B LEAGUE - Quinn Kyle, Virgil Kyle, Pelon Escapite - Alejandro Gonzalez (not pictured - sub for Joe Henderson)
By playing a strong and steady follow-up style of polo, Virgil Kyle’s B League (Virgil Kyle, Pelon Escapite 6, Alejandro Gonzalez 3 – sub for inj Joe Henderson 3, Quinn Kyle -1) trailed just once – early in the first period – and over powered Jemma Contreras and Christopher Busch’s JC Polo/Folded Hills (Jemma Contreras, Christopher Busch, Jesse Bray 6, Baine Bossom 2) to win the 2021 USPA Coachella Valley Officers Cup by a final score of 12 – 9.
On a typical ‘sunny day in Southern California’, goals were not easy acquire, but Bray gave JC Polo/Folded Hills – playing their second final of the young season – their only lead of the day with his first of seven goals. Quinn Kyle then tied the count at one with an open goal conversion from 30 yards to end the first.
By playing aggressively to perfectly position himself at the front end to receive a pass, Quinn Kyle scored the only goal of the second chukker and B League took a one goal lead to the third at 2 – 1.
Escapite gave B League a two goal advantage with his first counter of the game but Bossom – on a wonderful set-up by Busch - and Bray, with a penalty two strike, brought JC/FH back to tie the count at three each going to the half.
B League opened it up in the fourth with the aforementioned strong and steady follow-up style that JC/FH were unable to stop. Escapite started it off with a safety conversion from well out to the right and followed that with two field goals to give B League a three goal lead at 6 – 3. JC/FH was able to respond with some pressure of their own that afforded Bray a free shot from 30 yards which he converted. However, B League weren’t done as Quinn Kyle scored on a pair of penalty two opportunities and B League earned a four goal lead at 8 – 4.
With early pressure JC/FH recovered somewhat in the fifth and Bossom counted with a penalty two chance. Gonzalez erased that however with his first goal of the contest to again lead by four. A penalty three award allowed Bray to bring JC/FH back to within three but a penalty one goal given to B League – due to a strong play by Quinn Kyle - gave the four goal bulge back to the leaders. With the ensuing Escapite free hit at center, B League continued to press and Gonzalez ultimately gave the second Bush League Farms entry a lead of five to end the fifth stanza at 11 – 6.
To open the sixth, JC/FH were not about to go away and another strong effort by Bray gave him one more opportunity to score an open goal counter to get back to within four. However, B League wasn’t going away either and counted their final goal on Quinn Kyle’s fourth open goal tally. With the lead now five goals once again, Bray ran for two more goals but that would be it for JC Polo/Folded Hills and B League had won the 2021 USPA Officers Cup by a bulge of three.
The win gave the Virgil Kyle and Ryan Robertson Bush League Farms organization their second Eldorado 2021 tournament win – Robertson’s Bush League won the 2021 Jason Memorial just two weeks before.
Twin Palm’s Chris Maloney was on hand to present the awards to the winning B League foursome.
With his strong and knowledgeable play and willingness to work with his entire team, Alejandro Gonzalez was awarded the title of MVP, and Mancha, owned by Justin Klentner and played by Jesse Bray in the second and sixth periods, was chosen as the Best Playing Pony.
Tony Gregg
