In early May, a local pool team won the 2023 state championship in Canton, Ohio, going undefeated in a 256-team event. Shooting out of Legends Sports Bar and Grill in Mount Vernon, the team members are Roger McDonald, captain, of Mount Vernon; Marc Fiorilli of Mount Vernon; Joe Pilotti of Mount Vernon; Stacy Blubaugh of Mount Vernon; and Marco Celli of Marengo.
Several team members will advance to the nationals in Las Vegas.
“We are a team that shoots out of Legends in the weekly Valley League here in Mount Vernon,” Fiorilli said. “We shoot at local bars, and there are 16 teams in the charter under Hull Vending.”
Fiorilli said that every year since 1981, the state pool tournament is held in Canton. All teams have to qualify to attend, and in the local team’s division, there were 256 teams from around Ohio. Fiorilli estimated that the total number of teams, including the women’s division, may approach 400.
“Our team, Legends-McDonald, went undefeated and won it this year,” he said. “I believe it is the first time a team from Knox County has ever won the open division.”
Legends Sports Bar & Grill is located at 110 Mount Vernon Ave. in Mount Vernon.
