TCL League Championship - Open Doubles Preview

During the 1988 NBA All Star 3 point Shooting contest several of the games best shooters were assembled and before the event started Larry Bird walked into the dressing room full of the contestants and said "Who's playing for second". He then proceeded to perform the whole competition in his warm up jacket and outlasted Dale Ellis to win his 3rd straight 3 point competition. Needless to say the lore of Larry Legend continued. This Saturday in Shreveport the Texas Cornhole League will be finishing up it's League Championship with Doubles play and the final match to be played will be the highly anticipated Open Doubles. Like almost every Signature Event and League Championship, a lot rides on this event and it is usually the one that draws the largest crowds. The excitement will be electric and loud with upbeat music being played and a buzz filtering around as the games get started. The teams of two will be plenty and the talent will be unmatched at this level as many of the top players in and around Texas as well as a few surrounding states will battle and test their skills against each other. One of the teams is Grant Upchurch and Sammy Soto who are two of the best to have ever thrown bags in TCL. Both have won at high levels and I see them arguably one of the favorites to win it all Saturday. Grant who not only will be going for a three peat in Singles but will also being trying to win his third straight Doubles Title. He has won with Josh Murdock and last year with Justin Fowler and adding a little bit of irony, he and Fowler beat Sammy and Mason Vega last year. Sammy and Grant have won big events across the country and if they are on their games, they will be tough to beat. There are several other duos who are playing this weekend that must be considered as well including Mason Vega and Levi Lechner, Preston and Cayhill Ison and Tye Thompson and Dillon Randle. Vega has been here before and if Levi gets hot maybe Mason will get over the hump to get the title. He lost to Grant and Murdock while teamed up with Ernest Herrera a couple of years ago and lost last year to Upchurch and Fowler. Dude is due! Tye and Dillon are a tough team to deal with also and I can see these guys making a run if they get hot. Chase Lester one of the hottest players here of late is teamed up with Lane McManus and they pose a serious threat as well. Oscar Mairena and Aaron Aspeitia are another pair that are solid on the boards. These guys continue to make their way up the ladder and definitely have the potential to win it all. Ernest Herrera and Kevin Meza along with Fletcher Jonson and Scott Beck are extremely talented players and all are throwing well right now. They have big game experience and will be forces to be reckoned with. Luke Anderson and Rylann Claver are a talented team and have what it takes to be there in the end. Man there are some really good teams that I haven't mentioned yet, glad I don't have to face these guys!! Ty Trevino and Dylan Cernero, Matt Longoria and Anthony Delgado also should will be hard outs along with Alex Ibarra and Noah Alborado. Kale Harrell and Kobey Alley from Oklahoma can be menaces on the boards so don't sleep on these guys or else you'll become a spectator in a hurry! A few other teams that may be need to be mentioned are Jim Abdella and Zeb Smith and Terry Swinney and Matthew Morris. Both of these teams have a lot of talent and are hard to beat. I talked with Jim last night and he informed me that he had played earlier in the week and played on boards that weren't set up at the right distance and his sense of depth was way off. Hopefully he will get that righted and be the usual consistent thrower he typically has been.

I know there are others who I may not mention and I get picked on from time to time but trust me I don't mean any harm. I just kinda go with what I know and what I've seen. I'm not taking any bets however if you ask me who I think will win, well you'll may just have to come up to me in Shreveport and find out! Y'all have fun and enjoy this event.

Throw 'em straight!

TCL League Championship - Open Singles Preview

Growing up in Shreveport I had a lot of great memories, more than I have time to write about at this time. Having a love of sports and competition, I enjoyed being able to attend various sporting events including my little league ball games at the Baptist Ball Park. The smell of french fries, corn dogs and popcorn on a hot summer evening always meant it was game time! In high school, most Friday nights meant I was attending a Woodlawn High football or basketball game. Since both teams were really good, the games were always packed with excitement and big game intensity. Good times y'all. I can remember vividly some great moments I witnessed and as I drive by Independence Stadium I will once again think back to some of those special times. The bands playing, the crowds cheering, the lights and atmosphere will always remind me of a some memorable moments. One in particular was my Senior year our football team was playing a school from Lake Charles and with just a minute or so left in the game, we had just given up a touchdown and found ourselves behind on the scoreboard. On the verge of losing our 4th straight game, things were looking rather dim on our side of the field. As the other team kicked off to us, little did we know things were about to change. Rusty Funk, one of our Senior running backs, fielded the kick at around the 11 yard line. He headed towards the middle of the field and then as the wall formed he veered to his left and stampeded his way past our sideline all the way to the end zone scoring the winning touchdown. Something about winning that game energized our team and we went on a win streak and finished the season tied for the District title. More importantly it assured us a playoff spot and we were able to win a few games losing in the state semi finals to the team that won the state championship the next week. Man, what memories. Just think, in 20 to 30 years someone from this upcoming weekend may be telling a similar story about how they won a big match in Shreveport. Possibly leading them to a state championship! The Friday night lights will be on full display this weekend as Texas Cornhole League will be having their League Championship at the Shreveport Convention Center. Who will reign as the Champ in Open Singles? Will one of the young stars be able to withstand the pressure of winning it all on the big stage. Will someone else step up and surprise people coming out of nowhere to win it all? Will Grant Upchurch win his third straight Singles title? A lot of questions will soon be answered this Friday and I can't wait!

