Loye Bolyard with Ryleigh Ann Bolyard, Dylan Spohr, Jimmy Varias and Rick Scarlato Jr.
Going into the Maryland State Bar Table 8-Ball Championships this past weekend (Sept. 25-26), Dylan Spohr was $115 short of making 2021 his best recorded earnings year since he began showing up in our player database in 2018. He hit that target and more when he went undefeated to claim the MD State 8-Ball title. The event drew 61 entrants to Brews & Cues on the Boulevard in Glen Burnie, MD.
Spohr’s path to the winners’ circle gained in momentum once he got past his opening 7-3 win over Steve Johnson. He followed that with victories over Jeff Ball (2), Steve Fleming (0) and Kyle Dilly (1) to arrive at a winners’ side semifinal versus Bryan Jones. Jimmy Varias, on his way to the runner-up prize, was doing the same thing; chalking up his best recorded earnings year, dating back to 2013, and gaining (only slightly less) momentum. Varias opened with a 6-1 win over Christie Hurdel, followed with wins over Eric Lyons (2), Joey Korsiak (4) and Thomas Haas (0), to arrive at his winners’ side semifinal against Mid-Atlantic veteran, Brett Stottlemyer.
Spohr downed Bryan Jones 6-1 and moved into the hot seat match with a 31-7 game record (82%). Varias joined him after sending Stottlemyer to the loss side 6-1, as well, and arriving at the hot seat match with a 78% game-winning average; one behind in the loss column, 30-8. Spohr claimed the hot seat 6-2 over Varias and waited on his return.
On the loss side, Jones picked up co-tour director, Loye Bolyard, who’d lost his second round, winners’ side match to Stottlemyer and was working on a six-match, loss-side winning streak. The run would lead him to his best (recorded) finish anywhere, since he shared a 5th place finish with Matt Krah at a stop on the old Blaze Tour back in March of 2007. Along the way, he’d eliminated Steve Fleming 6-1, survived a double hill match versus Thomas Haas and defeated Rick Miller to reach Jones.
Stottlemyer drew Max Schlothauer, who’d lost his second round, winners’ side match to Bryan Jones and was also on a six-match, loss-side winning streak that included victories over New York City’s Joey Korsiak and a double hill victory over Shaun Wilkie that put him up against Stottlemyer.
Jones stopped Loye Bolyard’s run 6-2. Schlothauer eliminated Stottlemyer 6-3 to earn a rematch against Jones in the quarterfinals. That match went double hill before Jones prevailed a second time to earn a shot against Varias in the semifinals.
Varias made short work of Jones, allowing him only a single rack in those semifinals and turning his attention to a rematch against Spohr in the finals. Though Varias got closer to Spohr in their final match than any of Spohr’s previous opponents, six racks were not enough. Spohr completed his undefeated run 9-6 to claim the MD State 8-Ball Championships.
On the Hill Productions, in the persons of Loye Bolyard and Rick Scarlato, Jr. thanked the ownership and staff at Brews & Cues on the Boulevard for their hospitality, as well as sponsors Mezz Cues & Turtle Racks, AlleyKat Cue Sports, AZBilliards.com, Aramith Balls, Lucid Ballsports (Predator Arena Light), Simonis Cloth, TAP Chesapeake Bay Region and Safe Harbor Retirement Planners. The next On The Hills Productions’ event, scheduled for Oct. 16-17, will be a $1,000-added Amateur 9-Ball event, hosted by Choptank Billiards and Bowling in Cambridge, MD.
Only two of the four finalists on-hand for the Open and Ladies' 2016 VA State 10-Ball Championships made it to the 2017 Championships, held on the weekend of February 11-12. In 2016, Janet Atwell and Jacki Duggan chalked up their second straight winner/runner-up (Atwell/Duggan) titles, and though Duggan competed in this year's event, finishing in the tie for 7th place, Atwell didn't play. Eric Moore and Brandon Shuff battled in the 2016 finals, and though Moore competed, finishing in the tie for 13th place, Shuff didn't play this year.
The Open event drew 60 entrants, while the Ladies' event drew 14, both to Diamond Billiards in Midlothian, VA.
Orcollo and the 2015 VA State 10-Ball Champion, Shaun Wilkie, battled twice in this year's event. Wilkie won their first match (one of the winners' side semifinals), and Orcollo won their second, in the finals.
Orcollo's position as the #3-ranked player in the world, may have led some to believe that he'd cut through this field like a hot knife through warm butter, but 'butter' fought back a bit in this event. Through his opening four matches, Orcollo was giving up between three and four racks per match; four each to Max Schlothauer and Jarrod Clowery, and three each to Chris Bruner and Reymart Lim. Orcollo was still a 'hot knife,' but his opponents in this event were doing a good imitation of butter just out of the refrigerator. In the winners' side semifinals, the 'hot knife' ran into some fresh-out-of-the-freezer butter, in the person of Shaun Wilkie, who defeated him 8-4 to get into the hot seat match. Wilkie was joined by Larry Kressel, who'd sent John Newton to the loss side 8-3 in their winners' side semifinal. Wilkie claimed the hot seat 8-4 over Kressel, and waited (the butter approaching room temperature) for the return of the 'hot knife.'
