INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Taconic High School graduate Andrew Robitaille Saturday placed second in the under-18 boys diviison of the U.S. Bowling Congress Junior Gold Championships.

 

Robitaille rolled a 181 in the championship match to finish just behind Sunbury, Ohio's, Aidan Furukawa, who rolled a 197.

 

The two were the last bowlers standing after five long days of bowling that started with 1,313 bowlers in the qualifying round.

 

Robitaille placed eighth in that 1,300 bowler field, rolling a 288 game on the way to a four-game series of 928.

 

That great start helped Robitaille spend the week well in contention for one of the 188 bowlers who would advance to Friday's "advancers round."

 

Robitaille rolled series of 755, 757 and 872 over the next three days, finishing qualifying with a 207 average that left him 23rd in the field.

 

Those totals carried over to Friday and the round of 188. On that day, the remaining 188 bowlers each rolled five games, and their totals for the week decided which 64 advanced to the final advancers round.

 

Robitaille (999 series) finished 16th in Friday's first round to make the 64-bowler cut. And he nearly repeated that with a 995 in the final advancers series to finish the event's first 26 games with a 204 average that placed him 11th overall (Furukawa was third).

 

Robitaille won his first match, narrowly beating San Diego's Joshua Abigania, 359-354, in a two-game series.

 

Furukawa then rolled a 412 series to beat Robitaille, 412-336, and send the Pittsfield resident into the double-elimination tournament's elimination bracket.

 

Robitaille then won five straight matches to make it into the tournament finals.

 

First, he eliminated Missouri Valley, Iowa's, Evan White, 471-335. Then, he took a narrow 418-415 win from Lemont, Ill.'s, Trevor Anifer. He beat Fall City, Wash.'s, Harrison Davis, 395-365, to reach the elminiation bracket final.

 

There, Robitaille faced Waupaca, Wis.'s, Braden Mallasch, the No. 1 seed going into match play, who had a 213 average through the first 26 games.

 

Robitaille rolled a 414 series to beat Mallasch, 414-410, and earn the No. 3 seed in the event's TV finals on BowlTV.com on Saturday.

 

There, he topped Jackson, N.J.'s, Daniel Robertson, 226-214, to earn a rematch with Furukawa for the national championship.