Archive Page

‘Young guns,’ Childress and Wolford go undefeated to win MD State Scotch Doubles title

October 22nd, 2020 | azhousepro | Uncategorized

Loye Bolyard, Dewayne Laub, Dylan Spohr, Nathan Childress,Shane Wolford and Rick Scarlatto

The ‘old folks’ didn’t take it lying down, but they did end up in the dust as two youngsters, Nathan Childress and Shane Wolford went undefeated through a field of 29 two-person teams at On the Hill Productions’ Maryland State Scotch Doubles Championships this past weekend (Oct. 17-18).

Wolford is working at making 2020 his best earnings year of the four that he’s been tracked in our database. He’s got a ways to go to match his 2019 earnings, which were the best, thus far. Childress, the two-time Billiards Education Foundation’s Junior Champion (14 and under; 2015 & 2016) and winner of On the Hill Productions’ 9-Ball Fall Shootout this past September, is working on what is already his best earnings year in our database, because it’s the first and only year recorded, thus far. 

On average, the older competitors scored just shy of five points per match (4.8) against Wolford and Childress, so it was no clear cut walk in the park, but they persisted and downed Dewayne Laub and Dylan Spohr twice to claim the title. The event drew its 29 teams to Brews & Cues on the Boulevard in Glen Burnie, MD.

Wolford/Childress were awarded an opening round bye and then got by Mick Barton/Fred Crislip and Justin Mast/Shaun Wilkie to arrive at a winners’ side semifinal match against Rob Cord/Joe Tomkowski. Laub/Spohr sent Johnny Blume/Bobby Baldwin, Loye Bolyard/Joey Scarlato and Glenn Loveland/Robert Palucho to the loss side to arrive at their winners’ side semifinal matchup against Rick Scarlatto, Jr./Brett Stottlemyer.

Cord/Tomkowski were the only team to force the youngsters to play a deciding 13th game in a match. For all the good it did them. They survived the double hill challenge and advanced to the hot seat match. Laub/Spohr joined them after sending Scarlatto, Jr./Stottlemyer to the loss side 7-4. Childress/Wolford claimed the hot seat 7-4 and waited for Laub/Spohr to return.

On the loss side, Cord/Tomkowski drew the Ryans, Joey and Dave, who’d been sent to the loss side by Scarlatto, Jr./Stottlemyer in the third round and then survived two straight double hill battles versus first, Bobby Ambrose/Tony Long and then, Loveland/Palucho. Scarlatto, Jr./Stottlemyer picked up Brandon Shuff/Tony Manning, who’d been another winners’ side, third round victim, to Cord/Tomkowski.

Scarlatto, Jr./Stottlemyer did their part to secure a quarterfinal rematch against Cord/Tomkowski by downing Shuff/Manning 7-3. The Ryans, however, spoiled the reunion by eliminating Cord/Tomkowski 7-4. Scarlatto, Jr./Stottlemyer ended the Ryans’ brief loss-side presence 7-5 in those quarterfinals.

The Ryans and Laub/Spohr chalked up a double hill fight for a shot at the ‘young guns’ sitting in the hot seat waiting for them. Laub/Spohr won the battle and then got one game closer to Childress/Wolford than they had in the hot seat match. Childress/Wolford closed it out at 7-5 to claim the event title.

Event directors Rick Scarlato, Jr. and Loye Bolyard thanked the ownership and staff at Brews & Cues on the Boulevard for their hospitality. The next On the Hill Productions event, scheduled for the weekend of Nov. 28-29, will be the Maryland State Bar Table 10-Ball Championships, which will also be hosted by Brews & Cues on the Boulevard.

Sluzalis goes back-to-back in MD State Bar Table Championships

July 30th, 2019 | azhousepro | Uncategorized

(l to r): Tom Zippler & Brandon Sluzalis

While the 2019 Maryland State 8-Ball Bar Table Championships didn’t get quite the ‘name draw’ of its predecessor, the 2019 Maryland State 9-Ball Bar Table Championships, the two did share a winner. Back in March at Brews & Cues in Glen Burnie, MD, Brandon Sluzalis went undefeated through a field of 104 to claim the first MD State 9-Ball Bar Table title. On the weekend of July 27-28, at the same location, Sluzalis got into the hot seat of the 8-Ball Bar Table Championships, and in the end, won it, though not before he was challenged and defeated once, by Tom Zippler, who’d won five on the loss side to reach him for a true double elimination final. The event drew 100 entrants to Brews & Cues.
 
Sluzalis, who’d faced and defeated the likes of James Aranas, Shaun Wilkie and Brett Stottlemeyer in the March 9-Ball event, did not run into them playing 8-ball in Glen Burnie. Stottlemeyer and Wilkie did compete, just not against Sluzalis. It took him five matches to get into the hot seat, downing Rusty Hamilton 6-1, and Tony Conn 6-4, before picking up a forfeit win over Marko Stanley. He advanced to defeat Dwayne Laub 6-3 and picked up Gary Kline as an opponent in a winners’ side semifinal.
 
Zippler, in the meantime, had defeated Lance Fessler 6-1, Mark Ford 6-4 and Derick Daya 6-1 before being sent to the loss side by Rick Molineiro 6-3. Molineiro advanced and drew Steve Fleming in the other winners’ side semifinal.
 
By identical 6-1 scores, Sluzalis and Molineiro sent Kline and Fleming to the loss side, and squared off against each other in the hot seat match. Sluzalis sent Molineiro to the semifinals 6-2 and waited for Zippler to finish his loss-side run.
 
On the loss side, Kline drew Zippler, who’d defeated Brian Dietzenbach and Rick Winpigler, both 6-4, to reach him. Fleming picked up co-event director Rick Scarlato, Jr., who’d defeated his fellow event director Loye Bolyard 6-4 and Matt Haines, double hill.
 
A pair of 6-2 victories sent Fleming and Zippler to the quarterfinals, eliminating Scarlato and Kline. A third 6-2 win sent Zippler to the semifinals and a rematch against Molineiro, who’d added a few matches to Zippler’s weekend.
 
Zippler exacted his revenge on Molineiro 6-4 and turned to face Sluzalis in a true double elimination final.  A single race to 10 would have yielded the same result as the two races to 6 did. Zippler, on the wings of that intangible ‘momentum’ took the opening set 6-4. Sluzalis came back in the second set to win it and the 8-ball Championship 6-3. The hypothetical ‘race to 10’ would have gone double hill with Sluzalis winning it 10-9.
 
Event directors Rick Scarlato, Jr., and Loye Bolyard thanked the ownership and staff at Brews & Cues for their hospitality, as well as sponsors McDermott Cues, Billiard Sports Network, Lights Out Billiards Apparel, Phillippi Custom Cues and TAP Pool League (Chesapeake Region).