On the loss side, Orcollo picked up Mike Davis, who'd been defeated by Bobby Stovall in the second round and was in the midst of a six-match, loss-side winning streak that would take him just as far as Orcollo. Newton drew Reymart Lim, who'd gotten by Chris Futrell 6-2, and Sean Sporleder 6-4 to reach him.
Orcollo cut through Davis without giving up a single rack, and in the quarterfinals, faced Lim, who'd given up only one rack to Newton. In the quarterfinals and semifinals, Lim and then, Kressel, put up back-to-back, three-racks-against fights, but were eliminated, sending Orcollo back for a re-match against Wilkie.
It wasn't looking good for the 'knife' in the early going of the finals, as Wilkie took a 5-2 lead. Orcollo, though won eight of the next nine games to claim the event title.
Lynch goes undefeated to claim VA State Ladies' 10-Ball title
[photo id=45763|align=right]It took Meredith Lynch just five matches to claim the 2017 VA State Ladies' Championship title. She got into the hot seat with an aggregate score of 24-11. Once by Sierra Reams and Lisa Cossette, she faced Bethany Sykes in a winners' side semifinal, as Cheryl Pritchard squared off against Nicole Fleming. Lynch downed Sykes 6-3, and in the hot seat match, in their first of two, faced Pritchard, who'd sent Fleming west 6-4. Lynch gave up four of the 11 racks she'd given up to gain the hot seat by defeating Pritchard 6-4.
On the loss side, Sykes picked up Tina Malm (winner of the APT's Ladies' season opener in January), who'd been defeated by Cossette in the opening round, and gotten by Sierra Reams 5-3, Melissa Mason 5-2, and last year's runner-up, Jacki Duggan, double hill, to reach her. Fleming drew Daisy Lim, who, like Malm, had lost an opening round match (to Fleming 6-1) and downed Terry Stovall, double hill; Cossette 5-3, and Gwen Townsend, double hill to earn a re-match against Fleming.
Sykes and Fleming advanced to the quarterfinals; Sykes 5-2 over Malm, and Fleming 5-3 over Lim, a second time. Three straight double hill battles marked the end of the Ladies' event. Fleming downed Sykes in the quarterfinals, and then, Pritchard eliminated Fleming in the semifinals. Pritchard put up a double hill fight in her second match against Lynch, but Lynch hung on to win 8-7.
Reams comes from loss side to win short-field Women's event
Eric Moore solidified his hold on the top position in the Action Pool Tour rankings with a come-from-the-loss-side victory at the VA State 8-Ball Championships, held under the auspices of the Action Pool Tour on the weekend of November 12-13. Sierra Reams, after a loss in one of the winners' side semifinals, came back to claim the VA Women's 8-Ball Championship title. The Open event drew 56 entrants to Diamond Billiards in Midlothian, VA. The women drew an extraordinarily short field of six to the same location.
Female competitors living in the vicinity of the Northeast Corridor, extending along a two and half hour section of Route 95 from Midlothian, VA to Elkridge, MD (along with others who may have traveled from other areas), had two choices over the weekend. They could attend the VA State Women's 8-Ball Championships in Midlothian, or the season finale of the J. Pechauer Northeast Women's Tour in Elkridge. Combined, the two events drew 26 women, six of whom opted for the APT event in Midlothian.
Sierra Reams' trek to the victory in the VA State 8-ball event was extended by two matches, when she was defeated, double hill, in a winners' side semifinal by Kim Whitman. Jacki Duggan joined Whitman in the hot seat match, following a 6-4 victory over Terri Stovall. Duggan claimed the hot seat 6-4 over Whitman.
On the loss side, Reams downed Vivian Nguyen 5-1 to advance to the quarterfinals. Bethany Sykes downed Stovall, double hill, to join her. Reams took the quarterfinal match over Sykes 5-2, and then locked up in a double hill fight against Whitman in their semifinals re-match. Reams won it for a shot at Duggan in the finals. Reams defeated Duggan 8-6 to claim the title.
In the Open event, All 10 of the Action Pool Tour's top 10 competitors were on hand to battle for the 8-ball title, all vying (with one event to go) for the top two slots on the season-end ranking list, which will earn those top two players free entry into all three divisions of the 2017 US Bar Table Championships in Las Vegas, and a shared free hotel room during the event. The #1-ranked player, which, with only the one event to go, would appear to be Moore, will earn plane fare to the event, as well.
