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Update: Terek Verhage, 13, fires perfect game, short of Sam Sharer's Madison area USBC record for youngest to roll a 300

JEFF RICHGELS | Posted: Sunday, November 29, 2020 1:00 pm

Note: This story originally posted Oct. 12, 2020.


Update Nov. 29, 2020:

Sam Sharer was 12 years, 7 months and 22 days when he rolled a perfect game at Dream Lanes on Nov. 11, 2007, making him the youngest ever in the Madison Area USBC.

According to USBC records, Sharer rolled a 700 (195-300-205) on that day at Dream. And Madison Area USBC manager Bill Dennis confirmed Sharer's date of birth so I could figure his age.

Thanks to Darin Johnson for passing on the tip about Sharer's 300.


Original story Oct. 12, 2020:

In the last week of individual certified play in the Madison Area USBC, 13-year-old Terek Verhage fired a perfect game that was the first of his young career.

The question I have yet to answer definitively is whether Verhage is the youngest ever to fire a 300 game in the Madison area USBC.

Cher Breunig checked records for the Prairie Lanes youth program going back to the late 1990s and found a pair of perfect games by bowlers who were 13: Quinn Sheehy, who was 13 years, 3 months and 18 days old when he slammed a 300 on Oct. 31, 2013, and Jensen Est, who was 13 years, 7 months and 9 days old when he fired a 300 on Jan. 24, 2019.

Verhage was 13 years, 4 months and 4 days, meaning he was just slightly older than Sheehy.

Darin Johnson in a message reminded me that Zach Thomas fired a 300 on March 1, 2014, when he was 13 years and 86 days, while Sheehy was 13 years and 110 days, as I detailed in this story at the time on Thomas' 300.

And Dave Dempski reminded me that his son Chad Dempski had rolled a perfect game on April 4, 2011 when he was 13 years and 106 days. As my story notes, that made Dempski the record holder as he edged past Cody Starczynski, who recorded a 300 at 14 years and 11 months.

Madison Area USBC Manager Bill Dennis was going to check association records to see if there are any 300s by youth younger than Thomas. If anyone else has information, please send it to [email protected].

Here is Verhage's final shot:

Hannah Diem holds the all-time USBC record for youngest bowler to roll a perfect game with a 300 on Nov. 17, 2013 in Seminole, Florida, when she was 9 years, 6 months, 19 days.

Chaz Dennis is the youngest boy to roll a certified 300 at 10 years, 2 months on Dec. 16, 2006 in Columbus, Ohio.

USBC records are here.

And Verhage is not the only youth bowler to reach perfection this season: Riley Allen recorded a 300 in a 764 series on Sept. 24.

Rick Erce rolled his 36th career 300.

Other 300s reported to me were Rory Holland with his 32nd in a 771, Rick Wollin withhis sixth, Robert Peterson with his first, and Bradley Thompson in a 757 series, Zach Green in a 750, Seth Pollentier, and Jeff Barsness.

Brittany Pollentier had the second 700 reported to me this season with 705.

Anyone who has any honor scores to report can send them to me at [email protected].

[Correction: Terek Verhage's first name was wrong on an earlier version of this story.]

# # #

From my last report:

So far this season, the top series has been Dwain Holznagel’s 823 (300-256-267), which is his 25th career 800 series.

Chris Gibbons is next with 816 (279-258-279), a series he shot in the first week of the season before the tighter restrictions were instituted.

Aaron Turner recorded 815 (299-279-236), Kodi Porter 814 (287-248-279), and Noah Brindley 802 (279-268-255).

Mary Lo has the top reported women’s series with 730 (259-236-235), and Amanda van Duyn is second with a 719 that featured a 290 game.

The perfect games reported so far include Jim Fosdick’s 108th and 109th, Luke Ganser's 10th, Reid Goldberg’s second, Derek Willey’s second, and Brent Nottestad's second. Mike Meekma and Mike Pounders also have fired perfect games this season.

The top youth series reported to me so is a 692 by Kylie Chandler.