DETROIT – Friday at the 2024 Junior Gold Championships saw six U12 bowlers survive match play to advance to the TV stepladder finals while the U15 and U18 divisions are down to 24 bowlers in each age group.

Franco earns No. 1 seed for stepladder finals, Taylor and Ault also advance in U12 Boys


From left to right: Top seed Eli Franco, No. 2 seed Eason Taylor and No. 3 seed Thomas Ault

U12 Boys Bracket

Before this year, Eli Franco of Fishers, Indiana, had not made it past qualifying in two previous attempts, but that all changed this week. Franco entered match play as the No. 2 seed and went 3-0 in the bracket to be on the doorstep of the U12 Boys title.

Joining Franco in the stepladder will be No. 2 seed Eason Taylor of Chicago and Thomas Ault of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.

Franco started by defeating No. 7 seed Noah Ausderau of Virginia Beach, Virginia, 397-364, before taking down Ault in the next round, 434-289. That set up a match against Taylor for the top seed on the TV show, where Franco won 344-303 and only needs to win one game to claim the U12 Boys title.

“The fact that I had not made a cut prior to this is really special to me,” said Franco. “I stayed focused on just one shot and one frame at a time and getting it close to hitting my mark. It would mean the world to me if I left as a champion.”

Taylor’s journey was about redemption, as he had made match play in past years but went 0-2. He got a hot start in the bracket after qualifying as the No. 5 seed, starting with a win over No. 4 seed Vincent Cintron of Jacksonville, Florida, 383-303. He defeated No. 1 seed Nehemiah Keefer of Bellwood, Illinois, 360-319, before falling to Franco and earning the No. 2 seed for the stepladder finals.

“It means a lot to even be on the TV show,” said Taylor. His mindset was simple for this week after coming up short in previous years.

“Job’s not finished.”

Ault qualified as the No. 3 seed in the bracket and won his first match against No. 6 seed Kayden Curry of Bartlett, Tennessee, 324-304. He lost against Franco but bounced back in the Elimination Bracket against Henry Mann of Boerne, Texas, 363-298, setting up a rematch against Curry for the final spot on the TV show. Both bowlers bowled well but it was Ault who earned the No. 3 seed, 407-352.

“I wanted to make cut and maybe make match play this week,” said Ault, who finished in 46th last year. “This is icing on the cake for me right now.”

Randisi, Newton and Debina-Gasper advance to U12 Girls stepladder finals


From left to right: Top seed Alyssa Randisi, No. 2 seed Daisy Newton and No. 3 seed Aliyana Debina-Gasper

U12 Girls Bracket

Alyssa Randisi of Brooklyn, New York, never relinquished her lead throughout qualifying and went 3-0 in the bracket to earn the top spot in the stepladder finals. Joining Randisi on the TV show is Daisy Newton of Honolulu, Hawaii, and Aliyana Debina-Gasper of Mililani, Hawaii.

She started with a 386-280 victory over No. 8 seed Carly Schimmer, then took down No. 4 seed Lea Besevic of Machesney Park, Illinois, 380-342 in the next round. She stepped up even more in the battle for the top seed against Newton, winning 457-352.

As a two-handed lefty, Randisi had a unique strategy in using urethane on her way to the TV show and was excited to be the No. 1 seed.

“I feel relived because I was worried I might be knocked out,” said Alyssa. “I was really comfortable using urethane and playing up the lanes.”

Newton qualified as the No. 7 seed in first ever Junior Gold appearance and won a close match over No. 2 seed Bryonna Camp, 315-308. She had another close win against Debina-Gasper, 303-283 before falling to Randisi. Nevertheless, she was happy to make it as the No. 2 seed.

“I’m super nervous but excited to be on the TV show,” said Newton. “I had nerves on the way here but once we started competition, the nerves went away and I just focused on my game.”

Debrina-Gasper qualified as the No. 6 seed and defeated No. 3 seed Olivia Titus of St. Charles, Missouri, in the first round, 357-352, before falling to Newton the following round. Debrina-Gasper was unfazed however, winning her first match in the Elimination Bracket against Presley Raine of Morriston, Florida, 410-334, before clinching the No. 3 seed on the TV show with a 293-268 victory over Besevic.

She has her sights set high for the finals.

