San Gabriel, CA, WPH Press, 8/13/23
WPH Outdoor was thrilled to present the 2023 California Bowl on August 12 at Smith Park in San Gabriel, CA, featuring $2500 prize money and direct entries for the finalists into the $10k WPH Ice Bowl at Clark Park on August 19.
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Twenty-eight players entered the CA Bowl, all with their sights set on clinching the prestigious title and the entries into next weekend’s Ice Bowl.
In the upper bracket, Chris Vargas defeated Carlos Marin, followed by top-seeded and reigning Ice Bowl champion Oscar Siordia and Jose Villegas to make the semifinals and earn MVP honors. “Vargas was focused and very accurate with his shots and the crowd was behind him and embraced him,” reported Tom Flores.
Anthony Hernandez ended Vargas’s MVP run in the semifinals, rallying from a 6-12 first game loss to win the next two to advance to the final. “Chopper’s (Hernandez) experience and poise was the difference after losing the first game, using a more of a pass/kill plan, which seemed to tire Vargas,” stated Flores.
Unlike the upper bracket, the bottom bracket did not feature any surprises, as second-seeded Chava Cordova faced third-seeded Ivan Chapa for a spot in the final.
“Chava started with a pass-kill plan that didn’t work, as Chicha (Chapa) is known to be a master defensive player,” stated Flores. “Chava is normally a serve-kill player, but that seemed to play into Ivan’s game. In addition to Ivan’s defensive style, he has also developed a very good underhand stiff paddle kill. That paddle kill was on point against Chava and that seemed to be the difference. Chava could not recover and lost in two games.”
Third-seeded Chapa and fourth-seeded Hernandez would go the distance for the CA Bowl title in an electric atmosphere under the lights at Smith Park. Chapa raced to a one-game lead, pushing Hernandez into the back court and dictating rallies. “Chapa’s well-known defensive play forced critical errors from Hernandez that led to Chapa taking game one,” stated Flores.
Enjoying the contrast of styles and the title at stake, the crowd roared throughout the first game and into the second.
“Hernandez was bothered by the crowd rumbling as the referee called the score to start game two and repeatedly complained to the referee,” stated Flores. Hernandez was, however, able to regain his composure and force a third.
The beginning of the tiebreaker featured several tremendous rallies, with Chapa and Hernandez eventually tied at four. “The crowd again got the best of Hernandez at 4-4, as he continued to complain as the crowd cheered Chapa’s shots before rallies ended,” stated Flores. “Hernandez called timeouts to plead for silence but the silence he requested was not granted and he never regained his composure.” Hernandez’s distress combined with Chapa’s outstanding play clinched the title for Chapa.
Both Chapa and Hernandez earned entries into next weekend’s Ice Bowl and will be on the short list of favorites to receive the Ice Bowl ice plunge.
Semifinals
Chapa def C. Cordova 12-8, 12-7
Hernandez def C. Vargas 6-12, 12-9, 12-5
Final: Chapa def A. Hernandez 12-7, 8-12, 12-7
Thank you to Tom Flores for organizing, running and reporting from the 2023 CA Bowl.
Pictures courtesy of Tom Flores
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer