The American Cornhole League is heading down to the Bayou for the tenth Open of the season! The brackets this weekend are loaded with talent and with only two ACL Opens left before Signature #1, there are a few teams who need a good finish before the Pro season begins. The ACL Pros are gearing up for battle and it shows in the registration lineup. ACL Open #10 will be star studded, lets talk about it.
WOMEN’S SINGLES:
After examining the division’s registrant list, it’s obvious that this is the most-stacked Women’s Singles tournament in a long time. All constituents of Florida’s “three-headed monster” will be in attendance: Cheyenne Bubenheim, the winningest female cornhole player of all time; Sarah Cassidy, who has the highest PPR in the Women’s division; and Samantha Finley, who is coming off an impressive Florida Interstate Open Singles win. If I had to choose who will win between one of these women and the field, it would be really hard to take the field on this one.
However, this doesn’t mean it will be an easy win for anyone. Elizabeth Tennyson is coming off a Women’s Division sweep after ACL Open #9 in Reno. She reported feeling confident in her abilities going into this weekend and rightfully so.
Additionally, Keyara Peterson is one of the top women’s players in Michigan who wants a good Open finish more than anything. Fans should also keep their eye on Kemberly Jenkins, Gina Ramirez, and Debra Odum. You can pretty much count on seeing them compete on the livestream court as they near the end of their brackets.
WOMEN’S DOUBLES:
Cheyenne Bubenheim and Gina Ramirez have already proved to be one of, if not the best, Women’s Doubles teams in the nation. With multiple Open wins already under their belt, it's hard to not bet on them to at least make the finals. Unfortunately for many players, “Jake’s jinxes” are a very real thing, so I won’t say Bubenheim and Ramirez are going to win the whole thing. Instead, I’ll say that I think they have an incredibly strong chance of winning.
Bubenheim and Ramirez aren’t the only team on my radar right now. Debra Odum and Isabella Surprenant have also caught my eye. I love their chemistry and they have the widest age margin in the entire tournament, but it’s their experience and familiarity as a team that gives them an edge. If Isabella can find her roll bag early on, these two are going to be a problem for everyone else.
SENIOR SINGLES
Per usual, the Senior Division field is wide open, but the only consistent finisher I’ve seen this season is Steve Schroeder. He’s claimed a handful of Senior division wins, but other than that, I don’t have much to go off when predicting the next champions.
However, what I do know is that Daymon Dennis has one Senior Singles win and Frank Modlin has none. While it may sound crazy, it makes sense because the Senior division always draws more local players than any other.
Players don’t travel as much to play in Senior tournaments, so you can often bet on a local competitor taking the crown rather than a seasoned pro. I like Dan Glogouski this weekend, as well as Benjamin Frederick, but besides that, I have no clue. Senior Singles is up in the air, for sure.
SENIOR DOUBLES
I can’t say much about Senior Doubles since there are no real front-runners. You would expect a team like Daymon Dennis and Frank Modlin to dominate the field, but they still have not won a Senior Doubles tournament this season and have had a lackluster campaign so far.
However, I like the team of Mike Clayton and Brad Kraft. These two have had a very successful season so far, with both a first and second place finish in Senior Doubles together already. Also, ACL truck driver Steve Schroeder found himself another good partner in Dan Glogouski. This will be a very entertaining bracket to watch.
JUNIOR SINGLES
The Junior division in West Monroe will be small, but it will surely be stacked. Ryan Traiteur took a little time off from attending ACL Opens and people have speculated that he is currently in a slump, so I am curious to see if this event will help or hurt him heading into the ACL Pro season.
Brayden Wilson is back in action as well and I know he is looking for a good finish. He could use a confidence boost before the first Signature event in April.
Zack Aiken has to be the overall favorite, right? This season, he claimed a Pro Singles win in Albuquerque, placed second overall in Reno, and secured a Junior Singles win in Reno as well. Aiken is the early bird front-runner for Rookie of the Year, so it is going to be hard to bet against him this weekend.
JUNIOR DOUBLES
As stacked as the Junior Singles bracket will be, Junior Doubles may be even crazier. This weekend, we have Zack Aiken playing with the best player from the Pacific Northwest, Hayden Gonzales. Brayden Wilson is competing with nine-year-old phenom Cash Chamness. Other partnerships include E-Max Ethan Farias and Gabe Clauson, Jayden Ellis and Zayne Crots, plus Levi Haddock and Bryce Forbes. This bracket is must-see TV.
ACL PRO & ELITE DOUBLES
As we near the Signature season, we will see more ACL Pros competing with their true Doubles partner. It’s not just about getting in reps before they matter; it’s to work on their team chemistry and iron out the kinks heading into April.
Several Pro Doubles teams that we have not seen at an Open recently will be competing together in Louisiana this weekend. Alex Rawls and Derek Holland, who finished as the #3 team in the country last season and rank at #11 now, will be in attendance. Then, we have Dillon Turpin and Eddie Grinderslev, who are still trying to figure out their chemistry in their first season together. They are currently tied at #30 in the Pro Doubles standings.
Other first-year teams like Landen Crabtree and Fisher Hamilton, Chris Roybal and Ryan Hart, plus Jimmy Youmans and Eian Cripps are still working on their chemistry as well, but have high ceiling, low-floor capabilities.
On the flipside, we have some unique pairings lined up for Louisiana. Chris Kingsbury and Kyle Malone, who have played with and against each other on many occasions, will be teaming up. Then, we have the oddball couple of Colby Shearer and Jacob Trzcienski. This team doesn’t make sense to me simply because of each player's bag preference, but they could easily be one to watch.
There’s a lot on the line, so the claws will surely be coming out this weekend for this tournament.
PRO & ELITE SINGLES
Singles Sunday is always fun to watch and this Open could give us the most competitive Singles event since Myrtle Beach.
Obviously, Mark Richards was the talk of the town after sweeping the Reno event and surpassing Trey Burchfield for all-time ACL titles. However, it also means the target on his back is bigger and brighter than ever. I predict it will be incredibly difficult for Richards to repeat his success.
With this ACL Open being so close to the Lone Star State, Texas cornhole players are sure to turn up in droves with a thirst for victory. I expect to see Logan Chamberlain, Justin Burton Jr., Gavin Cano, Eddie Grinderslev, and plenty more bring their A-game. This event has lots of potential to deliver a Texas-dominant winner’s circle by the end of the weekend.
In my heart, I really want Trey Burchfield to win and make this title race even more interesting, but I’ve been pretty disappointed with his start to the season and don’t see that changing soon.
HOW TO WATCH
The West Monroe ACL Open will be livestreamed all weekend long on ACL Cornhole TV, ESPN+, and ACL social channels. If you find yourself in the area, come check us out at West Monroe Sports & Events.
JAKE’S TAKES
Women’s Singles: Sarah Cassidy
Women’s Doubles: Cheyenne Bubenheim & Gina Ramirez
Senior Singles: Steve Schroeder
Senior Doubles: Steve Schroeder & Dan Glogouski
Junior Singles: Zack Aiken
Junior Doubles: Levi Haddock & Bryce Forbes
Pro & Elite Singles: Gavin Cano
Pro & Elite Doubles: Justin Burton Jr. & Logan Chamberlain
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