The aforementioned Upchurch typically is considered a favorite at just about any event he is involved in. Dude is just a monster on the boards and has been for several years. No one questions his ability as he has proven time and time again he is capable of hitting a variety of clutch shots. Grant beat Logan Chamberlain in Singles last year and the idea of winning three straight titles has to be one of his goals. I'm not saying he is a lock to win it this year but I ain't betting against him! Sammy Soto is another player who I expect to be in the mix as he always seems to find a way to finish either at the top or right there at it. Sammy more often than not finds the hole with his smooth throw using several types of shots to get the job done. As I scroll down the list of entrants in Open Singles, I can't believe how many talented players are in this event. Man, this division is loaded! The usual contenders include the likes of Chase Lester, Cayhill Isom, Dillon Randle, Ernest Herrera, Fletcher Jonson and Jaun Pantoya. The list continues with Luke Anderson, Mason Vega, Matt Longoria, Matthew Morris, Noah Albarado, Scott Beck and Tye Thompson, just to name a few. Zach Faulkner, Zach Harris and Zeb Smith lead all the guys with names starting with the letter Z who could win it all. Then there are the names of guys like Aaron Aspeitia, David Saenz, Dylan Cernero, Dylan Newland, Jacob Whatley, Lane McManus and Matt Longoria. See, there truly are several that are capable of winning this event and trying to include all is pretty difficult. I haven't even mentioned names of players who aren't the usual TCL guys like Alec Budd, Kale Harrell, Nate Gallup, Austin Waskow and Kobey Alley. Another guy who has been throwing well lately is Kevin Meza as well as Levi Lechner and Oscar Mariena. Might as well include Stuart Foster who has been working hard to get back to his usual level of throwing and is one to keep your eye on. OG players like Jeremy O'Connell, Jeremy and Tracie Beeson, Jim Abdella and Christina Espinosa can make runs and can be problematic on the boards. I didn't mention the Legendary Brandon Gregor because as I wrote this he mentioned a arm injury that he isn't for sure how it will effect his play. Hate to not have him in the mix but I'm certain he will be back soon. There are around 75 players entered in this event and I'd say a large percentage are all able to have some success. It could come down to the pool play and how players are matched up but when the dust is settled and the pictures are being taken, who stands last is anybody's guess. All I know is I can't wait and I will have a front row seat, probably eating some popcorn and washing it down with a cold bottle of coca cola! I look forward to seeing everyone this weekend. Have safe travels and best of luck on the boards!

  

TCL League Championship - Shreveport, LA....Thursday Events Preview Let's Geaux!!

Shreveport, LA, Home of NFL Legends Terry Bradshaw and Joe Ferguson along with NBA great Robert Parrish. Shreveport is also home of the Louisiana Hayride where back in 1954 a young 19 year old Elvis Presley made his Hayride debut singing "That's Alright Mama" to a raucous standing room only crowd. This weekend I'm certain the crowd will be large, loud and enthusiastic as Texas Cornhole League will be hosting their League Championship at the Shreveport Convention Center. This venue has become a favorite for many cornhole enthusiasts as it provides plenty of room for the what seems like a gazillion sets of boards accommodating a hundreds of bag chunking cornhole players. It also is located in close proximity to some casinos for those needing a little gambling fix. The opportunity for some late night club action is available if you choose that option with the infamous Sand Bar. Yea, this place is definitely a hot spot for those who like to stay out late/early and enjoy the night life. Word on the street says the Pizza is pretty tasty however the sources provided may have been under some type of alcohol and/or hallucinogenic influence! I myself haven't made the scene but oh how the stories, pictures and videos have provided evidence of some good times had by plenty! Blackjack, Poker, Slots, dancing, drinking and partying are all expected to be on the list of things to do this weekend but the main attraction will be the action on the cornhole boards! Viewing the list of names entered I can tell you this event will be loaded with star studded talent from top to bottom and there are several players who could walk away late Saturday night with the title of League Champion!

As I write these stories it is always challenging for me to include everyone but I try and go with who I anticipate doing well. There are the usual names that are expected to be fighting it out however there are always others that show up and make deep runs. You really never know for sure who those folks will be until the bags get to flying!

Thursday there will be a few events starting at 4 pm including Youth Singles, Senior Singles and Womens Singles followed at 7 pm with Womens Doubles, a couple of Crew Cup events and a Random Draw tourney.

