There could be another four straight off Hempstead Turnpike.
A Kellenberg Memorial High School bowling standout is in the lane for success and could do what nobody in her league has done before: win an individual championship each year of high school.
“Just being able to prove to myself I could do it … that would be so cool,” junior Kerri Callahan, who recently took home her third Catholic High School Athletic Association title with a score of 629, told The Post.
Since winning it all in her first year, the Uniondale academy student’s journey to the top has been one of knocking down pins and self-doubt.
Callahan has loved the sport since being signed up for a league by her friend’s mom at age 8 and recognized her skills as a middle schooler after notching a 190 game. However, debuting for the Firebirds varsity squad as a freshman was a whole new bowl game.
“She was very quiet, very reserved as a freshman. Nervous, I think, of just being the youngest on a team,” said longtime Kellenberg girls bowling coach Ally Frisina, adding that Callahan’s true potential came out in their second practice.
“Kerri was hitting shots that juniors and seniors on the team just started to hit. … We knew she had something special,” Frisina said, emphasizing that no player in the league has ever won four straight individual titles.
During Callahan’s sophomore year, the Merrick native quickly showed the first championship was anything but beginner’s luck.
Last season, in the title matchup against archrival St. John the Baptist, she bowled a near-impeccable 298 by hitting 11 consecutive strikes into the final frame.
“It was insane. I was not expecting it,” the humble champion said. “It was so quiet, it was really nerve-wracking. I had a pit in my stomach.”
More than securing the solo victory in back-to-back years, the unbeatable numbers lifted her team to a victory over its West Islip rival.
“It just meant everything to me because it secured the win for us all,” Callahan said.
Weeks later, during New York’s first Catholic school girls statewide bowling tournament in Babylon, Callahan placed second.
This time around, however, Callahan has an added edge ahead of the upcoming Buffalo-based tourney on March 1. Her high school opened an eight-lane bowling alley on campus at the start of the school year.
“I’m in here all the time,” said the 16-year-old, who utilizes six unique, 15-pound balls for different tactics.
“I feel more confident than last year … I’m going to do everything I can and I’m just going to worry about myself — try to make all my spares, my strikes.”
Afterward, the focus will shift to her senior year, when Callahan — who is mulling over playing at nearby Molloy College while pursuing nursing — will get the ball rolling on several superlative goals.
Along with the prospect of making local history as a four-time champ, she wants to nab her first perfect 300 game and win another team title.
With the dedication Callahan has exhibited, any naysaying is just gutter talk.
“Bowling taught me that I definitely have to focus — that everything takes practice,” said Callahan, who bowls almost every day of the week. “If I want a 300 game, I have to work for it. If I want 100 on a math test, I have to work for it.”
Despite the striking similarity, Callahan scoffed at comparisons to the Islanders, who won four consecutive Stanley Cups in the 1980s at Nassau Coliseum just steps from her school.
“I’m a Rangers fan,” she said with pride.