Moore's primary nemesis in this event proved to be Max Schlothauer, making a rare appearance on the tour; his first this year (he defeated TD Ozzy Reynolds in the finals of an event a few years ago). Moore and Schlothauer came to the first of their two meetings, in the hot seat match, on the heels of two distinctly different paths. Moore faced four opponents before Schlothauer and gave up an average of 3.5 racks to each of them; overall, 28-14. Schlothauer faced just as many and gave up an average of only one rack to each of his opponents; overall, 28-4.
Following victories over Yuta Morooka, Chris Pyle, Chris Bruner, and Danny Mastermaker, Moore squared off against Jamey Mellott in one of the winners' side semifinals. Schlothauer got by Luther Pickeral, Ernie Allen, Alan Duty, and Reggie Jackson to draw Kenny Miller in the other winners' side semifinal. Between them, Moore and Schlothauer gave up only a single rack in the two winner's side semifinals. Moore allowed Mellott one, while Schlothauer advanced to the hot seat match after a shutout over Miller. Moore chalked up as many racks against Schlothauer in the hot seat match, as all five of Schlothauer's previous opponents combined. Schlothauer claimed the hot seat 7-4 and waited on Moore's return.
On the loss side, Mellott picked up Bruner, who, following his loss to Moore on the winners' side, got by Wai Cho Yee, Bobby Stovall, Reggie Jackson and Yuta Morooka. Miller drew Mastermaker, who'd gotten by Duty, double hill, and Rick Glasscock 6-4 (Glasscock had previously eliminated the tour's #3-player, Shaun Wilkie). Mastermaker downed Miller 6-1, advancing to the quarterfinals against Bruner, who'd eliminated Mellott 6-4.
It was Bruner who advanced to meet Moore in the semifinals, following a 6-3 win over Mastermaker in the quarterfinals. Moore ended Bruner's six-match, loss-side streak with a 6-4 win in the semifinals. In a reversal of fortunes, Moore was able to chalk up as many racks against Schlothauer in the finals as had been chalked up against him to that point (8). Schlothauer managed only three in those finals. Moore was able to record his third APT victory on the year, and claim the VA State 8-Ball Championship title, to go along with his previous VA State 10-Ball Championship title that he earned back in February.
Though Hurricane Matthew had barely made it out of Florida by Saturday, October 8, its effects were being felt up and down the coast. According to Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball tour director, Herman Parker, the rain tracked him all the way to Midlothian, VA on Saturday, stayed for the entire tour stop at Diamond Billiards, and then, followed him all the way back to North Carolina.
The tour stop, in the meantime, went on, hosting 34 entrants and yielding an undefeated victory for Stevie McClinton.
McClinton had to get by Scott Roberts to put this one in the books. They met first in the hot seat match, once McClinton had defeated Bruce Childress 7-1, and Roberts had sent Robert Ash to the loss side 7-2 in the two winners' side semifinals. McClinton claimed the hot seat 7-5 and waited for Roberts to get back.
On the loss side, Childress picked up Chris Gentile, who'd shut out Jeff Young and defeated Max Schlothauer 8-7 (Schlothauer racing to 10). Ash drew Mike Glenn, who'd defeated Daniel Adams 7-5 and Brian Nellis 7-3. Gentile handed Childress his second straight loss 8-3, and in the quarterfinals, faced Ash, who defeated Glenn 4-4 (Glenn racing to 7).
With Gentile racing to 8 in the quarterfinals, Ash won his second straight 4-4 match and turned to face Roberts in the semifinals. In those semifinals, Ash won three of the four he needed, but Roberts reached seven before he got there and earned himself a second shot at McClinton in the hot seat. In a straight-up race to 7, McClinton and Roberts went double hill, before McClinton finished it to claim the event title.
Tour director Herman Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Diamond Billiards, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Delta-13 racks and Ruthless Billiards. The next stop on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for the weekend of October 15-16, will be the Chad Bostic Memorial Tournament, hosted by Breaktime Billiards in Cary, NC. Proceeds from the event, and a variety of raffles, will be donated to the family of Chad Bostick, who died by homicide in January.
Though Eric Moore would come back from winning five on the loss side to face him in the finals, Danny Green hung on to go undefeated and win the 10th Annual VA State 9-Ball Championships on the weekend of September 14-15. In addition to prize money, both Green and Moore received free entry to the US Open 9-Ball Championships next month, as did top female finisher, Daisy Blancaflora. The event drew 68 entrants to Diamond Billiards in Midlothian, VA.
Having sent Moore to the loss side 9-7 in the fifth round of play, Green moved into a winners' side semifinal against R.J. Carmona. Brandon Shuff, in the meantime, took on Ray Mart-Lim. Green and Shuff faced each other in the hot seat match with identical 9-4 wins over Carmona and Lim. Green and Shuff locked up in a double hill fight that eventually sent Shuff to the semifinals against Moore.