“To potentially win for my state, my parents and my friends would be amazing,” said Debrina-Gasper.

McDonough, Crouse, Lesifko, Williams still undefeated in U18 Boys

U18 Boys Bracket

Through two rounds of match play, four bowlers remain undefeated in the U18 Boys division. Those bowlers are Braden McDonough of Coppell, Texas; Ethan Crouse of Lowville, New York; Jacob Lesifko of Round Rock, Texas; and Owen Williams of Tipton, Michigan. All four are one win way from a guaranteed spot in the U18 Boys finals.

Still alive in the Elimination Bracket are the following: Landin Jordan of Sycamore, Illinois; Riley Speer of Beech Grove, Indiana; Ernesto Reynoso of Folsom, California; Michael Pupin of New Baltimore, Michigan; Dominic Catanese of North Royalton, Ohio; Sean Jenkins of Richmond, Virginia; Quinn Tillman of Clermont, Florida; and Chase McLane of Chesapeake Beach, Maryland.

Stull, Craig, Mitskavich and Capron yet to lose in U18 Girls bracket play

U18 Girls Bracket

In the U18 Girls division, Kaitlyn Stull of Raleigh, North Carolina; Kendall Craig of Lexington, Kentucky; Melia Mitskavich of Du Bois, Pennsylvania; and Karina Capron of Fremont, Nebraska, are the lone four who went 2-0 in match play.

Eight other bowlers are still alive in the Elimination Bracket, those bowlers are: Ashlin Teves of Machesney Park, Illinois; Amanda Lang of Oviedo, Florida; Eliana Occhino of Fulton, New York; Kayla Starr of Crofton, Maryland; Erin Klemencic of Powder Springs, Georgia; Victorya White of Oak Harbor, Washington; Maggie Smith of Ypsilanti, Michigan; and Amelia Droste of Greensburg, Pennsylvania.

Gordon, Sim, Wagner, Moyer end Friday 2-0 in U15 Boys match play

U15 Boys Bracket

Four bowlers enter Saturday still in contention for the No. 1 seed on the TV show after going undefeated in match play: Elliott Gordon of Columbus, Ohio; Mel Sim of Queens Village, New York; Kristofer Wagner of Deland, Florida; and Lincoln Moyer of Merritt Island, Florida.

Eight lost once on Friday but still can claim a spot as the No. 3 seed if they keep winning. Francis Johnson of Orlando, Florida; Landon Butenko of Binghamton, New York; Emmanuel Guevara of Largo, Florida; Anthony Swanson of Des Plaines, Illinois; Matteo Quintero of Smyrna, Tennessee; Dylan Beck of Port Saint Lucie, Florida; Ryan Campbell of Clinton, South Carolina; and Jackson Alexander Veitch of Edinburg, Virginia.

Castillo, Massingill, Desai and Portillo stay undefeated in U15 Girls match play

U15 Girls Bracket

The U15 Girls have four competitors 2-0 through two rounds of match play: Bella Castillo of Odessa, Texas; Baylie Massingill of Troy, Ohio; Savannah Portillo of Bellevue, Michigan; and Trishna Desai of Nesconset, New York.

In the Elimination Bracket, eight are still vying for the final spot on the TV show with their backs against the walls. Zoe Skinner of Crystal, Minnesota; Anna Antony of Farmington, Connecticut; Larielle Tharps of Orlando, Florida; Carly Rhodes of Largo, Florida; Lindsay Greim of Poway, California; Layna Linker, Kannapolis, North Carolina; Jasmine Grizzle of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma; and Ava Mazza of Utica, Michigan.

REMAINING SCHEDULE

Those in the U15 and U18 divisions will return Saturday at 7:30 a.m. Eastern to continue match play, with the Winners Bracket finals at 8:30 a.m. Eastern to determine the top two seeds. The Elimination Bracket rounds will be at 7:30, 8:30, 9:30 and 11 a.m. Eastern and the stepladder finals will be taped throughout the day for CBS Sports Network.

Junior Gold telecasts will adhere to the schedule that follows: U12 (Tuesday, July 30, at 7 p.m. Eastern); U15 (Tuesday, Aug. 6, at 6 p.m. Eastern) and U18 (Tuesday, Aug. 13, at 5 p.m. Eastern).