Male Athlete of the Month: Diego Mercado

Thomas Santos, Samantha Forrest

Across many levels of sports, football, soccer, basketball, wrestling, and hockey typically take the headlines. Often, bowling is underappreciated—especially when it comes to understanding the skill level that it takes for one to succeed. Senior Diego Mercado shared his thoughts on the matter saying, “Yes, I think people like to bowl, but it is hard to be really good at it.”

Mercado has been a part of the Pascack Valley Boys Bowling Team for all four of his of high school years. He figured that he would try it out because his father was a bowler in high school as well.

“I like playing with my team,” Mercado said. “You bowl, you turn around, and you high five your teammates. It’s just great.”

The atmosphere of bowling with his teammates is something that Mercado really enjoys and cherishes about the sport. He reminisces about some of his favorite memories bowling in high school, which includes when he won a sectional title with his teammates.

With the 2022-2023 bowling season coming to an end, the team finished with a 4-1 record—after defeating Northern Valley Old Tappan 5-2. This win over NVOT was a great win for Mercado and the team, as they were able to finish off their season strong and bounce back after losing to Old Tappan earlier in the season.

This year, Mercado took a senior leadership role on the bowling team. He was able to give guidance to younger players on the team and lead the team to a 2-0 record in the month of February.

“Diego is a true athlete and a master at his craft,” Coach Judy Lucia says. “For the last four years Diego has practiced and perfected the secrets of the lanes: wood or fabricated alleys, sport or challenging oil patterns, angles of the shot for maximum pinfall as well as the choice of which ball he will throw for the best pinfall action! What an amazing talent and teammate!”

The bowling team had a very successful season, working together to achieve their goals. Diego Mercado was a big reason for the team’s success, with both his leadership and his skill.