The Youth Singles event is loaded with players who all are not only capable of winning the Youth event but the Open Singles as well. Sammy Soto is an obvious choice right off the top of my head simply because for the last couple of years he has either won several big events or been close. Tye Thompson, the Cowboy hat wearing, Livestock showing, bag throwing youngster from Farmerville is another player who has had his picture taken a lot at the end of several tournaments. Cayhill Isom from Lampasas has gotten really good really fast within the past year or so and is certainly someone who could be in the mix. Other names most will recognize include Mason Vega, Luke Anderson, and Noah Albarado. All three of these guys can light it up and be a problem to deal with! Someone who hasn't played a lot of TCL events here in Texas is Kobey Alley. Kobey, from Choctaw, OK typically plays in Ok and has been throwing really well here of late. Several others who could be tough outs include Preston Isom, Zane Thompson, Reef Woodson, Adrian Jackson, Klaydon Powell, Ryker Jackson and Ryder Smith. Keep your eyes on all these fellas as this event will be a good one.

Senior Singles...ah, the old guys! When I look at the list of names entered for this event several stand out to me including Scott Beck, Jim Abdella, Donnie Greer and Frank Stockton. Besides Beck, all these guys have been involved with TCL for several years and have always been very good players. Beck who has only been playing for a couple of years has definitely etched his name in the list of contenders as he has made several deep runs in Open Singles and consistently finishes near the top. The ex police officer has been tabbed "Robocop" due to him having moments where he seems robotic when he plays. His laser focus and consistent throw make him one of the favorites in my book! Jim Abdella has made the finals of this event in the past and if he gets hot he could be someone you don't want to matchup against. Same for Frank Stockton and Donnie Greer. Both of these guys have been around a while and are capable of winning this event. There are others who have creeped into the conversation the past year or so including Talley Oneal, Chris Hobbs and Keith Ludwig. All of these guys did well in Irving and can certainly hold their own. A couple of other guys I'd like to mention are Larry Benson and Randy Haltom. Benson from Shreveport hasn't played a lot of TCL events but don't hold that against him. Larry can play and should do well this weekend. Hammer Haltom from the Texarkana area has been playing for a little while and can sling a mean bag. Don't sleep on this fella! 

Womens Singles is always super competitive and I don't see this event being any different. Each year Christina Espinosa has been one of the most consistent players and is always someone most people fear when stepping up to play her. She is a multiple time Womens State Champ and Female Player of the Year so I can see why! The current TCL Female Player of the Year Tracie Beeson is also one of the top players in this event. Tracie has flat out wore folks out this year and should do well this Thursday. Haley Davidson is another one of those players who can put you in the truck in a hurry and is super competitive. Denise McEvoy has had a really good year and can also get on a run and win this event. Don't count out Caitlyn Allshouse either as she will be a difficult matchup as well. Shab Lyles, Misty Goode and LeeAnna Saxon are all capable of doing well also.

In the late session for Thursday, Womens Doubles is the highlighted event with a small but very competitive list of teams. Haley Davidson and Christina Espinosa along with Tracie Beeson and Denise McEvoy look like the favorites as I scan down the list of teams entered. There are always upsets and teams coming out of nowhere to make a surprise run and I kinda have a feeling this event could produce similar results...possibly. Taylor Rose and Delaney Pilliod are coming on as contenders and have the ability to win this event. Stacey Paup and LeeAnna Saxon, Misty Goode and Sabra Howell are two teams full of talent as well. There are a couple of other teams that I will bring up just because I know what they can do. Trish Trejo and Betty Seymour both have lots of experience and if they get hot could be hard to beat. Keep your eye on Ashlee Roehl and Andrea Floyd. These ladies play mostly in the East Texas area and have been throwing well here of late. If they can handle the environment and keep their focus they have some serious potential. Don't count out the West Texas duo Mandi Munoz and Joanna Barrientes. I haven't seen them play much but from what I've seen they both are really good shotmakers and can sho' nuff' bring it!

I will write another article on Open Singles and Doubles later on. Hope y'all enjoy these articles as much as I enjoy writing them!

Throw 'em straight! 

TCL Signature Series IV - Irving Open Doubles

The Main Event. The Headliners. The Big Cheese! We all know that in many sports including cornhole, the levels of competition can vary. You have the beginners, the players who just recently started playing. Those that played at someone's backyard party and survived longer than the other staggering bag chunkers. Those folks got the bug and found a hobby, a sport that doesn't get them winded...unless they didn't get their notification on their phone letting them know they have a game on court 632 somewhere that seems like a galaxy away and had to make a dash like an old Hertz commercial with O J hurdling through several gates of a airport terminal!

You have the Competitive Division where players have figured out how to make more than they miss...sometimes...but can't quite compete with the upper echelon players. They're getting there though, some faster than others.

The Advanced Division is loaded with a large number of players who will beat your brains in at the drop of a hat, or beer or anything else it takes! This group may include a bunch of players who simply don't have the drive to compete with the Open players, or haven't proven to themselves that they feel they belong with the Elite Level monsters. 

Then you have the Open Division players. These folks are different. Open players make a lot of bags and do so with what appear to be little effort. Kind of like they could do it in their sleep. I'm not saying these guys are perfect but they're pretty darn close...some of 'em anyway! A fair description of one of these cats may include someone who throws often...maybe way often...if that even makes sense. They play for hours each day then go play somewhere that evening. Wake up the next day and if they want, do the same thing as the day before. Some are super competitive and are driven to do whatever it takes to be the best. Some are simply blessed with a stupid amount of coordination and can make a bag do amazing things. Top players hone their craft in any sport and the top players in cornhole have put in countless hours developing their game in order to put them in an elite category.

In Open Doubles you sometimes have two top players teamed up and they roll through a tournament like a hot knife through butter. There are teams that have one player who simply is playing at such a high level it may not matter if his partner isn't throwing well for them to win. He just jumps on for the ride and if need be, becomes a coattail rider. Been there! You may have a couple of players who are exceptional players but just don't have the right chemistry. Believe me, being able to jell is important. Being able to trust your partner so much that you never question their decisions and when they miss, you know it wasn't due to the lack of effort. Having the right combination is critical in big events and this Signature in Irving will expose the teams that may or may not have what it takes.

When you go to a concert, typically they have an opening act followed by the headliner. Signature events are the same way. When the finals are set for Saturday night, all eyes will be on the championship boards with hundreds of weary fans, maybe a few that may need some coffee, all of which will be watching the Opens Doubles!

As I scan the list of teams signed up for Open Doubles, initially I look for the top names to see who they're partnered with. I take note of others as I scroll down and man, there are several teams that can win this thing. I see Justin Burton, Jr teamed up with Rylann Claver. Claver has really come on the past several months and can flat out fill it up. These two certainly must be mentioned as a favorite. I noticed Sammy Soto was teamed up with Matt Longoria and that is another combination that will be tough to beat. We all know Sammy, the young phenom who has been one of the best players in Texas and we know what he can do. Matt isn't someone to overlook and has the experience to help carry this duo to the win. Grant Upchurch can win any event he plays in and can never be counted out. His shot making ability and strategical style of play along with his sheer will to win type attitude always makes him a big time threat. His partner is Jaunito Pantoya who along with Brandon Gregor finished second in Mesquite and 9th in Lubbock. Can these two make enough shots to contend? We will see...I like their chances. Jacob Foreman is pairing up with Legend Brandon Gregor and that is scary! If these guys get rolling do not get in their way! Logan Chamberlain and Andruw Villa are teamed up again and will be a tough out. Keep your eyes on some others including Scott Beck and Alex Ibarra, Dillon Randle and Cayhill Isom and Luke Anderson and Caleb Franklin. All of these guys are throwing some mean bean bags lately and if the stars line up right, they could be standing up later in the event with a piece of hardware in their hands! There are a several teams of players that I know but haven't seen them play due to where they play but I know they can play and always have potential to win. Oscar Mairena and Aaron Aspeitia, Charlie Rivera and James Carranco, Easton Franco and Payton Lopez are a few teams that are extremely dangerous. I have to mention Joel Infante and Adrian Jackson because they always seem to be in the mix as well. I see teams like Noah Albarado and Josh Murdock...yep that Josh Murdock and wonder if they have what it takes to compete. Young Tye Thompson is teamed up with Zack Faulkner and those two could do some damage.Another pair that is always competitive is Edgar Cardenas and Johnny Govea. You don't notice what they are doing and the next thing you know, they've won several games and are right there contending. Maybe it is their quiet demeaner but don't let that fool ya, these guys are fierce competitors. There are so many others that I'd like to mention but I just can't fit ‘em all in. Hopefully they will play well and make my next blog!

Good luck to all the teams playing and I'll see y'all in Irving!

Throw 'em straight!

TCL Signature Event 4 Irving Texas

 

Less than 100 years ago Irving, Texas had a population of less than 360 residents. Today there are well over 250 thousand Texans who call Irving home. One of Irving’s most iconic buildings was the former home of the Dallas Cowboys, Texas Stadium. Opening in 1971 and known for its distinctive hole in the roof, this is where legendary Dallas Cowboys Roger Staubach, Tony Dorsett, Drew Pearson, Randy White, Ed jones and Cliff Harris played.

Just few years ago, there may have been a couple hundred players throwing bags competing in a TCL Signature event. Usually those events would’ve been played at the fabled Mule Barn or a nice meeting room at a Marriot hotel. Those events had Texas cornhole brass such as Daniel Vinson, Stuart Foster, Joe Arrington, Eddie Grinderslev, Chad Jacobson and Todd Bridgeman battling against each other. There were others including Chris Paul, Travis Welch who teamed up as The Poachers dominating the boards for a while. As the game started taking off and its popularity began to boom, other names were etched in the great history of TCL including Brandon Gregor, Josh Groce and A.J. Sims.

By 2019 the game had started to outgrow several venues due to the increase in players and places like the Field of Dreams and Tyler Indoor Soccer Center were considered too small. The Denton Convention Center, which was thought to be one of the better venues, also became a victim to the growth of cornhole. Now TCL has to play in massive convention centers like the Shreveport Convention Center which is one of the best places for large events as well as the Irving Convention Center. The first weekend in May, the afore mentioned Irving Convention Center is where the competition will gather as cornhole players from all around will congregate and play for large sums of money!

This is the final Signature Event for the 2022-23 season leading up to the State Tournament in Shreveport. I know it may be hard to imagine but there will be around 1400 players vying for a slice of the $50K payout. That’s crazy considering where the game was just a few years ago when payouts were considerably smaller than that. Nevertheless, you can bet there will be some outstanding players and games to watch as stories will be written, and legends will be declared.

Thursday evening there will be around 50 ladies playing in the Women’s Singles event and there are several very talented ladies who can win this one. Typically you would think that if Christina Espinosa is playing, she is certainly someone who can win any Women’s event and this Signature isn’t any different. Though she hasn’t been as active on the boards, she is still a threat and with her experience she has potential. Other ladies who are looking to add to their legacy include Crystal Infante, Haley Davidson, Denise McEvoy and Tracie Beeson. Infante recently won the Women’s Doubles in Lubbock and has to be a player to watch. Davidson, McEvoy and Beeson all are fully capable of making a run and winning this tourney as well. Other ladies you can’t count out are Trish Trejo, Taylor Rose, Kayleigh Logan and Delany Pilliod. This will be a fun one to watch and I expect the competition to be fierce.

The typical big attraction is the Open Division, and this Signature will have plenty of star power. The obvious favorite has to be Justin Burton, Jr. Burton has won each Signature Singles event this year and has been white hot here of late with some big wins. Burton won the Lubbock Signature which included a epic 33 round win against Sammy Soto. Soto is no stranger to big wins as he has grabbed several podiums the past year and I expect him to contend for this event as well. There are several players in this division who can win and if any of them get hot, look out! Gavin Cano, Grant Upchurch, Jacob Foreman and Brandon Gregor are typically players you would expect to be in the mix however there are some others that are trying to get some hardware. Those players include Cayhill Isom from Lampasas who has been throwing exceptionally well along with Chase Lester and Scott Beck. Isabella Suprenant, Luke Anderson, Juanito Pantoya, Mason Vega, Tye Thompson and Zeb Smith all have tremendous potential as well. There are always players who nobody expects to contend but Signatures always seem to sprout new talent and this one I believe there will be some new names making their name known. Newcomer to Texas Alec Budd is one of those players. Budd has been playing for a while and just recently moved to East Texas and has been lighting it up. Don’t sleep on this guy! There are simply way too many really good players these days and any of them could be a problem. Some of these include Ernest Herrera, Dillon Randle, Fletcher Jonson, Ernest Monarca, Alex Ibarra, Caleb Franklin, Zack Faulkner, Aaron Aspeitia, Andruw Villa, Logan Chamberlain and someone who just recently got back into the swing of things, Anthony Delgado. Man, there is some serious talent out there and it will certainly be a battle. To win this event you will have to mix in a few 13’s and 14’s along with a whole bunch of 12’s to win this one!

I wanted to do this article to see how folks liked it and if I get enough positive response I may try to do another before Irving. Ya’ll enjoy and best of luck.

 

Throw ‘em straight!

 

TCL League Championship Denton, TX

This time of year means the Texas summer is upon us. It's hot y'all,,,really hot. You can get in a car that has been parked outside in the direct sun and find yourself gasping as if you just stuck your head in a hotter than heck oven! You may also feel the effects of some super hot leather seats, if you're one of those folks who has em! The good ol' Texas sun can zap your energy, dull your intelligence, send you to an early grave and really make you sweat...my wife says she doesn't sweat...she glistens! 

This past weekend in Denton, TX, Texas Cornhole League concluded their 11th season with the TCL League Championship and let me tell ya, there were some white hot bags being tossed as this may have been the most exciting State Tournament TCL has ever had. Starting Thursday night with Women's Doubles and ending Saturday night with Open Doubles, this event was packed with amazing players and thrilling games. 

With each Signature event this season, TCL experienced large numbers including having more players than they've ever had at each event to a point where they put a cap on how many players would be able to play. The payouts...oh man, starting with Signature 1 in Bryan/College Station with $20k in payouts and ending the Signature Series Events with $25k in payouts in Irving. The League Championships paid out a robust $35,000 not to mention some side stuff with the always fun Calcutta. This was by far the most impressive season to date for the TCL crew. The TCL brass made adjustments with scoring systems that helped speed up the events. They transitioned the sign up and payment methods to allow more time to get the events started and completed in a reasonable time frame. Other than a glitch or two here and there, things always seemed to go as planned. With the absurd growth in the sport, the amount of effort that went into running these events is staggering. Chad Jacobson, Jason Andrews, J D Thompson were the main guys who coordinated these events but others were there lending a hand including John Henderson, Eddie Adams, Austin Pryor, Jon Rychlik and Ashton Burton. Also all the Regional Directors who spent many hours running events and leagues...I tip my hat to y'all on a job well done.

