NOVI, MICHIGAN – For only the second time all season, and first since week 6, 5 of the top 6 ranked players all participated in the same week. JG, JV, KP, Nick and Coach Mike all descended upon Novi for a showdown with serious horsepower. A quick glance at the week 9 records for each person (standings and statistics attached) reveals only two players with records above .500, Paul (5-4) and KP (7-3). But, that’s because everyone beat the hell out of each other.

Dig deeper into the advanced metrics and it’s clear everyone brought their A game this week. All 5 players had a KPM of 10 or higher – as a reminder, this means they averaged accuracy of 55% or better, cornholes per round of .45 or better, and gross points per round of 3.2 or better.

To help put this in context, prior to week 9 there were only 4 occasions where a KPM of 10 or higher was posted, and in week 9 we had 5 different players achieve this.

Nick led the way with a ridiculous 12.9 KPM, the highest ever, while Coach Mike followed closely behind at 12.4, KP at 11.6, JG registered 10.2 and JV locked in at 10.1.

These 5 were a huge part of the week 9 story, but we also can’t forget the play of Paul and Mario, both of whom held their own and even upstaged some of the best players in the league at certain moments.

Game of the Night was a showdown between JV and Paul vs. Mario and KP in Game 10. KP came out red-hot, hitting 10 of his first 12 shots en route to outscoring Paul by 10 points over the first 3 frames. Mario played JV evenly during the same period, and Mario and KP took a commanding 11-2 lead.

In the middle stages of the match, JV elevated his game and Mario did his best to keep pace. Paul also negated KP’s accuracy by burying cornholes. By the seventh frame the game was dead-even at 16 apiece, after a 14-5 run by JV and Paul.

In the eighth frame JV and Paul pushed the lead to 19-17, as Mario and KP searched for the magic from earlier in the game. In the ninth frame KP knocked down a cornhole and registered his remaining 3 tosses on the board on his way to a 6-3 advantage over Paul, taking a 20-19 lead. KP had a chance to end the game with a cornhole on his last toss. He went hunting, but missed the kill shot.

That turned things over to Mario vs. JV, and Mario trying to gain a 1 point advantage to win the game. Mario had a respectable 2 points, staying aggressive on all 4 throws. But once again, JV was there in the clutch with 4 points, outscoring Mario 4-2 and clinching the game 21-20.

It was a hell of a match, with JV and Paul overcoming KP’s 4.4 gross points per round (40 gross points in 9 rounds) with key responses in timely moments.

This week’s Mushroom Stamp Moment (“MSM”) goes to Coach Mike, who in Game 14 outscored the league’s #1 ranked player, JG, 10-0 in the sixth round to win the game. Coach Mike had the most cornholes (5) and gross points (26) in just 6 rounds, good for an average of 0.83 cornholes per round and 4.33 gross points per round, respectively. Nice Mushroom, Coach.

News & Notes:

• The week kicked off with a bun run when Paul & KP teamed up to blank JV and Mario, 21-0. Even crazier is Paul & KP closed the game out in just 4.5 rounds and only combined for 3 total cornholes.

Rules are rules, and the dynamic duo had to honor the bun run by stripping down, wearing coconut titties, grass skirts and the super gay leis. Special shout out to JV who honored the true spirit of the bun run by stripping down without hesitation. Looking good fellas.

• Paul’s KPM was average at 7.0, but his accuracy was respectable (45%) and his overall record was second-best of the night at 5-4. Paul also had a very loud moment in Game 15 when he faced off against JG in the top half of the tenth round, game tied 19-19. Paul outshined the #1 ranked player, 5-1, to clinch the game. Not only was Paul yuuuuuuuge in the clutch against a great opponent, but the win was a contender for Game of the Night. In this game Paul paired with Coach Mike to defeat JG and KP, the #1 and #2 ranked players, respectively.
• JV almost logged the first 12 point round of the season in the fifth round of Game 8 when he buried cornholes on his first 3 throws. His fourth throw had a beautiful right to left draw and looked good the entire way before narrowly missing. He had to settle for a 10 point round leading to a 21-11 win over Coach Mike and Nick. He averaged 5.3 gross points per round in this game and had 10 cornholes in just 6 rounds. JV had an impressive overall performance this week with a 10.1 KPM, 3 foot snags and probably 15 Labatt Blue Lights while smoking a Cuban cigar. He was…in rare form.
• Coach Mike also threatened to score a 12 point round, which led to his Mushroom Stamp Moment award. Again, he narrowly missed 4 straight cornholes and had to settle for a 10 point round. Coach Mike easily had his best week of the season – 58% accuracy, 3.7 gross points per round, 0.71 cornholes per round and once again led the week in total cornholes with 52 (a ridiculous average of 5.2 cornholes per game).
• Nick was the man this week, recording the highest KPM ever, which included 63% accuracy, 3.9 gross points per round, 0.71 cornholes per round and added 6 foot snags to demonstrate his versatility.
• Mario had an up and down night. He finished at 1-6, but the one win was a major statement when he teamed with KP to beat Paul and Nick, 21-17. He was victim to the tough loss in the Game of the Night, or else a 2-5 finish with the league titans present would have been very impressive. Mario reminded everyone about his foot snag skills, snagging 5 on the night. He is second overall in the league with 15 foot snags on the season.
• JG’s night looks pedestrian given what a few others did, but make no mistake about it, his performance is ordinarily good enough to be the top performer of the night. 57% accuracy, 3.2 gross points per round, 0.46 cornholes per game and a KPM of 10.2. That’s fourth best for the night? Crazy. JG went 5-5 on the evening, which was good enough to retain his season-long #1 ranking. 9 consecutive weeks at #1 ain’t bad.