LOADED: ACL OPEN #4 PREVIEW
Oh it’s that magical season. We transition from stuffing faces and ruining livers on Thanksgiving to draining our bank accounts on “Christmas Gifts” (I got you bag addicts). What better way to distract us from the busy Holiday schedule than to dive head first into the deep sea of cornhole talent that will be attending this weekend’s ACL open event! I swear it seems like each ACL Open event gets deeper, allowing us all to get a good sense of who is/are the early favorites as we creep closer to the first National Event of the season!
Open events are always interesting to watch unfold and hard to predict. The talent depth is ridiculous and you often find players switching up partners. There is only so much room among the top though at these open events. It is inevitable that we will see a team or two in Tier 2 that no one could have predicted. Let’s take a closer look at some teams and individuals who I feel will have a “successful” weekend…..
Reigning ACL Open Doubles champs, Matt and Bret Guy reminded the cornhole world just how good this Father-Son duo can be. Matt has been throwing out of this world, a subtle flex to remind all who is THE G.O.A.T. The dude is averaging, through all ACL competitions this young season, a 10.69 PPR. The next best?? Bill Hadley coming in at 9.92 PPR. The difference of .77 PPR between #1 and #2 is the same difference as there is between #2 and #78 (excuse me?!?!?). Matt is back to stepping…stepping on necks, crushing souls….and I love it! When I watched Guy-Guy play in the Cincinnati Open event, it was Bret who was just above average. It seemed obvious Bret was getting used to a slicker bag, which his Dad preferred. Fast forward several weeks and I am confident the “Hitman” will put it all together. If that’s the case…..well I don’t know if anyone is stopping them.
The Twin Terrors, Jackson and Jacob Gore were disappointed they were not selected as ACL pros this season. They will be participating in the ACL PDC (Pro Development Cup) for chances to participate in the Pro division at Nationals. If these two stay level headed…and they get hot…..it’s inevitable we will see these two make a deep run. They thrive off of positivity and when they are both throwing well, you can just see the Swagger dripping off them both. I fully expect to see these young dudes make some noise this weekend.
Ryan Smith played outstanding with Steven Bernacet at the last open event through Rounders. This time he finds himself playing with his 2021-2022 ACL Pro partner, Eric Anderson. As we get closer to the first National Event of the year, I am curious to see these two play together again. Anderson, who primarily had thrown slower carpet bags throughout his career, made a solid run throwing BG Darkslides in Cincinnati. I like that he showed he can be versatile and a slicker bag might be more in Smith’s wheelhouse. Board conditions will play a big factor this weekend with this team, but I expect them to finish among the top in Tier 1.
A team that really is quietly sneaking into this event, that I haven’t heard much noise about is Devon Harbaugh and Alex Hicks. Harbaugh has continued to throw very well after making a big leap forward last season. Alex Hicks could very well be the best junior Pro in the game. A pair like this could very easily find themselves in the mix at the end of the day.
Josh and Derek Holland had an impressive run at the previous Open event as they tied for 3rd in the bracket. These two are just about as consistent as they come. When playing these two, it seems a 4 bagger is almost as inevitable as a cat landing on its’ feet. Speaking of which, apparently Cornhole Scenario isn’t going anywhere….Derek Holland proudly meowed today that both he and Josh would be sponsored by Cornhole Scenario this upcoming season! I’m predicting a top 5 finish for these two when all is said and done this weekend.
Jamie Graham has been looking like the Jamie Graham of two seasons ago. Watching him in Cincinnati, his throw looked confident and he was flat out stroking. His partner this weekend? Some kid named Erick Davis, who happened to be the best doubles player in the world last season. If I were a betting man, these two would be a strong consideration as a pick to win the entire event.
Brandon Jones and Duncan Clemmer ended last year throwing some serious heat. These two have great chemistry on the board and have confidence for DAYS. Brandon is recently married! Coming from a married man congratulations (and I am sorry)! Just joking! I love my wife most days! But seriously…let’s see if that honey-do-list gets in his way of hitting Stovepipes all day long.
Let’s take a brief look at a few teams that I think will fly under the radar this season, but will end up with solid finishes when all is said and done: Stout/Corley have a ton of talent! Stout won’t be participating in Pro Singles events this year, which is where he has really shined in previous seasons. Will this make him hungrier to perform well, knowing his opportunities are limited this season? Corley has been a very consistent pro doubles player over the past two seasons. I expect these two to have a solid showing. Berklee Pair is one of the more talented ACL rookie players to enter this year and added depth to the Local Bags team. He has a very well rounded game and can hit just ridiculous shots at times. He is playing with the always popular, Trevor Brooks. These two teamed up at the Erie Open last season and made a decent run. They had great chemistry on the boards. If Trevor can follow his own advice and “Be a star”, these two most certainly make a splash. Morton and Cripps are bound to make noise at an event this year. Morton, came back to earth last season after showing the world his full potential. I’ve been on record in several article stating I like this pairing. They are both young, can have some fun, but when the time comes…will Morton remind people he has top 10 talent? I have been dying to see it. Finally, an interesting pairing going into this weekend that I really like…..Camba and Malone. I just have this gut feeling they would be worth putting money on. They both play power type games and I just think it’s a smart pairing, full of potential. Bold prediction?? These two finish top 4.
