Fresno, CA, WPH Press, 10/19/22
The SoCal vs. NorCal showdown was held at Fresno’s Valley Fitness on the second Saturday in October, featuring many of the best pro, open, and master’s players representing their half of The Golden State.
Team SoCal, represented by top 20 R48 pro Dylan Hernandez, Daniel Badillo, and John A. Bike, amongst others, clinched the title against NorCal, winning nine of the thirteen matches.
The feature singles matches pitted SoCal’s Dylan Hernandez against NorCal’s Hugo Lopez and SoCal’s and SoCal’s John A. Bike against Javier Badillo. Hernandez ousted Lopez in two games, while Javier Badillo overcame Bike in two games. “Javier is definitely the hardest hitter I’ve ever faced,” stated future R48 star John Bike. “Javier takes a short swing but hits every shot with a lot of power.”
Team SoCal’s Dylan Hernandez teamed with his good friend Daniel Badillo to defeat NorCal’s Fernando Dia and Javier Badillo in the event’s showcase doubles match.
SR48 star George Garcia teamed with John Bike in the co-feature doubles match to defeat NorCal’s Luis Bustos and Augustine Martinez. “The kid is playing good,” barked Garcia in reference to his doubles partner. “But what else would we expect with so much talent in the family!”
“We dominated the SoCal/NorCal Cup,” stated Hernandez. “Great event.
“The event was very fun,” stated Jab Bike. “It was fun to play and be part of a team in handball. There was definitely some extra motivation to win matches because of the team aspect.”
“Lots of good matches,” stated Daniel Badillo. “We definitely handled NorCal’s team!”
Final: SoCal def Norcal 9 matches – 4 matches
Huge thanks to tournament directors Tom Martinez, Tom Fitzwater, and Mike Flores for organizing a great event and banquet.
Event photos courtesy of Tom Martinez
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer