2024 is here, and the first week was pretty quiet, with only a Friday Night Switcholio and the Season One Year-end Tourney. I look forward to seeing what the Backyard and the SCA can accomplish this year. Season 2 starts next week, and it will be exciting as we add the Tier 5 event to the Season. It will start on Tuesdays and run for eight weeks, and then we will evaluate if the numbers allow us to move it to Wednesdays. With all the functions the Backyard has held, players are interested in playing more, and Tier 5 and the Ladies Fun Night allow them to learn and fine-tune their game. We will also see some ladies who played in the Monday night Fun Night in Season One making the move to play in the Tier 5 division. The natural progression is that players come out to entry level and learn to play events, like the Ladies Fun Night or the Tier 5 league play, and as they get better and feel more comfortable with their game, they move to Tier 4. The same happens in Tier 4; as the players get better, they move to Tier 3, and our Hawk, Tier 3, grows to be 25- 30 players.
It is essential to recognize the Board members and their spouses or partners who put up with the day-to-day operations of the SCA. The Board comprises of: Caesar, Newson, Stich, Damara, Parker, Ritzy, Bobber, and myself. Everyone is essential in their roles and brings a unique skill set to the Board discussions. It is not always easy, but we aim to provide and ensure everyone has the best experience every time they come to the Backyard.
Operating the Backyard is not easy, especially when we are all volunteering, but many things fall apart without Dawn Newson. Dawn works endless hours to ensure the kitchen is ready to go, whether it be a catered night or the kitchen being open. We have been averaging 4 or 5 events a week for a few months, and Dawn has been instrumental in ensuring the Backyard at the SCA is ready to go.
I want to bring up some players in this blog who may not be regulars in the power rankings but are important to building our game and club. Many participate in the bigger picture to ensure we grow and develop our great sport in Saskatchewan. Damara and Crystal’s work in setting up our Youth initiative is excellent, and I want to thank them for their commitment to the program. They also are a great ambassador for our game, our Ladies’ Night, and represent the SCL Ladies well on the National stage. Many people have helped Damara and Crystal with our youth initiative by volunteering their time to help us at schools and ensure we showcase the SCA with our Youth Program. Bobber, Bonnie Day, Glen, Patches (Andrew), Parker, and Newson have all freed up time from work to help out. Thank you.
The SCL players are the face of our league, and they never disappoint in representing Cornhole Saskatchewan to the best of their abilities. Everyone is the best promoter of our club and often can be found promoting the SCA wherever they can. The players are crucial to our success. But we can also have the ability to brag about players like Presley Boehme, who fires an average of 7.25 PPR at 14 years old, and Lucas Bradley, who, at the age of 12, fires a 6.25 PPR,
We also can brag about our seniors and the excitement they bring from an age over 60. They can be found every Wednesday afternoon during the Senior Throwdown and hitting the podium in regular SCL events. The players, no matter the demographic, make the SCA an exciting venture to be a part of, but it is the cornhole that makes it all worthwhile, and this week was no different as it started with the Seniors. Dean and Delgado double-dipped Michelle and The Ghost to win the Wednesday money.
Friday night, Funholio came with a last-minute sign-up. It went from 40 registered players to 59 when the first bag flew. There were only two undefeated players in the round-robin, a true testament to the level of throwing on this Friday night. Krentzy and Devin M went undefeated at the night’s end, beating Franco (Surefire) and Rob Y. (Here for The Beer) to win the title.
Sunday at 1030 AM was the scene of the Season One year-end Tourney. 11 Hawks battled it out for the Season One title and the cash. All morning, it was a hard-fought battle, and we saw Patches and Newson battling it out for the King Seat. Patches came out firing and took down Newson 23-6, but this would not be the last time they played each other, and it was only a preview of games to come. Newson won his B final game against Spilly to set up the re-match. Newson, looking to double-dip Patches, came out of the blocks fast in game one. Firing an 8.4 took game one quite convincingly 24-14. Game two Patches settled in, but it was not enough as Newson won the Year-end Tourney.
Only seven Tier 4 players made it out for the Year-end event, but they battled hard again, and the same familiar faces were leading the pack. Bonnie and Stich battled it out for the throne, and it ended up that on this Sunday, it was a Queen sitting in the seat, not a King. Stich was sent to the B, where he waited to see who he would play. Lucas made his way through the B side and was ready for Stich. Lucas edged Stich out 22-20 to set the match-up between Bonnie and Lucas. Game one was a blowout as Lucas came out with a 9.11 PPR and a 24-1 win. Game two was much closer, and there were some close ends with some great shots, but in the end, Bonnie edged Lucas 22-17 to take down the title.
Doubles play saw Just BS (Sarah and her mom Bonnie) sitting in a familiar spot in the Queen Seat. Tier 4 showcases our SCL ladies, as these two always seem on top when they play together. Bonnie and Sarah went undefeated as they blanked Aint My Fault 23-0 to win the doubles title.
In Tier 3, only seven teams made it out to battle it out for the Hawk doubles championship. Newson and Caesar, aka the Dream Crushers, were on their game this Sunday. They went one or two in PPR and were undefeated in the event. They bested Spilly and Louie, the Backdoor Bandits, to win the year-end event.
POWER RANKING
TIER 3 power ranking.
1ST – Jonathan– Did not play this week but will be in the number one spot until he gets taken out by someone beating him.
2ND – Newson – Battled hard after he lost the King Seat game but did not quit as he battled back to win the Year-end Tourney.
3RD – Spilly – Dylan is so tough to play because he does have every shot in the book. He drags bags from every spot on the board, and right when you think you have a chance, he pulls out a shot for a wash or even points.
4TH – Krentzy – Always steady; you can tell he is working on different aspects of his game. I remember playing against him on Friday, and I was very proud of myself because I threw a perfect block only to have Parker roll over it twice.
5TH – Patches – I wanted to write about some awards from the first half of the season and one of them would be Most Improved. Andrew would be my pick for this award, and he ended the season with his hard work paying off. Patches played unbelievably well and finished second in the year-end singles tournament.
Tier 4 power ranking.
1ST – Bonnie – With a win in the Year-end Tourney, she ended the year where she was most of the year, in the winner circle.
2ND – Stich – Jason is always steady, maybe just a bit behind Bonnie all season long, but an incredible thrower. I always look forward to watching the Stich/Bonnie battle.
3RD – Ringo – I do not know where to put this guy. Regan might have snuck into the number-one spot last week by mistake, but the pressure still got to him. He is so tough to play when he is on, but this week, he did not have it.
4TH – The Kid – Lucas has been in and out of my Top 5, but with an excellent finish in the Year-end Tourney, he belongs in the Number 4 spot.
5 TH – Ritzy – Danny is a gem and has had a tough couple of weeks, but if he can get some time in playing and practicing, he will be gold.
