Valley Forge 8-Ball Champions Crowned

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Four King of Prussia Champions Crowned
Valley Forge 8-Ball Bar Box Championships / King of Prussia, PA

by InsidePOOL Staff

Allen Hopkins did it again with his Valley Forge 8-Ball Bar Box Championships, a multi-level pool extravaganza that crowned winners in four different divisions. The summertime event was held June 19-21 at the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia, PA.

With 184 players in the open division, the action was fast and furious. The single-elimination format saw the event wind down to its final 16 by Sunday morning, and the final 32 places were paid. Notable players competing were Joey Testa, Shaun Wilkie, Scott Tollefson, Matt Krah, Josh Brothers, and Mike Miller. Dave Daya, a Pennsylvania resident and a regional champion, went all the way through to the winner’s circle, besting Joey Testa in the semifinals 8-4 to face off against Miller in the final match.

Miller, fresh off a hill-hill semifinal victory over Horace Aughtry, drew first blood when he broke and ran out the initial rack, but he foundered from there. Daya scooped the next three racks in a row to make it 3-1 in his favor, but Miller countered with a nice break and run of his own in the next. The score leveled at 3 apiece when Daya ran out but scratched on the 8 ball, and the two traded the next four games to bring the score to 5-all. At this point Daya made his move, winning a safety battle to go up another game, and then pocketing the 8 ball on his next break to reach the hill. Though Miller had a chance in the final rack when Daya missed a tough shot, he missed a solid of his own, and Daya dished up to win the match 8-5 and the first prize of $1,500.

The 13-year-old Briana Miller, a former junior world champion, had an incredible event, participating in both the ladies’ and the 14-and-under divisions and reaching the finals of both. There were 28 ladies who vied for the top spot and the $700 first-place prize, with Miller reaching the finals with victories over Denise Reeve, Stacy Lantz, and Kim McKenna in the semifinals. Her opponent in the final match was Kim Smith, who notched wins over Christine Phelps, Jackie Lenker, and Kim Myer. Smith didn’t put up much of a fight in the final match, though, and Miller was able to take the victory rather easily 5-2.

And she didn’t stop there, besting Daulton Nace, Tyler Levins, and Jacob Humphreys in the 14-and-under division to reach the finals there as well. Her opponent, Jonathan Castillo, won his matches over Sam Martini, Luke Wanamaker, and Kyle Koskovich to meet her there. However, Miller had to forfeit her place in the finals of the 14-and-under division because she was preoccupied with the ladies’ division finals, so Castillo won the event. The juniors’ 14-and-under division had a total of 16 participants and awarded trophies and prizes.

In the juniors’ 19-and-under division, which brought in 14 players, another lady almost swept the event much as Miller almost did in her juniors’ division. Taylor Christie met with Justin Crosco in the finals, having bested Danny Swayze, Matthew Hummel, and then Chad Rarick in the semifinals. Crosco had to defeat Shane Miller, Christian Giambuzzi, and Vincent Messalina to reach the final match. But this match was a lopsided one, with Crosco winning 4-2 before Christie could get started.

In one of two satellite tournaments, Dennis Spears triumphed over the 8-player field to take top honors after defeating Jerry Hager in the final match. In the 8-player ladies’ satellite event, Kim Smith went undefeated to the end, besting Kim Myers in the finals.

Allen Hopkins did it again with his Valley Forge 8-Ball Bar Box Championships, a multi-level pool extravaganza that crowned winners in four different divisions. The summertime event was held June 19-21 at the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia, PA.

Open Results:
1st Dave Daya $1,500
2nd Mike Miller $800
3rd Horace Aughtry $500
Joey Testa
5th Greg Black $350
Joseph Sauro
Randy Clepper
Larry Szwaczkowski
9th Bruce Nagle $250
Bill Kirschner
Paul Smith
Mark Stanley
Randy Schwager
Daniel Gonzalez
Mike Cumberledge
Rich Nace

Ladies’ Results:
1st Briana Miller $700
2nd Kim Smith $400
3rd Kim Myer $200
Kim McKenna
5th Jackie Lenker $125
Alex Calabrese
Cheryl Pritchard
Stacy Lantz

Juniors’ 19-and-Under Results:
1st Justin Crosco
2nd Taylor Christie
3rd Chad Rarick
Vincent Messina

Juniors’ 14-and-Under Results:
1st Jonathan Castillo
2nd Briana Miller
3rd Kyle Koskovitch
Jacob Humphreys