A packed house of 138 entries hit the lanes at Callahan’s Bowl-O-Rama in Newington, CT, for the 2025 Many Styless of Bowling Singles Open on June 22, 2025. Sponsored by Many Styless of Bowling, this NEBA stop challenged competitors with the Kegel Middle Road (39’, 3.96:1 ratio, 22.85 mL). The top qualifier, Zachary Bogholtz, led the field with an impressive 1164 series, but it was Kyle Wilks, flying under the radar out of the Sunday morning squad, who would put together a breakout run — ultimately claiming his first NEBA title.
Match play featured 32 finalists, including multiple NEBA Hall of Famers. Among them: Michael Lichstein, Joey Transue and Chris Forry.
Wilks’ path began with a strong 222–204 victory over Ryan Chiaradio, before following it up with wins against: Chris Forry (HoF): 214–188, Jesse Gibson: 238–166 and Aaron Major: 235–178.
Meanwhile, Jason Mahon took down a gauntlet of opponents in his own bracket, including John Becker, Brandon Handog, Cephus Beatty, and Nate Clarke, to earn a shot at the title.
The title match of the 2025 Many Stylessssss of Bowling Singles Open brought together two red-hot finalists: Kyle Wilks, riding a wave of dominant performances, and Jason Mahon, who carved his way through a tough bracket of his own. Kyle was seeking his first NEBA title while Jason was looking for his 2nd title (first since 2009). Neither flinched under pressure.
Wilks came out firing — and never let up.
From the opening frame, Wilks set the tone with crisp shot-making, confident execution, and back-to-back strikes that immediately applied pressure. Mahon kept pace early with his own pair of strikes, but a soft 10-pin and a chopped 6-10 mid-game gave Wilks the breathing room he needed.
As the match progressed, Wilks showcased his ability to control the pocket and string shots, dialing in a look that allowed him to stay aggressive. A clutch string of strikes late in the game gave him a sizable cushion entering the final frames, taking advantage of the Mahon open.
Mahon responded with a late run of his own, striking in the 9th and 1st shot in the 10th to keep the match alive. But Wilks, locked in and composed, finished the job with precision in the 10th, filling his frame and clinching the title.
The title match of the 2025 Many Stylessssss of Bowling Singles Open brought together two red-hot finalists: Kyle Wilks, riding a wave of dominant performances, and Jason Mahon, who carved his way through a tough bracket of his own. Kyle was seeking his first NEBA title while Jason was looking for his 2nd title (first since 2009). Neither flinched under pressure.
Wilks came out firing — and never let up.
From the opening frame, Wilks set the tone with crisp shot-making, confident execution, and back-to-back strikes that immediately applied pressure. Mahon kept pace early with his own pair of strikes, but a soft 10-pin and a chopped 6-10 mid-game gave Wilks the breathing room he needed.
As the match progressed, Wilks showcased his ability to control the pocket and string shots, dialing in a look that allowed him to stay aggressive. A clutch string of strikes late in the game gave him a sizable cushion entering the final frames, taking advantage of the Mahon open.
Mahon responded with a late run of his own, striking in the 9th and 1st shot in the 10th to keep the match alive, but Wilks, locked in and composed, finished the job with precision in the 10th, filling his frame and clinching the title 257 to Jason's 236. Kyle earned $1500 plus a paid entry into this years ToC while Jason took home $900.
It was a high-scoring and competitive championship — but Wilks was simply untouchable from start to finish. With that final strike, Kyle Wilks captured his first NEBA title, closing out a flawless performance in his breakout event win.
CHAMPIONS MESSAGE
I want to start by thanking Dan Kaye, Justin Alves and the other amazing people that direct this wonderful tournament. I want to also thank friendly staff and owners of Callahan's for hosting this tournament. I also want to thank the guys over at Strike FX for their infinite amount of dedication and knowledge.
Still a very surreal moment. A lot of hard work and dedication has gone into this win and it is quite the journey to reflect. Of course it has not been without it's challenges both on and off the lane. From a confidence point of view, wondering if I would ever be able to climb to the mountaintop to being sidelined with knee surgery, it has not been smooth sailing.
The one constant has been everyone that has stood beside me. I have had so many people who have had the confidence in me that I did not have in myself. Those same people have pushed me to become a better bowler and a better person.
I want to save the biggest thank you for everyone who has helped me get to this point, everyone who reached out after the win, and everyone who continues to make a positive difference in, not just my bowling game, but life too. It has been an honor and a pleasure to be associated with so many amazing people and this would not have been possible without you.
I will continue to stay humble and stay hungry. The battle never ends and there is still so much more to improve on. This is certainly not the last time you will be hearing from me, just the first.
- Kyle "definitely not John" Wilks
A big thank-you to Many Stylessssss of Bowling for sponsoring this event and adding energy to the weekend. NEBA also added $1,000 to the prize fund, which helped push the total payout over $11,000. As always, gratitude goes to the staff at Callahan’s Bowl-O-Rama for their continued support of NEBA competition.
UP NEXT
We invite you all to East Providence Lanes for the Dexter Bowling & Turbo Grips Singles Open - $500 added to the prize fund on July 12th-13th.
NEBA thrives thanks to its bowlers, partners, and volunteers. Thank you for making it one of the most respected tournament series in the country.
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