It was a regional week, and boy, the matches inside the Backyard did not disappoint. We started the week with another fantastic Ladies Night. Ten SCL Ladies made it out, and Marla and Glenda went undefeated in the bracket, beating Joann and Molly in the final to win the week. To put this night into perspective, half of the ladies threw over a 4.25 PPR, which translates into them feeling more comfortable coming out and trying our other league nights, which we have seen this week as a few came out and played in the Regional.
Tuesday night singles was an excellent warm-up for Sunday’s Regional, but with the big snow dump, our numbers shrunk before the first bag was thrown. Only five tier 4 players made it out as The Kid beat Joe P in the final to win. This marks another win for The Kid, and with the PPR switching to this year’s PPR, the Kid is barely over the limit and will be moved up to tier 3. I know he will do well in Tier 3 because he can compete with any of the top throwers when he is chucking.
TOP PPR
- The KID – 7.47
- Joe P – 6.77
- Shawn C – 6.37
In tier 3, last week’s number one, Patches, had a rough round-robin but came out ready to play in the bracket. Andrew sat in the King Seat, awaiting the players battling it out on the B-side. Newson beat Damara 23-6 for his chance to double-dip Patches. Game one was very close, but Kevin’s 8.29 PPR was enough to force game two. In game two, Patches pulled out to a 12-0 lead, which looked like this would be a blowout. Hold on, did I mention Andrew was playing Newson? Newson clawed his way back and, in a 20-round game, took the victory 22-17. Sunday Regional will determine who comes out of the week at the top of the Power ranking.
TOP PPR
- Newson – 8.05
- Patches – 7.85
- Bonnie P – 7.76
On Wednesday, the Tier 5 player decided to play a bit of singles instead of doubles. Murray took down Timmy to win the week. Murray also had the top PPR on the night at 5.56, followed by Quentin at 5.49. Every player on this night was right around the 5 PPR which is amazing to see the progression of this group.
Sunday morning brought more cancellations as Mother Nature dumped another batch of snow on us. We were set to have our most significant showing yet, but the Saskatoon and Prince Albert players could not make the trip due to the weather. This is tough news for Kass because he no longer holds the regional trophy.
So, let us start with the Hawk division. Sixteen players came out to battle it out for the singles championship. The three-game round-robin told a gripping tale about how this competition would play out. Bobber, Glenny, Franco, and I all sat at the bottom with no wins in the round-robin. Once the bracket started, things shifted a bit as Glenny and myself both won our first bracket game, but Caesar was making his move, firing an impressive 8.77 PPR on his way to sitting on the throne. He beat an ever-familiar face to the throne, Patches in the A-final. Patches had to come up from the B-side to redeem himself from the loss. He faced Crystal in the B-final, and after 13 rounds and an 8.77 PPR, Andrew was heading back to see if he could double-dip Caesar. In game one, an 8.8 PPR was enough for Patches to take game one. In game two, Caesar brought the fire, shooting an 8.56 over 16 rounds to take the regional singles title.
TOP PPR
- Caesar – 8.54
- Rick – 8.3
- Newson – 8.23
In the pigeon division, ten players were ready to go to see who would rein supreme in the tier 4 battle. Ducky Man (Stewie) and Joe P set the trend early in the round-robin that if you were thinking of winning this title, it was going to go through them. They both sat at a 3-0 record heading into the bracket. Once the bracket started, Joe P ran into Marla and suffered a quick first-game loss. Ducky Man, on the other hand, continued his hot hand as he defeated Marla to take his spot on the throne. Marla was sent down to the B-side, where she ran into Bonnie D. Marla, after shooting a 7.33 PPR in the A-final, could not get her game going as she lost to Bonnie in nine rounds. This set up the finals, as Bonnie would have to double-dip Ducky Man if she would take the win. Game one went to Bonnie over 15 rounds, which set up a winner-take-all game for the Regional. In game two, Ducky Man found his earlier bracket form and took down Bonnie in 10 rounds to claim the championship.
TOP PPR
- Ducky Man – 6.5
- Marla – 6.3
- Shawn C – 6.24
I saved my favourite event for last on the singles side, tier 5. Maybe it’s because I get to watch these players play every Wednesday, but these players are all taking a liking to this game of cornhole. I am very excited to see players come out on Wednesday and Monday nights. Eleven Penguins were out to battle for the title. After the round-robin, Timmy, Quentin, and Joann sat with 3-0 records. Greg, who only won one game, had the best PPR in the round with a 5.91 PPR. Once the bracket started, this tier looked more like a tier 4 than a tier 5 event. Timmy was on a mission, and he would not be stopped. He quickly made his way to the King Seat, only giving up six points on his way there. He beat an OG SCL Lady, Debbie, who has been throwing better and better every time she comes out. Debbie would face Lorne in the B-final to see who would go up and see if they could knock Timmy off his throne. It took sixteen rounds, but Lorne beat Debbie 22-15 and was heading to face Timmy. Once the game started, it was apparent that Timmy would not be denied as he gave up only 3 points in the final to win the title.
