Rex Rager ties Bell-Wick's top set with 846 in Spiech

Rex Rager of Vienna was around during the 2000-2001 season when Terry Goodman set the Bell-Wick Bowl house high of 846 during the Spiech Classic.
Rager, however, doesn't recall much about the accomplishment.
"I've bowled a lot of different places with a lot of different people, so it's hard to remember it all," Rager said recently after tying Goodman's mark on Oct. 11 -- in the same league.
Rager had games of 260, 299, 287 while bowling with the Arnal Construction team of Fowler.
"Not many were off target and all my shots were pretty clean," the 49-year-old Rager said of his first 800 set. "Everything was just clicking."
Normal night
For a man who spent five years on the PBA regional tour, the night started normally.
He picked up 7- and 10-pin spares in the second and fourth frames of the first game.
"After the first game, I never moved off my mark," Rager said.
He proceeded to throw 19 straight strikes before getting a nine-count to end the second game.
He continued with 10 more strikes, then got an eight-count before picking one of the two left standing.
"After the second game, I realized I had a pretty good shot at 800. I didn't want to clutter my mind with the thought, so I just concentrated on finishing as good as I could. I hit my targets, made good, crisp shots and hoped for the best. When it was over and they told me it tied a house record, I was kind of shocked, really."
The games were rolled on lanes 29 & amp; 30.
Arnal teammates were sponsor Mark Arnal, Rich Gramelt, Jeffrey Rager, Darald Cornfield, Russ Slagle and Bill Gramelt.
Review of Rex
Rex Rager, who has bowled in Spiech for at least a dozen years, has four 300s -- one at Bell-Wick and three at McKinley Lanes.
His previous best set of 790 was rolled in Spiech last season.
Rager's parents started him in bantams in the 1960s and, at age 19, he got into a men's league. That's when he and a friend got some coaching from former pro bowler Bill Beach of Sharon.
"Bill took Butch Klug and me under his wing. He had so much knowledge about the game that he would give us as much as we could absorb. Bill took us on the PBA regional tour and introduced us to a lot of players," he said of local talent such as Norm Solomon, Joe Nuzzo and Max Belchyk.
Goodman's 846 in Spiech came when the Akron man was, basically, a season-long sub for a local friend.
Also on Oct. 11, Randy Harper's 300 was Bell-Wick's first perfect game of the season.
Manners fires 837
Rich Manners had 300-837 during week four of the D & amp; R Garage Door League at Wedgewood on Oct. 7. Prior to Manners' perfect game, teammate Ron Jones rolled 299. Jones finished with 779.
D & amp; R Garage Door Co. sponsors the 11-team men's league.
Mike Copploe Jr.'s 815 paced Longhorn Steakhouse at Boardman on Sept. 29.
Also at Wedgewood, Adam Barta had 300-805 in UAW 1112-Lucianno's Restaurant Men's League on Sept. 29.
Rick Havrilla followed games of 227 and 269 with 300 for 796 in
Kernan Insurance Classic at West Side on Oct. 11.
Camelot's Bob Smith had 299 in Lutheran Men on Oct. 4.
Michaelene Klug's 758 three-game series led Wedgewood Ladies Trio on Oct. 5, when Paula Pecorelli rolled 299. The four-game totals thrown by Klug and Pecorelli, respectively, were 978 and 966. Pecorelli's three-game score was 739.
bassetti@vindy.com