Pictured above (from left): Jason Dias, Duke Matties, Joshua Alvarez, Christian Amendola, Harrison Neuharth
RENO, Nev. – Rolando’s OC Guys of Santee, California, rewrote the leaderboard in Standard Team after taking the lead Friday evening at the 2026 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships.
The group shot games of 952, 1,057 and 950 to close with 2,959, 16 pins better than the previous team, Prairie Wolf Construction of Helena, Montana, that bowled just one day prior.
Rolando’s OC Guys were led by Jason Dias’ 655 series, followed by Harrison Neuharth (617), Joshua Alvarez (607), Duke Matties (546) and Christian Amendola (534). Neuharth clinched the lead for the team with a strike to open the final frame, but was quick to point out the massive team effort it took.
“It came down to the very end, and I really have to give it to my team,” Neuharth said. “They grinded through the whole event. I couldn’t be more thankful for the guys I bowled with.”
He noted how important it was for the team to have an open dialogue while they bowled to stay ahead of the game.
“It was just constant communication between all of us. Christian and I both started bowling at the same time in college at Cal Poly State in early 2022, so our communication is always there. We’re constantly talking back and forth, kind of ping-ponging off each other, trying to figure out what’s working.
“The rest of the team was always chatting, too — pointing out what’s working, what’s not — just making sure we’re sharing what we see. I think that’s really the key to success.”
Neuharth also said that the team had only met a few weeks ago and were able to keep conversations away from the scores they were putting up.
“I think we managed to just stay level. In the back, we kept things pretty light, just outside conversation, really. We weren’t talking about scores at all. We still talked about bowling and ball motion, but not about exactly what the scoreboard looked like.”
Still, it was hard to ignore what they were doing heading into the final game.
“I think it crossed everyone’s mind right away because the pace we were on was incredible,” he said. “You can’t not notice. You see your scores, then you look at the big scrolling leaderboard and think, ‘Okay, if we keep this up, we’re way up there.’
“We slowed down a little toward the end, but I couldn’t be happier with the adjustments we made and how we handled it.”
Of the five on the team, only Dias had bowled the Open Championships prior to this year and the rest were all making their first trip to the event, making it surreal to be at the top early in their careers.
“I can’t even describe it,” said Neuharth. “I’ve only been bowling for three years, and honestly, I didn’t even know I was going to bowl this event until about two and a half weeks ago when someone dropped out.
“I never thought I’d be here bowling with such great guys and sitting at the top of the leaderboard, especially this early in a lot of our bowling careers.”
With the leaderboard ever-changing through the first three weeks of the tournament, Neuharth and the rest of the team know anything can happen to push them down the leaderboard. For now, though, they’ll enjoy seeing themselves at the top.
“I think we all know the lead could slip, but we’re just happy with how we bowled. You can’t sit there thinking about a spare you missed and what it might’ve cost you. We’re happy with how we performed, and we know we bowled really well. We gave it our best, and as a bowler, you really can’t ask for more.”
Standard Team includes five-player groups with combined entering averages of 801-905.
The Open Championships is celebrating its 122nd edition in 2026 and making its 15th trip to Reno, Nevada. The 2026 event is scheduled to feature more than 55,000 bowlers and 11,000 five-player teams competing across 128 consecutive days at the National Bowling Stadium.
Follow the action from the tournament’s official Facebook and Instagram accounts.