Skyler Woodward
Sky Woodward and Dennis Orcollo played three matches against each other at the 2nd Annual Texas State 10-Ball Championships, held on the weekend of February 13-14. All three ended in 7-5 scores, one game away from double hill, and Woodward took two out of the three. They were the last two, and allowed him to claim the event title. The $4,000-added event drew a full field of 128 entrants to Skinny Bob's Billiards in Round Rock, TX. Of the $4,000-added, $500 went to the highest finisher among the women who competed. Jennifer Kraber, who finished just out of the money in the tie for 33rd place, took home the $500.
Of the top 12 finishers in this year's championship, only one was present among the top 12 last year - Jeremy Jones, who finished third last year and fifth this year. Junior Jueco, who finished 13th last year, finished fourth this year. Early favorites in this race to the Texas 10-Ball title were Justin Bergman, Woodward, Orcollo and Tony Chohan.
Jones and Jueco matched up in this year's winners' side quarterfinals, with Jones advancing to the winners' side semifinal against Orcollo, who'd gotten by (among others) Shane Harvey, Jason Klatt and Tommy Tokoph. Woodward, in the meantime, following victories over Ruben Bautista, Billy Thorpe and Warren Kiamco (who'd just sent last year's winner, Manny Chau to the loss side, never to return), squared off against Bergman.
Woodward sent Bergman to the loss side 7-4, while Orcollo was downing Jones 7-3. In their first of three, Orcollo claimed the hot seat 7-5.
On the loss side, Bergman picked up Jueco, who'd eliminated Billy Thorpe 7-4 and just did survive a double hill fight against Josh Roberts. Jones drew Roberto Gomez, who was exceeding a variety of expectations, and had defeated Robb Saez 7-5 and CJ Wiley 7-1 to reach Jones. Gomez continued his somewhat unexpected run by defeating Jones 7-2, as Jueco surprised Bergman (and quite a few other people) by defeating him 7-2.
Gomez chalked up his fourth straight loss-side win with a 7-4 defeat of Jueco in the quarterfinals, and gave Woodward a lot to think about during a double hill fight in the semifinals. Woodward survived and moved on to the true double elimination final.
A pair of not-too-surprising tight matches followed, both of them falling that single game short of double hill. Woodward won them both to claim the 2016 Texas State 10-Ball Championship title.
