With the winner's side of the bracket at the end of day two looking like a virtual Mosconi Cup team, there is no clear cut favorite yet to win this prestigious event. The final four undefeated players are Johnny Archer vs Rodney Morris, and Shane Van Boening vs. John Schmidt. Archer has had notable victories against Rafael Martinez 8-4 and John Rouse 7-2 to secure his spot in the final four of the winner's side. His opponent, Mosconi Cup contender, Rodney "The Rocket" Morris has had successive wins over Dan Lavoie, Beau Runningen 7-4, Richie Pigliese 7-3, and Earl Strickland 8-4 on his way to the winner's side semi-finals. Those two combatants are sure to put on quite a show at 4pm Saturday afternoon.
The second pairing of Shane Van Boening and John Schmidt will undoubtedly be a high powered affair. Many would deem Van Boening the odds on favorite to win the event from here. What with his powerhouse break, and historical success on the Seminole Pro Tour, that pick is very justifiable. But no one in the event has dominated their opponents more so than John Schmidt. "Mr. 400" has only lost 13 total games throughout the event. With wins over James Ladeira 7-3, Stevie Moore 7-3, Richard Broumpton 7-1, and Corey Deuel 8-6 Schmidt is looking very strong indeed.
The loser's side is really heating up as well. Mike Davis who'd lost a controversial match against Shane Van Boening on the winner's side, was eliminated by young Canadian champion Jason Klatt 7-2. Klatt will face-off against Shawn Putnam at 12 noon. Putnam is also playing very well coming off of a win against Larry Nevel 7-5.
Florida's presence is still strongly felt in this event with 7 competitors still vying for the title. John Schmidt remains as the sole undefeated Floridian. But on the one loss side you'll find Richard Broumpton, who just eliminated John Morra by an impressive 7-3 margin. Also, Justin Hall and John Rouse are set to match up at 12 noon. Justin, the youngest player left in the field has just eliminated Charlie Williams 7-6, and Keith Bennett in succession. Hall will face Hollywood's own "Monster" John Rouse. "Monster" has been having a great event thus far. After suffering a 7-2 loss at the hands of Johnny Archer, Rouse recovered nicely with an exciting hill-hill triumph over none other than Stevie Moore. With that loss, Stevie's bid to repeat as Steve Mizerak champion is over. We are guaranteed to crown a new title holder by Sunday evening.
Rounding out the list of Floridians are Hunter Lombardo (facing George Breedlove at 12pm), Donny Mills and Corey Deuel. Mills and Deuel are still awaiting match assignments from the first round of one loss side play.
This event is really shaping up to be a spectacular one. With so many world class players in contention, there is no telling who will come out on top. The only way to find out is to come and see it for yourself. This beautiful stadium setting gives the spectators the best perspective to watch all the matches at once. It truly is a delight to be here, and all thanks to the generosity and commitment of the Seminole Tribe of Florida. To catch the live internet streaming of the event, go to TAR's website www.theactionreport.com. Stay tuned for the final day's action.