Oh yea, there was a big event wasn't there! As usual the main event was Open Doubles. I might add that in all the other finals from the other divisions, there were outstanding games and players making great shot after great shot. But Open Doubles...folks, these fellas put on a show! In a super intense and rambunctious setting where loud boisterous cheers seemed to intensify with each big shot, Grant Upchurch and Josh Murdock faced Ernest Herrera and Mason Vega in a epic showdown. This matchup had some interesting story lines including the Dem Boys Cornhole group versus the Cornhole Cartel. It also included 4 players vying for their first State Title. It had a young stud in Mason Vega paired up with one of the more seasoned players in Herrera. I believe both teams were throwing Yetis, much to the satisfaction of one Taylor Stone. Upchurch and Murdock were undefeated going into the finals and had faced Herrera and Vega earlier in the winners bracket semi finals, winning that match in two games. Ernest and Mason battled back beating Matt Longoria and Branden Gregor, Taylor Stone and Noah Albarado and Lonnie Madrid and Joel Infante Jr. to earn another shot at Upchurch and Murdock. Herrera and Vega, behind some tremendous shots by Vega including several crowd pleasing 2 for 1 push shots, were able to win the first 2 games forcing a deciding game 3. A subtle change for this game was the decision to change sides/ends by Upchurch and Murdock. Sometimes this move can help, sometimes it doesn't but this time it worked. Trailing only once in the 3rd game at 1-0, Grant and Josh had fairly comfortable leads only to see them vanquish. They led 7-1 but a 6 spot by Vega tied the game at 7 and then Upchurch worked the lead to 12-7. That lead didn't last long as the gap closed up at 12-11 just a few frames later. Again Upchurch and Murdock pulled ahead making the score 18-11 only to see that lead tighten up at 18-16. Murdock eventually took advantage of a rare bad round by Vega to secure the title winning the deciding game 21-16. This match was amazing to watch with all the momentum swings and thrilling shots by both teams. An absolute superb ending to TCL's 11th season. Other winners include Lonnie Madrid and Joel Infante, Jr. who brought some West Tx heat to finish 3rd while Taylor Stone and Noah Albarado had a strong 4th place finish. 

In the Advanced Tier 1 Doubles, Sammy Soto and Luke Anderson cruised past Austin McCuistion and Gage Seidel for the win while the Advanced Tier 2 winners were Rick Belloso and Jeremy Beeson who got by Michael Howard and Misa Gomez.

Competitive Doubles was won by the hot shooting West Texans Juan Silva and Freddy Rodriguez who went undefeated to win the title. Aaron Palmer and Chase Lester came in 2nd while Dan Hemingway and Andrew Rainey finished 3rd. 

Competitive Doubles Tier 1 was won by Cody Benson and Hanson Murrah who beat Karson Ridgeway and McKaeden Grant. In Tier 2 it was Jake Chavez and Anthony Alvarado, both from Snyder, Tx, beating Zane Bandfield and Jolten Andree to get the championship. All of these Competitive finalists threw extremely well and I look to see them on more podiums in the future! 

Michael Key and Brandon Maynard took home 1st place in Social Doubles defeating Tanner Nelson and Reagen Chastain. Finishing 3rd was James Borque and Alex Garcia.

Winning Social Doubles Tier 1 was Petey Olivas and Ayden Flores who beat Matt Liles and Jeremy Harrelson. Grady Vasquez and Robert Laureles, Jr. came in 3rd. Tier 2 winners were Cody Keesee and Alma Juan who defeated Shab Liles and Joey Arriga. 

The weekends events got going Thursday night with the Women's Doubles leading things off. Christina Espinosa and Veronica Vinson went undefeated beating Desirae Cruz and Trish Trejo in the finals. Denise McEvoy and Cassie Kraemer came in third and Stacy Paup and Chelsie Foster finished 4th.

Friday morning a full slate of events were on tap including Women's Singles, Senior Singles and Youth Singles. All of these Divisions were highly contested with some outstanding throwers in each Division. Isabella Surprenant was able to beat Christina Espinosa to win the Women's Singles crown while Tracie Beeson finished a impressive 3rd. Rounding out the top 5 included Sabra Howell in 4th place while Trish Trejo and Courtni Asebedo tied for 5th. 

Mason Vega won 6 straight games to win the Youth title beating a sharp shooting Noah Albarado. Noah lost his second game and went on to win 5 straight elimination games to get to the finals. Preston Peacock came in 3rd place, Luke Anderson finished 4th and tied for 5th were Aaron Leal and Adrian Jackson. Needless to say, the future looks very bright for these youngsters.

