Johnny "The Scorpion" Archer has never won a Seminole Pro Tour title... until now. Falling short of championship glory at the Mizerak Championships for the last 2 years, Archer would not be denied this year. Exhibiting the world class combination of power and control that garnered "The Scorpion" with multiple world 9 ball titles, Johnny played above and beyond the rest of his peers.
Archer's road to the finals was littered with impressive victories. Most notable were his two victories against former US Open champions Rodney Morris and John Schmidt. Tied at 4-4, Archer broke and ran four consecutive racks on “The Rocket” in a winner's side matchup. Then in the hot-seat match, Archer showed some real lock-down pool as he steam rolled “Mr. 400” John Schmidt.
Rodney Morris had to take a more difficult path through the treacherous one-loss side to make it back to the finals. He would defeat Rafael Martinez 8-2, Shane Van Boening 8-7, and John Schmidt 8-6 in succession for a chance at redemption against Archer. The stage was set for a clash of two legends.
Archer and Morris both struggled early on in their match, not being able to find the break for the TV table. At 3-2 in favor of Archer, Morris would miss a long shot on the four ball. Focusing on the position of the cue ball more than the pocket, Morris hung up the four and left Archer with a manageable run-out. The next game would see both players jockeying for position through a safety exchange that ultimately went to “The Rocket”. Trailing now by a score of 4-3, Morris came with a break and finish after a fantastic cut on the 6 ball to tie the score at 4-4.
Morris continued to struggle on the break, coming up dry in the ninth game. It would seem that “The Scorpion” would clear the table but after an errant scratch on the five ball, Rodney fulfilled the task nicely finishing off the rack with a beautiful power draw shot that brought the cue ball 1 rail for position on the 10. Leading at 5-4, Morris once again found no friends on the break and after a strong safety exchange, Archer would tie the match.
The crowd could really sense the pressure in the player's arena at this point. Cheering loudly for their favorite, they applauded as Archer, feeding off the crowd's energy, followed with a timely break and run. Unfortunately Johnny couldn't replicate that feat in the twelfth frame as he broke and scratched. Rodney, with the cool demeanor that brought him such success in the past, ran out to uproarious applause. Tied at 6-6, Rodney once again broke dry, after a brief safety exchange, “The Scorpion” would take control of the match. With a fantastic cross-corner bank, the former World 9 Ball Champion Archer would clear the table and take the lead at 7-6.
The crowd, could sense Johnny's determination, and watched as he would break and run the next rack to claim the hill at 8-6. In the last frame Morris would have an opportunity to make a comeback, however after a goofy kiss off of the point from the side-pocket, Rodney's cue-ball sailed cross table and scratched in the opposite side pocket. Archer's back was turned and to the table, and from the audience's chuckles, Archer realized that Morris had jokingly stopped the cue-ball with his fingers in the jaws of the side pocket. With ball in hand, Archer collected the last few balls on the table and with it the $15,000 top prize and title of Steve Mizerak 10 Ball Champion.
In the presence of a wonderful crowd, and members of the Seminole Tribal council, Archer and Morris gracefully accepted their respective prizes. Showing truly why they are revered as some of the top players of our sport. Their tact, sportsmanship, and wonderful spirit of competition are examples that should be followed by all players.
This event was an amazing one as always, and it is precisely due to the dedication and willingness of the Seminole Tribe of Florida to sponsor professional pool and billiards that this was all possible. Special thanks to them for continuing to set the bar and leading the way in men's professional 10 ball. We'd also like to say special thanks to Brunswick and Simonis cloth for providing such excellent playing conditions. Thank you as well to theactionreport.com for providing top notch quality streaming of the event during the week. Special thanks as well to Fred Stoll of filmlessart.com for providing such wonderful images throughout the event. Finally, we'd like to thank all those who've supported the Seminole Pro Tour throughout the entire season. It's been quite a successful year, and we await an even more successful season next year.
