Adam and Derek Moskal may go to different schools, but the brothers are two of the best bowlers in the Catholic League.
They might go to different schools, but Adam and Derek Moskal have a lot in common when it comes to knocking down pins.
Adam is a senior at Roman Catholic High School. His brother Derek is a junior at Archbishop Ryan. And together, they’re two of the best bowlers in the Catholic League.
And while they share the competitive spirit, they also love to see their sibling strike out. But it’s not always easy to cheer for the other, especially when the two schools squared off in the Catholic League semifinals.
Roman won 3–1 to advance to the finals against La Salle, who went on to win the Catholic League championship on Tuesday.
To reach the finals, Adam helped the Cahillites advance by rolling a 665 series. His brother, who carries a 188 average, spun a 610 to pace the Raiders. And the main thing is both brothers, who live in Bustleton, had a fun season playing together.
This year has been good, we won the championship last year, but before that we hadn’t won since 1956, so it’s been great for us,” said Adam, who picked up bowling when he was a freshman. “I don’t like bowling against (Derek), but we have to do it.
“I went to Roman because I wanted to go to a smaller school, I don’t like bigger schools. So Roman was perfect for me.”
“I would watch professional bowlers on my phone and I thought it was great so I showed my mom,” Derek said. “I started going on my own. I joined leagues and when I got to high school, they didn’t have a bowling team, so me and another kid talked to our (athletic director) George Todt. We got a coach. We weren’t a team right away because we didn’t have enough players and we weren’t a team, but now we are.
“We made the playoffs last year, but just the first round. This year, we made it to the second round, so it was better.”
Both brothers are among the top bowlers in the Catholic League. They both were named All-Catholic, which means they’re among the top 20 scorers in the league. But they took different roads to the alley.
Adam also played soccer and tennis.
Derek played football and baseball.
But when it comes to bowling, they put in all the work it takes to be one of the best.
“I bowl, I’d say, four times a week,” said Adam, who will attend Penn State Abington in the fall, but is unsure of a possible major. “I usually bowl twice a week for Roman and twice a week in leagues.
“When I started bowling as a freshman, I wasn’t even a 100 bowler. I improved a lot by just working at getting better. Sometimes, I’ll see younger kids who aren’t bowling that well and I can’t believe I was that bad when I was a freshman, but I was.”
His brother has the same story.
“I followed (bowling in high school) the year after my brother, and I’m glad Ryan got a team,” Derek said. “I had a 188 average, so I bowled pretty well. Once we got a coach, we were ready to go. I’ve gotten a lot better at Ryan.”
Both brothers are proud of the success they’ve earned thus far, and they also have two other huge fans at home.
Adam and Derek were born in Poland, but were adopted by Bob and Maryann Moskal when Adam was 5 years old and Derek was a year younger and they moved to the United States.
The boys give their parents a lot to cheer about, and their run in the Catholic League playoffs was just another thing to be proud of.
“(We’re) very proud of them, they get better every year,” their father said. “I made sure not to wear a Roman shirt or a Ryan shirt. I wore a gray one so it was neutral.
“Both did really well when they bowled against each other, and both enjoyed it. That’s all I wanted them to do. I bowled before, but I was never as good as they are.”
Adam still has a chance to bring home Roman’s second PCL title, and next year Derek can make it a three-peat for the Moskal family.
“I won’t be cheering for La Salle,” Derek said. “I want to see my brother win. They have a good team and my brother is very good.”
For Adam, that would make the perfect senior year.
“When we won last year, we were the underdog and this year, we’re playing the first-place team so we’re underdogs again,” Adam said. “Last year (in the championship), I was a backup, so it would be great to win it as a starter. And it would be great to go back-to-back as champs.”
