Turning Stone Classic VIII
by Rick Davis
Starting the day on the one-loss side, Johnny Archer made his way through the gauntlet of matches to defend his title at the Turning Stone Classic, walking away with $8,000, the lion’s share of the $42,000 total purse.
The day began on the winners’ side where 17-year old Canadian player John Morra was still lighting up the chart. A quick 9-5 win against Santos Sambajon Jr. ushered Morra into the hot seat match against Jose Parica, who had defeated Joey Korsiak in the previous round 9-4. Then, in the hot seat match, the scales stayed about even through the final game, where Morra was again able to best his opponent, sending Parica to the one-loss side.
Meanwhile, action on the one-loss side was in full swing as Steve Moore eliminated Rodolfo Luat 9-6 and Archer knocked out Warren Kiamco 9-7. Archer took advantage of his momentum, eliminating Sambajon next after a quick 9-2 scuffle, and Korsiak made his Northern fans proud by eliminating Atlanta’s Moore 9-6.
Archer had been in this position before, though, and was surely the favorite to come out on top of the one-loss side. The quarterfinals gave Archer room enough to eliminate Korsiak 9-5, while the semifinals had him sending Parica packing 9-6, reaching the finals after a rough uphill battle on the edge of elimination.
With the extended race to 13, the finals offered the title to anyone, but it would not long before the outcome could be seen. Taking a commanding lead, then rapidly building it, Archer took the match 13-4 to reclaim the event and defend his title.
Results:
1st Johnny Archer
2nd John Morra
3rd Jose Parica
4th Joey Korsiak
5th Steve Moore
Santos Sambajon Jr.
7th Rodolfo Luat
Warren Kiamco
