WPH Press, San Gabriel, CA, 7/27/24
The WPH Ice Bowl qualifier was held at Smith Park in San Gabriel, CA on the last Saturday in July, with twenty-one singles players and eight doubles teams competing for spots in the August 17-18 WPH Ice Bowl in Tucson, AZ.
Ice Bowl Qualifier Singles
Big Ball 3-Wall’s Mauricio Molina announced himself as a major player on the Southern California handball scene at the WPH Ice Bowl qualifier, surging to the title with impressive wins against Danny Vasquez in the semifinals and Ivan Chapa in the final.
“The singles bracket was very competitive,” stated tournament director Tom Flores. “Mauricio battled the San Gabriel heat and his opponents and he really earned that title today.”
Molina did not allow Chapa to become comfortable in the final, negating Chapa’s speed and court coverage by dictating play.
“Molina started aggressive in the first game of the finals,” stated Flores. “With serve-kill action, he got a big lead and dominated that game. Molina has been playing really well lately. It was exciting watching a new player get in the mix of the top players.”
“I played really good, mostly all my shots were coming out,” Molina would later say after beating Chapa for the first time in a tournament. “I’m happy I beat him today.”
Semifinals
Mauricio Molina def Danny Vasquez 15-5, 15-13
Ivan Chapa def Johnny Castellanos 15-12, 15-8
Final: Molina beat Chapa 15-5, 15-13
Ice Bowl Qualifier Doubles
Danny Vasquez/Eddie Torito def Mauricio Molina/Tino Hazzard 15-8, 15-13
Congratulations to Mauricio Molina, Danny Vasquez, Danny Vasquez, and Eddie Torito for earning their spots in the upcoming Ice Bowl.
Thank you to Tom Flores for organizing and running the WPH Ice Bowl Qualifier.
Photos courtesy of Tom Flores
August 17-18, 2024 WPH Ice Bowl info and entry page HERE
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer