First I will give credit to AZBilliards.com for this artical once again. Our friend John Morra placed second in this 128 player event defeating Tony Crosby, Santos Sambajon, and Jose Parica to name a few. 17 year old Morra went all the way through the A side of this major pro event undefeated, a great accomplishment for any player, incredible for a 17 year old. We are so proud of him, I can speak for everyone that had been phoning me to see if I had any updates as we followed him through the weekend.
John Morra’s Cinderella-story run at the Turning Stone Classic VIII ended on a sour note when his game turned into a pumpkin and Johnny Archer fitted himself for the glass slipper.
After 17-year-old Morra scuttled tough Filipinos Santos Sambajon, 9-5, and Jose Parica, 9-8, to take the hot-seat, he met Archer in the final of the $25,000-added 9-ball event. A little stiff from a two-hour layoff, Morra failed to capitalize on the few chances Archer gave him and quickly fell into an 8-2 hole. Archer, 39, took his time in dismantling his young opponent, eventually emerging with a 13-4 victory.
“I could have used a couple more rolls, but he played better than me,” said Morra, a former BCA juniors champion who hails from Toronto.
Archer avenged his one loss in the 128-player tournament by beating Parica, 9-6, in the losers’ bracket final. He put an exclamation point on the victory by snapping in the 9 on his final break. Playing loose, gabbing with the crowd, and feeling confident after surviving the one-loss side, Archer seemed the sharper player from the start of the final.
“I think my experience played a part there,” said Archer, the consensus 1990s Player of the Decade and the most dominant American of the last 20 years.
“[Archer] is the toughest guy to beat in a final,” said Parica, who took home $3,800 for his third place finish. Morra won $5,300 for his best-ever finish in a major pro event, and Archer pocketed $8,000 for first.
Archer’s victory was his second in a row at the Joss Northeast Tour’s Turning Stone event, held twice a year at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, N.Y. He successfully defended his title from the Classic VII in fall 2006.