By James Sablan
james@mvariety.com
Variety News Staff
IN a lopsided display of precision and teamwork, Black 8 Fighters dominated Black 8 Crooked Arrow on Thursday night last week, securing a crushing 9-1 victory to claim the Thursday division Budweiser Cup of the 2025 SBA Budweiser Open 8-Ball League at Black 8 Pool Bar.
The match was expected to be a competitive “race to 9” showdown. Instead, the Fighters took control after the opening set and never looked back, leaving Crooked Arrow struggling to find momentum.
The Fighters set the tone early in the first set of Partners 8-Ball games, as the duo of Ray Torres and Jess Farinas outmaneuvered Crooked Arrow’s Patrick “Stallion” Cepeda and Rey Hermogenes to put the first point on the board. Rex Tasi and Joe Deleon Guerrero managed to claw back a win against Jerry Soriano and John Lara, scoring what would be their team’s only point of the night.
In the following Singles 8-Ball set, the Fighters shifted into another gear. Despite several hard-fought battles for position, Torres, Farinas, Soriano, and Lara outplayed their respective opponents for a clean 4-0 sweep, giving the Fighters a 5-1 lead.
Crooked Arrow’s efforts to mount a comeback fell short, as the Fighters claimed another two wins during the second set of Partners 8-Ball games, putting the lead further out of reach.
The match concluded in the second set of Singles 8-Ball games, where Torres and Farinas secured the final two wins needed to reach nine, defeating Crooked Arrow 9-1 and claiming the Thursday division title.
The Black 8 Fighters’ roster consists of Jerry Soriano, Ray Torres, Jess Farinas, Lance Deleon Guerrero, John Lara, Kristoffer Laquian, and Charis Conlu.
James Sablan has been a sports reporter for Variety since 2013. He was a liberal arts student of Northern Marianas College and covers all local sports.
