LEWISTON — Lewiston-Porter senior bowler Jeremy Janese is a two-time defending state finalist.

And believe it or not, he doesn’t even have the highest average on his own team this year. Heck, he doesn’t even have the second highest.

Sophomore Kyle Donovan leads the team and the Niagara Frontier League with a 218 average, while senior Zane Tester is second at 204 and Janese just behind at 198. And senior Ryan Plante recorded the third highest single game of the season in the league at 279.

That kind of balance is the reason why the Lancers are undefeated at 6-0 in the NFL.

“Everybody seems to contribute on this team,” Lew-Port coach Mike Kankolenski said.

“They are all coming into their own right now.”

Donovan agreed.

“Everybody contributes a little bit in each match for us,” he said. “We have a solid, even team.”

At the same point, it’s been Donovan that has perhaps shown the most improvement. Last season, Donovan’s first on the team, was unfortunately cut short because of school-related issues, so he was hoping to show he could compete at the top of the league.

“Last year I knew I was capable of it, but I got into a little trouble at school. But this year I’m doing it,” the son of Frontier Lanes operator Mark Donovan said.

Janese, on the other hand, has become more of a mentor, while still being one of the top bowlers in the league.

“I’ve got experience and that helps the team more than bowling well individually,” Janese, who owns the state record for junior bowlers with a 824 series.

“With our subs, every day in practice, I take one of them aside and work with them or if I see something that is wrong with their technique, I try to correct them.”

That kind of senior leadership has been very valuable to the team, according to Kankolenski.

“They tend to help each other a lot, “ the coach said. “Most of my seniors have been here for at least four years and through the years, they’ve learned a lot from a lot of people.”

For Lew-Port, which won the Section VI Class B championship last year, an overall sectional title and a trip for the whole team is the goal this season.

“Since we came in second at the Festival Tournament and we beat all the teams in the ECIC and the NFL we know we can do it, now it’s just a matter if we can do it again,” Janese said.