The Arizona BCA Pool Association held their second annual State Championships at The Sets in Tempe, Arizona over the weekend and crowned both new and returning champions.
The Men's singles division got underway on Friday night with reigning champion Max 'The Anaconda' Ramirez ready to defend his title. Ramirez started with a bye, followed up with wins over teammate Curt Antol, John Staten, Mark Nelson and Chuck Parrill. This set up the hot-seat match with Greg Williams, while Max's teammates Curt Antol and Larry Eans fought it out on the one-loss side. Ramirez dispatched Williams and Antol dispatched Eans to set up Antol and Williams on the one-loss side while Max waited for an opponent in the finals. After Williams defeated Antol, he would get his second shot at Ramirez in the true double elimination finals. The first set went to hill-hill before Ramirez pocketed the final 8-ball. Unfortunately, he also pocketed the cue ball, allowing Williams to win that first set. Ramirez would not allow the second set to get that close, as he defeated Williams 5-2 for his second straight Arizona State Championship. Ramirez collected $425 for first place.
The ladies single division saw reigning champion Diana Clayton drop her first match of the event. With Clayton out of the picture, it paved the way for Michaele Kedanis to cruise through the brackets to the hot-seat. Her opponent in the finals would be none other than Clayton, playing well with 6 wins under her belt up to that point. Clayton made it seven wins with a 4-2 victory over Kedanis, forcing a second set to determine the champion. Kedanis won the final set 4-1 to become the new Arizona State Champion. Kedanis collected $275 for the win.
With three of it's five players in the final four of the Men's division, The Muchachos from Knobbys were the favorites to repeat as Open Team Division Champions. Their opponents for the hot-seat would be the team from Pappys Sports Bar. The same team that the Muchachos defeated in last year's state championship and again in Vegas at the National Championships. This meeting between the two teams was no different as the Muchachos scored the victory. After Pappy's eliminated Deadstroke on the one-loss side, it was another meeting between them and the Muchachos. Again, this meeting went the Muchachos way, as the repeated as Arizona State Champions.
This left the Women's division as the only division still playing and that was rectified quickly, as the Kolby's "Katie" team defeated #51 in the finals to claim the title of Women's State Champions.
Congratulations to Max Ramirez, Michelle Kedanis, Knobby's Muchachos Ron Weeks, Jerry Shearer, Curt Antol, Larry Eans, Max Ramirez and Womens teams: Kolby's "Katie"'s Bernie Store, Katie Gray, Michaele Kedanis, Dee Gibson for their wins.
