Woodbridge boys bowlers pull a threepeat Win third straight Group III title by beating Sayreville BY SHAWN LAYTON Staff Writer This week the Woodbridge High School boys bowling team looked to put the icing on an already amazing season. The GMC Red Division and Central Jersey Sectional champions entered the Group III finals held earlier this week with hopes of a return trip to the Tournament of Champions. In last year's tournament, the Barrons had to settle for second best in the state behind Cherry Hill East. "The boys head into the tournament as one of the favorites," Woodbridge head coach Mike Yannazzo said prior to Monday's championships. "We just have to play well. We are a very good team when everybody performs well." The Barrons showed area rival Sayreville that they aremore than capable of turning up the heat now that the states have arrived.Earlier thismonth,Woodbridgewas knocked out of the GMC Tournament in the semifinals with a loss to Sayreville, but it was a different story when the two teams met in the Group III Tournament. Woodbridge took home the Group III title for a third straight season by besting Sayreville's 2,965 pins with 3,052 pins of its own. The Barrons triumphed in Group III behind team leader Evan Simon. Simon, the 2008 GMC individual champion, bowled a 705 series on games of 236, 244 and 225. Simon was the sole bowler to top 700 at the tournament. Riding high from his success at the Group III Sectionals, Simon remained the area's top bowler and fell just short of garnering the title of the state's best with a third-place finish at the state individual tournament last week. Simon was on fire through the first two rounds to reach the stepladder phase of the tournament. He bowled a 755 series through the first three games with scores of 220, 257 and 278. His next three games of 246, 234 and 217 earned him a 697 series, but he fell just short of reaching the finals with a loss to Darren Flynn ofWarren Hills in the semifinals. Simon duplicated the third-place finish Woodbridge graduate Brian Small earned last season. Flynn's game of 226 was just enough to beat Simon's 223. Flynn ultimately ended up losing to Wall's Greg Ostrander 257- 235 in the title round. "Evan did a great job," Yannazzo said. "He's been a leader for us all season and he has come through for us time and again." While Simon may have emerged as the team's top performer, he is certainly not alone at the top. Simon heads into this week's action with a 224 average with teammate Matt Sabin entering the week with a 223 average. The scary thing is that both bowlers will be back next season with the possibility of leaving a lasting mark on bowling history for years to come. "I have 10 guys on the team averaging over 200," Yannazzo said. "Only three of our starters are seniors, so we still have a lot of youth. The key will be for everyone to bowl well in order to have a shot at reaching the Tournament of Champions again."