Moore's march back to the finals began with a 9-6 win over Corey Sykes and was followed by a 9-7 win over Max Schlothauer, which set Moore up to face Carmona. Lim drew David Hunt, who'd gotten by Ray Reyna 9-3 and Chris Futrell 9-5.
Moore and Lim moved into the quarterfinals with 9-7 wins over Sykes and Hunt, and then battled each other to double hill before Moore advanced. Moore then took out Brandon Shuff 9-7 in the semifinals for a second shot against Green. Green took the final match 11-7 and the 10th Annual VA State 9-Ball Championship crown.
Larry Kressel (Photo courtesy of Action Pool Tour)
Larry Kressel jumped up about eight slots in the Action Pool Tour rankings (from #15 to #7) with an undefeated, June 22-23 weekend on the tour. Kressel downed Dave Hunt twice in the event that drew 39 entrants to Q-Master Billiards in Virginia Beach, VA.
Kressel squared off against Chris Futrell in one winners' side semifinal, as Hunt took on tour director Ozzy Reynolds in the other. Kressel sent Futrell packing, westbound 9-5, as Hunt defeated Reynolds 9-3. In their first of two, Kressel sent Hunt to the semifinals 9-7.
On the loss side, Reynolds picked up R.J. Carmona, who'd defeated Max Schlothauer 7-5 and Nilbert Lim 7-1. Futrell drew the tour's current ranking leader, Brett Stottlemyer, who'd gotten by Chad Pike 7-4 and Eric Moore 7-1. Reynolds and Stottlemyer went down in identical 7-3 losses to Carmona and Futrell, who moved on to face each other in the quarterfinals.
The final two, loss-side matches proved to be double hill struggles. Futrell won the first of these in the quarterfinals against Carmona. Futrell and Hunt, both looking for a second chance against Kressel, battled to double hill in the semifinals until Hunt prevailed and got the chance. Kressel took the final set 9-5 to claim the event title.
The victory left Stottlemyer atop the tour rankings, with Reynolds moving into second place, ahead of Dominic Noe, who finished in this event, tied for 17th place. Hunt's second place finish moved him up a slot or two in the rankings, from his former #6 position into third, behind Reynolds and Noe.
Max Schlothauer, who's been on the pool scene for over a decade and was seen, most recently, placing third in the Super Billiards Expo's Amateur Championship, signed on for his first Action Pool Tour stop on the weekend of June 1-2, as the tour was celebrating its second year. He ended up defeating the tour's #1-ranked player, Brett Stottlemyer twice, and double dipped tour director Ozzy Reynolds in the finals to capture the event title. The event drew 42 entrants to VIP Billiards in Catonsville, MD.
Schlothauer and Reynolds met first in the battle for the hot seat. Schlothauer had begun his first-ever Action Pool Tour campaign by sending Stottlemyer to the loss side 9-6 in the opening round of play. He'd followed that with victories over Teresa Thomas, Alvin Thomas, and Dan Madden, at which point, he moved among the winners' side final four and matchup against Jimmy Varias.
Reynolds, in the meantime, who'd been awarded an opening round bye and survived a second round, double hill fight against Trevor Dentz, went on to defeat Rick Glasscock, Cheryl Sporleder and among the final four winners, met up with David Hennessy.
Schlothauer sent Varias west 9-3, as Reynolds advanced to the hot seat match to meet him with a 9-7 victory over Hennessy. In his second successful double hill match, Reynolds won the first of three over Schlothauer, and sat in the hot seat, awaiting his return.
On the loss side, Stottlemyer was at work on the eight-match winning streak that would bring him all the way back to the semifinals. He won his fifth against Cheryl Sporleder 7-2, and his sixth against Dominic Noe 7-1, which set him up to face Varias. Hennessy met Dave Hunt, who was on a seven-match, loss-side streak of his own, surviving a double hill match against Shaun Wilkie and defeating Don Steele 7-2, to pick up Hennessy.
Hunt advanced to the quarterfinals with a 7-1 victory over Hennessy, and was met by Stottlemyer, who'd eliminated Varias 7-5. Stottlemyer won his seventh on the loss side (denying Hunt his eighth) with a 7-5 victory, setting up a re-match from the first round, in the semifinals. Schlothauer won his second against Stottlemyer 7-3 and earned a second shot against Reynolds.
Schlothauer took the opening set of the finals 9-7. In the race-to-7 second set, he defeated Reynolds 7-2 to capture the event title.
The husband and wife team of Sean and Cheryl Sporleder took home some prize money from the event. Sean won the Second Chance tournament, defeating Curtis Branker in the finals, while Cheryl, who finished in the tie for ninth place, captured the $100, highest female finisher prize.
