Tom Hess made the long trip from Urbandale, Iowa, to La Crosse for the Fall Classic at All Star Lanes worthwhile for the second straight year by repeating as champion of the popular event.

Hess, a part-time player on the PBA Tour, earned $1,500 in winning the 25th annual event.

Hess was the top seed and beat former PBA exempt player Chad Kloss of Greenfield in the title match.

I don't have the score of the title match and the informaton I do have comes from a mix of phone calls and text messages received around driving home and a variety of chores Sunday -- I made the cut to Sunday's finals but withdrew in game 3 after injuring my creaky wrist.

Don Breeden finished third, Rob Downer fourth, Jay Heinzelman of Evansville fifth, Jeff Smith sixth, and Gail Myers Jr. of Monroe just missed the stepladder in seventh.

Scores were high in Saturday's qualifying -- it took a 220.8 average to make the top 32 -- and enormous on Sunday -- it took a 233.5 average to make the stepladder finals.

There were six perfect games on Sunday, Don Breeden rolled 33 straight strikes in consecutive games of 280, 300 and 299, and Hess had 26 straight strikes in averaging 258.1.

Here is the story on Hess' win last year.

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