TOP PPR
- Timmy- 6.12
- Greg – 5.71
- Quentin – 5.53
In the doubles regional, there were seven teams in tier 4. Two teams moved up into the Tier 4 competition because there were not enough tier 5 teams. After the three-game round-robin, Sarah and Marla (Shot Blockers) sat at a 7.25 and 8.2 PPR. I have said it a million times: the event is never won in the round-robin. Once the bracket started, it was looking like Marla and Sarah would not be stopped. They beat Joe and Stew (Just Ducky) 24-8 to sit in the Queen Seat. Just Ducky went down, and after a quick win over Shondell and Bonnie D (Fun Bags), they were ready to double-dip the Shot Blockers. Game one was dominated by Joe P, shooting an 8.4 PPR, which forced a second game to determine the winner. In game two, Joe continued his stellar play, and with a 7.67 PPR, Just Ducky was crowned the regional champs.
TOP PPR
- Marla – 7.14
- Joe P – 6.75
- Ducky Man – 5.94
In the Hawk division, nine teams were registered to compete for the doubles title. After the round-robin, three teams were undefeated, but one team dominated the PPR category. Newson firing a 9 PPR was the team’s weak link (if you can call nine a weak link) because his partner was firing at a 10 PPR. Glen, Damara, and Crystal and Presley did not lose a game in the round-robin. We hit the bracket, and all three undefeated teams stayed undefeated. After the next round of games, Newson and Jonathan (Hardson) and Crystal and Presley, Double Trouble had trouble battling to sit on the throne. Crystal and Presley battled hard, but Newson and Jonathan were too much to handle. Double Trouble headed to the B-side, where they would meet Damara and Glen (DGGB). Damara decided this game as she shot a 10 PPR to win and force the championship match-up against the undefeated team of Hardson. The game only lasted ten rounds, and as expected, Newson and Jonathan took down the title.
TOP PPR
- Jonathan – 9.29
- Newson – 8.42
- Presley – 8.33
The night ended late, but we still had enough teams to play the Mixed Doubles event. There are so many teams that are getting good, and this is fueled by the fact that Regina cornhole has so many ladies that could win in tier 3 on any given night. We only played two rounds of round-robin because of how late we got started, and the two teams that were undefeated after the round-robin were the same teams fighting it out in the A/B Final. In the throne seat game, it was myself and Sarah (Sarin), who, after an impressive win over the Viper Snipers (Damara and Foxy), throwing Lucky Bags lol, played Glen and Presley (Humble B’s) to see who would be sitting on the throne. Presley shooting 8.6 and Glen shooting a 7.8 PPR was too much for Sarah and me, and we were off to the B-side to face Viper Snipers again. Damara and Foxy were heating up, making short work of us. They continued their hot streak once they hit the final, beating the dad and daughter duo 21-19. Damara took control of game two, firing a 9.43 PPR to complete the double dip with Foxy and take the mixed championship.
I know I praise the SCL Ladies all the time, but when you see the top PPRs, you will see why. I will list the top four PPRs because I managed to sneak into the top group for once, but three out of the four top PPRs were ladies.
TOP PPR
- Damara – 8.74
- Bitsy – 8.32
- Presley – 8.32
- Crystal – 8.26
Tier 4 POWER Ranking:
FIRST: DUCKY MAN—Aka Stewart Lyons makes the big jump to Number One. I said a few weeks back that when Stewie gets a chance to play, watch out. Stewie belongs in the number one spot with wins in both singles and doubles.
SECOND: MARLA— Marla sits in the number two spot with a third-place finish and a second-place finish in the Regional. When Marla wants to throw, she can play and compete against anyone.
THIRD: — JOE P – what a weekend for one of the best guys out there, both on and off the cornhole courts. He shot probably the best I have ever seen. He will be hard to beat if he can harness and repeat this weekend’s throw.
FOURTH: — BONNIE D – Bonnie has revamped her throw and removed the step, which has taken some time, but she is working her way back to the podium.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
SARAH P –This gal is slowly making a name for herself. I once again had the privilege to play with her and mixed, where she had to play against some outstanding Tier 3 players, and she more than held her own.
OOPSIDACEY – Mike did not play this week’s regional, which moves him back to a player to watch.
SHAWN COLLINS—Another one of the good ones. I know I have said this before, but when he finds his game, he is really good.
Tier 3 POWER Ranking:
Okay, this might be the hardest week to choose since I started writing this blog. There are so many variables to these picks, and I will attempt to explain them as I go.
FIRST: JONATHAN—I know he only played in the Doubles event, but nothing indicated on Sunday that I should put him in any other position except number one. I would have loved to have seen him in more games, but this is what I had to go with.
SECOND: PATCHES—I struggled with not only number one but also numbers two and three. Andrew let one get away on Tuesday in league play against Newson, but Patches had a better finish in the Regional.
THIRD: NEWSON—Kevin could be in any of these top three spots. When Kevin is playing his game, he can beat anyone. I have him in the third spot, but he is always my pick to handle the pressure and go far in every event.
FOURTH: CAESAR – BIG WIN for Darren in the Singles Regional. Darren has been putting up big numbers lately, but he put it all together on Sunday. Darren dominated the field, and I look forward to him being in this top group and seeing if he can string a few together and make it to the top.
FIFTH – DAMARA – I have added the fifth spot this week because D has been throwing absolute darts for a month now and is too good to have on a watch list. Looking at Damara’s PPR lately, it is off the charts. Her play in every event this Sunday was stellar, and I look forward to seeing how far she can go.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
KASSIGAN – Too bad the weather did not cooperate with Kass’ plan to repeat, but he is still a player to watch.
PRESLEY – Every time she comes out, I love to watch her play. She is so cool under pressure and is in every game she plays. I wish she had the time to play more but I know she is just as good in the other things she does.