The geriatric Division, the Seniors, was won by Johnny Seymour. Seymour beat Jim Abdella in a exciting finals match which had Abdella winning the first game to force a deciding game. Seymour found his stroke and took advantage of a rare off round by Jim to get the win in the final game. Donnie Greer came in 3rd, Dario Lopez finished 4th and tying for 5th were Kenneth Wright and Dwight Strait. 

Open Singles was absolutely LOADED! Right at 100 players lined up and battled it out and when the dust settled, Grant Upchurch beat Brandon Gregor to get his first Singles State Title. Upchurch played like a man on a mission and he wasn't going to be denied. In the Sweet 16 round he beat Ernest Herrera, a red hot Jeremy Beeson, Ernest Monarca, and slid by a valiant Noah Albarado to get to the king seat. Brandon Gregor lost his very first match of the event and won 9 consecutive games including impressive wins over Joel Infante, Jeremy Beeson, Bobby Fink, Caleb Franklin, Monarca and then gained redemption in beating Albarado to get to the finals. BG flat out put on a show and did what BG does...dude is amazing! In a big time final, Gregor had a 16-8 lead but Upchurch changed his strategy and it seemed to work. Grant dirtied up the board some and hit some big airmails, executed a push shot here and there to get the score even at 16 all. The last round was text book for Upchurch as he threw a blocker, a airmail, a wrap around shot then converted a 2 for 1 push to win a hard earned title. A very exciting game to watch as both of these men threw several big shots. Young Albarado was on point all day and finished 3rd and Ernest Monarca came in 4th. Getting the tie for 5th were Caleb Franklin and Ernest Herrera. Every big event it seems the talent in this division gets deeper and deeper with so many outstanding players emerging. Good stuff folks!

Competitive Singles was full of up and coming players including Juan Silva who defeated Fletcher Johnson to nab the title. Nick Aven and Freddy Rodriguez finished 3rd and 4th respectively. There were several others who threw really well including Weston Evans who finished 5th, Cayle Watson and Cody Herd who tied for 7th. Joel Muniz, Cole Lynch, Samuel Palacios and Dylan Lopez tied for 7th. All of these fellas can flat out play!

Winning Tier 1 was Dylan Newland who defeated Clint Russell. In tier 2, Karson Ridgeway beat Derrick Paul for the win. 

Social Singles was won by Bubba Kirkpatrick from Central Texas who beat Aaron Palmer. Palmer lost his first round match in the sweet 16 round and won 6 straight games to get to the finals. Way to battle champ! Coming in 3rd was Jolten Andree and Joe Sharkey finished 4th.

Mike Smith won Social Tier 1 Singles by outshooting Derrick Paul and in Tier 2 Reagan Chastain was able to defeat Johnny Baker.  

The 11th TCL Season came to a end with some terrific performances on the boards and left many players eager to get back at it. I really feel that this season was one of the best and most competitive seasons TCL has ever had. Like most of you, I'm looking forward to next season but first, TCL will be hosting the Top 60 Event at Lake Possum Kingdom. There will be several first timers who I'm certain are excited for this always entertaining weekend. Congratulations to all the winners from the League Championship Tournament and we hope to see you all soon!

Keep em in play baby! 

Ryder Cup Memories

With the TCL Signature Series #2 behind us, many of us are gearing up for the new year and the next TCL event.  Right smack dab in the middle of our sights is one of the biggest and most suspenseful events you will ever experience, TCL's Ryder Cup. Known as "An event unlike any other", this unique event continues to grow and is the biggest event of the year. What started out as a "our neighborhood is better than yours" type of tourney with a handful of teams, now has become a multiple division event with over 60 teams made up of 10 players. Well, there were over 60 teams last year so who knows how many will be vying for the cup this year but I can assure you it will be memorable.

One of my most memorable Ryder Cups was the one held January 2016 in Mesquite. It was a doozy folks! In this one, there were teams from outside of Texas...I mean really outside of Texas. There were players from Ohio and North Carolina and these squads had some of the best players in the country at the time and they came down here and put on a show. I don't remember what this particular division was called but it had all the top players from Texas on several teams along with those out of state teams. The Open Division was the one I played in with the East Texas team led by Captain Brad Jones. The 5 other teams including Red River, Texas Justice, North Tarrant, Mule Barn and East Dallas. This Division produced one of the most exciting finishes to any Ryder Cup and here is how it went down...well, best to my recollection.

Everything seemed normal as Team Ten concluded with East Dallas and N. Tarrant tied with 4 points each. Followed closely with 3 points were East Texas and Mule Barn. Men's and Women's Singles were next with a March Madness style bracket and this is where things started to heat up. Heath Mills beat Kyle Verner for the win and with both players representing E. Texas, big points were garnered for Capt. Brad Jones and his team. The standings at that point had E. Texas in first with 14.5, E. Dallas in 2nd with 13.5 and N. Tarrant tied for 3rd with the Mule Barn with 10.5. Doubles followed and things were really about to get intense!

I remember it being very close and after me and my partner, Jim Abdella beat the team from E. Dallas, I looked at the scoreboard and at that time we held a small lead. I walked around and started putting numbers together and after looking at the situation, I felt like we had enough points to win the cup. I knew there were only a few games left to be played and the closest team to us, E. Dallas had just one match left. If they won that match they would still be a point or so short so I felt like we were on the verge of winning. All the games were completed and some of us were waiting around for the scores to be completed while some went to their hotel rooms thinking it was all over. Being that it was around 11 pm, some decided to hit the sauce and that may have been a bad thing. I glanced over towards the scorers table and noticed a few people gathered around in what appeared to be a serious discussion. As I peered closer, I realized one of those folks was my Captain, Brad Jones. He wasn't happy about something so I made my way that direction to see if I could find out what was happening. 

I really wasn't sure what all had taken place but as I got close enough I caught glance at the television monitor which showed the standings and to my surprise, the E. Texas team was tied with the team from E. Dallas. Obviously something unusual had occurred and there were several Captains along with the Tournament Directors discussing things. One of the things I heard from them was that there was a tie and a sudden death match was to be played. Eventually it was explained and the fun was just getting started! 

Brad Jones and his E. Texas team was deadlocked with E. Dallas led by Will Davis and both were about to be a part of TCL history! The unique way TCL decided to settle this situation was interesting and ultimately, very exciting. A coin toss decided which Captain would have the first choice to pair players up in a "down and back" round. The team that scored the most points in that down and back would earn a point for their team. The first team to get to 6 would win the Cup! The Captain that won the toss could pick any player from his team to play any player from the other team and after that down and back was completed, the other captain would have their turn to do the same. They would take turns until one team reached 6 points. Jones won the toss and with a huge boisterous crowd lining the outside edges of the court, his first pick was Heath Mills and I don't remember who jones selected to play against Mills but Mills won to give E. Texas a 1-0 lead. Davis went next and whoever he chose for his team won tying the score at 1-1. I believe Jones went with Kyle Verner who lost to give E. Dallas a 2-1 lead. Captain Will Davis went on to win 2 more matches to give them a seemingly insurmountable 4-1 lead. I can't remember who all played the next 2 matches but E. Texas won to draw them closer at 3 points to 4. Up next for E. Texas was Sean Gay who was a good player but I really don't believe any of the standing room only crowd, including Sean would have expected him to hit the shot that he hit. With one bag left and a board cluttered about with several bags all around the hole, Sean had only one option. He had to hit a airmail and drag one of the bags to give him the win. The place had been buzzing but as he let his bag fly it got eerily quite and as the bag seemed to fly in super slow motion...the crowd quickly erupted as he not only hit the airmail but drug 2 bags to give him and his E. Texas team the point! It was freakin' awesome y'all! This tied the score at 4 and there were only 2 players from each team left to battle. I remember Jones getting me and Justin Bennett together to ask us who we would want to play against from E. Dallas and I spoke first saying for him to match me up with Richard Reed. I had some success earlier against Richard in doubles and felt like I could have some success against him in this critical situation. So it was me and Richard Reed stepping to the line and after the first 8 bags had been thrown, Reed was ahead by 1. I don't really remember what the exact situation was completely but with my last bag, and a bag or two in front of the hole, I had to hit a airmail as a boarded bag wouldn't be enough. With little hesitation I threw a bag that had more prayers and hail mary's than you could imagine and bang...it some how went right through the hole to give us the win and a 5-4 lead and a whole lot of momentum! With a rather bleak outlook just a few minutes earlier, no one would've expected things to go the way they had gone. Down 4-1, with a unsuspecting player hitting a crucial airmail drag, a old guy playing way past his bedtime making a game deciding airmail, E. Texas had brought the room to a frenzy! The last matchup was Justin Bennett for E. Texas playing against Randy Husband from E. Dallas. They washed after each player had thrown their 4 bags but Bennett was about to put the nail in the coffin. He made his first bag, Husband's first bag went wide right, Bennett made his 2nd and his third while Husband only was able to make one. Bennett drained his last bag to give E. Texas the win and the cup in what would become one of the most exciting Ryder Cup finishes in TCL history. 

The exhilaration and excitement overshadowed our fatigue as we all began to realize what had just happened. My tank was empty but I had just enough energy left to give my teammates high fives and hugs as we celebrated into to early morning hours. It was a great feeling, the feeling we all play for and even though Will Davis' E. Dallas squad was disappointed, they too were a big part of this moment. It was a big time moment for all of us, one that we all will never forget. Words from a speech I've given come to mind..."Great moments are born from great opportunities". This was a great opportunity and in a few weeks, there will indeed be more great moments available.

This was a Ryder Cup memory that I was fortunate to be a part of and as we gear up for the next Ryder Cup, I hope you all are able to enjoy the moment and if the opportunity becomes yours, fate will be on your side and you're able to create memories and moments like these. 

Have fun and throw 'em straight y'all!