left-handers.

“That helped keep my shot clear,” he said.

Ozella’s team in the Monday night league — Avada Hearing — includes Bill Yost, Tony Pizor, Henry Austin and Don Wilson. That same quintet will bowl in the team portion of the state tourney May 1.

“I’ve got my eye on being up there in all-events, if I can do well there,” Ozella said of the team competition. “There are a couple of guys who want to bowl doubles with me, too, so I’ll probably do that a couple more times, since the tournament is being held here this year.”

Family Bowlaway and Sherwood Lanes are hosting the state tournament on weekends through mid-June.

Ozella said he started turning the corner as a high-caliber bowler in his mid-20’s, when he transitioned into throwing a hook as opposed to a straight ball.

“A hook was giving me a lot more pin action and fewer splits,” he said. “I figured out how to throw one on my own. I saw that pretty much all of the high-average bowlers were throwing hooks and I learned by watching them.

“I’ve always enjoyed sports — golf, bowling, baseball, etc. — and started getting into bowling once I got going.”

He recently returned from Las Vegas, where he bowled a 654 series in the USBC national tournament.

Ozella and his wife, Elizabeth, teamed to win the handicapped doubles portion of the Butler County tournament years ago. Besides that, he recalled no big feats on the lanes that stood out.

That is, until last weekend.

“I just found a groove and it never left,” he said. “Kevin bowled a 770 series on those lanes while I was bowling. He was getting a ton of strikes, too.

“It was just one of those days.”