By James Sablan
james@mvariety.com
Variety News Staff
FRIDAY’S championship match lived up to the hype as Jonny’s Marpac Bud Kingz captured the inter-government division Bud Light Cup of the 2025 SEDA Bud Light Dart League with a gritty 8–6 victory over XXX Got Ur 6ix, held at the Xclusive Bar.
The Bud Kingz opened the night with dominance.
Starting in the Partners 501 set, their team chemistry was unmatched as Coby “Smooth” Santos and Chioni Dela Cruz, along with Russ “Mr. Pogi” Cruz and Jeff “Dahmer” Castro, swept both games to seize early control. They extended that lead with strong individual performances in the following Singles Crazy Cricket set, where Santos, Dela Cruz, and Cruz bagged three consecutive wins before Got Ur 6ix’s Manny Degracia bested Bud Kingz’s John “Dark” Babauta to stop the bleeding.
Facing a 5–1 deficit, Got Ur 6ix began its comeback. Degracia’s win appeared to act as a spark plug as the team carried the momentum into pairs play, led by James “Mwahne” Welley and Degracia, along with Juliano “Show Me” Matsutaro and Byron Kaipat. The duo pulled off a two-game sweep of the Partners 701 set to narrow the gap to 5–3.
The tension peaked during the Singles Half-It set. While Got Ur 6ix’s Matsutaro and Degracia found the mark to keep their team in the hunt, Bud Kingz’s Cruz and Santos delivered clutch finishes to stay ahead, 7–5.
Got Ur 6ix’s Matsutaro and Welley attempted to stay alive by claiming the first game of the following Partners Regular Cricket set. However, Santos and Dela Cruz snagged the remaining game to secure the 8–6 victory and the Bud Light Cup title for the Bud Kingz.
The Jonny’s Marpac Bud Kingz roster consists of Jeff “Dahmer” Castro, Chioni Dela Cruz, John “Dark” Babauta, Henry “Hank D Tank” Sablan, David “White” Babauta, and Ti and Poksu Scaliem.
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.
