This week was the beginning of Season Two, and wow, it started with a bang!
Monday night, Ladies’ night, they had a record turnout, with 18 Ladies coming out to battle in the Double-Blind draw format. Nine entrants were Newbies to the BackYard, as they tackled the challenge of the 27-foot distance; it was a great evening of throwing. Sarah was a great mentor and coach, as she and Elaine, a Newbie, came from the B-side to double-dip Amber and her Newbie partner, Jacquie, to win the week one title. I want to thank all the veteran throwers for helping the new players. On Monday Ladies Night, the SCL Ladies’ youngest player, Aria Lyons, came out to play. Nine-year-old Aria had the luck of the Blind Draw on her side to end up with one of the better Lady throwers, Jennifer. Aria, with great coaching from Jennifer, finished fifth.
It is fantastic to see the next generations of throwers honing their skills. I was at the club on Saturday, and Aubrey, who is also nine, and her dad, Patches, were in the club practicing. Aubrey also played in Tuesday’s Tier 5 League and joined her dad to form the “A Team” at the last regional mixed doubles event.
Remember, if you have kids or know kids that like to throw, bring them out to toss bags at the BackYard. On Feb 15, 2024, we’re hosting our inaugural Youth Challenge cornhole tournament. We will have two events, Grades 5 to 8 and Grades 9 to 12. Even though Aubrey and Aria are not in Grade 5 yet, I hope they play and dominate in the Youth Challenge.
On Tuesday, we saw the launch of the Tier 5 Season. Sixteen players signed up and came out to throw in a blind draw doubles format event. The Tier 5 season will run for an additional seven weeks, rotating between doubles and singles gameplay. That means this week will see Tier 5 play singles, while Tier 3 and Tier 4 will play doubles. In the Tier 5 bracket, we saw GMAJO and Joey double-dip Brian and Gary to win the first week of the first-ever season of the Tier 5 league. Following this eight-week season, the Tier 5 league will move nights to Wednesdays. So, mark your calendars, as March 06, 2024, will be the start of the next season of the Tier 5 League.
Tier 4 had a different look this week. Last season’s powerhouses, Bonnie P and Stich, were not in the mix. Both decided to play Tier 3 this season to improve their games with the increased competition. This new look in Tier 4 made things very tight, as everyone was firing some decent PPRs. After some time away, Brad (B-RAD) and Bonnie D returned this season, and B-RAD led the way in the round-robin. He was the only 4-0 player in the Round-robin but could not keep it going into the bracket. Someone that did get it going in the bracket was Oopsidacey. Mike went undefeated as he beat Bonnie D to take the win. Some OG yet new names this season include Brad (B-RAD) and Bonnie D; plus, it’s nice to see Fred back this season. Reminder: there is always room for more in our league.
Tier 3 league saw ten players battling it out in singles gameplay for their first week. Franco came out strong, like B-RAD in Tier 4; he was the only 4-0 player in the Round-robin but could not translate it into success in the bracket. Someone that did have a successful bracket was Spilly. Even when he struggles, Dylan is tough to beat, as he continues to push himself to improve in every game he plays. Spilly found himself in the King seat with a 24-0 win over Newson. After losing to Spilly in the A-side, Patches returned to face Spilly in the final. Andrew took game one, but Spilly took down Patches in game 2 for the win. You may wonder how the Tier 4 players made out in the move to Tier 3. Bonnie P ended the round-robin with a 2-2 record and a huge win over Newson in the round-robin. Stich battled hard all night but did not get a win. I remember my first few weeks in the Hawk division (tier 3); I battled for a few weeks before registering my first win.
The Friday night FunHolio looked slightly different as some regulars played in a North Dakota tournament. Glen, Dean, Newson, Dianne, Parker, and Damara were at the Sky Dancer Casino to play against some USA competition. The Saskatchewan Cornhole League and Association represented well. Glen and Dean (styling the SCL jersey) came through the B side to double-dip the A side to win the Open Doubles event. Parker and Damara won the mixed event, and Damara represented the SCL Ladies as she finished second in the ladies’ singles event. I am sure our three SCA board members took the opportunity to talk about what we are doing here in Saskatchewan. Events like this create an easy and essential opportunity to let people know about the SCL’s great players and the excellent cornhole community the SCA is building here in Saskatchewan. I always look forward to seeing our SCA board members and SCL players pictured on the podium while styled in some of our SCL and SCA Backyard jerseys.
Friday Switch had 60 players participating in a fun-filled evening. After the round-robin, four players had a 6-0 record. Caesar edged out Bobber, Franco, and Ritzy with 142 points. The bracket was created, and some teams would be tough to beat. After a week off, Stettner returned to the first-place spot, as he and I went undefeated to win the night. We beat Stich and Gerry to take the money. I also want to give a shout-out to my favourite pairing of the night. Stewie and Davey Boy had the most fun as they took a tequila shot before every match. Dave has some bragging rights this Friday over his wife Kim, a regular on my blog. Good work, Dave and Stew.
POWER RANKING
The TIER 3 power ranking. The Top 5 are the same names, just in different order. Unlike Tier 4, this Power Ranking stays pretty consistent.
1ST – Jonathon– Did not play this week but will be in the number one spot until he gets taken out by someone beating him.
2ND – Spilly – with an impressive win Tuesday, Spilly moves to the second spot. Even as good as Spilly has been struggling a bit lately, which is a scary situation. If Spilly can find his consistency, he may be unbeatable.
3RD – Patches – Andrew moves up two spots this week. In the last two weeks, every indication is Patches is one to watch out for. His dedicated work ethic and positive attitude are always a pleasure to play. His practice is paying off, and it will only be a matter of time before he gets his Gold medal.
4TH – Newson – moves down to the fourth spot.
5TH – Krentzy – Parker did not play this week.
Tier 4 power ranking. This season’s rankings are going to be a bit different. Bonnie and Stich technically are still Tier 4 because when they started the season, their PPR had them in Tier 4. They will also be representing Saskatchewan Cornhole League in the Top 16 Tier 4 event at Nationals. They are attempting to improve as they play in the Hawk Division this season. So, I will leave them out of my power ranking for excitement. Remember that they are technically still one and two in Tier 4.
1ST – Ringo – The one person who will benefit from the exit of Bonnie Pand Stich is Regan. He is in this spot for one reason and one reason only. He is a top Three Tier 4 player in Canada, according to Cornhole Canada stats, which means he wins in this Tier. Keeping that in mind, if he continues to struggle, he will drop fast because some great players are getting better every week.
2ND – Jennifer – I would love to see Jennifer come out and compete on Tuesdays and see if she can consistently win at the Tier 4 level. She has proven challenging to beat and is on the podium every time she plays.
3RD – Oopsidacey – with a win in week one of season two, Mike moves up to the third spot. I have said before that Mike is someone to watch out for. His game is moving in the right direction, and his consistency is getting stronger, making him a force to be reckoned with.
4TH – Bonnie Day – Freeing up time to come out and throw on Tuesdays, Bonnie will be the name to watch as she is always tough to play. She has played plenty of games against the Hawks and has held her own. She will benefit from playing every week, and I think she will quickly move up these rankings.
5Th – B-RAD – Brad had a great round-robin in week one and an excellent finish after some time away from the organized game. Brad can throw lights out at times, and it will be interesting to see if he can move his game to a consistent level and move up the rankings.
Being week one, I could not put everyone in the ranking, but Lucas and Sarah could be tied with Brad for who could be in the fifth spot. I personally cannot wait to see how this season plays out.
