The Night Mark Richards Went 36-for-36

The Night Mark Richards Went 36-for-36

On a holiday weekend made for fireworks, Mark Richards lit up the 2022 ACL Final Chase with one of the most immaculate performances the sport has ever seen. Teaming with fellow rookie phenom Philip Lopez Jr., Richards threw 36 bags and hit all 36 in the hole—a true perfect game—en route to capturing the Pro Doubles title on national television.

The American Cornhole League itself highlighted the moment right after the broadcast: Richards and Lopez Jr. were champions, and Richards had gone a flawless 36/36.

Final Chase is the ACL’s fourth Pro National of the season, and in 2022 it ran over the July 1–4 weekend—high-stakes, TV lights, and a field loaded with pros chasing momentum heading into Worlds. The league’s preview material framed it exactly that way, underscoring how much was on the line at this stop.

What Made the Game Historic

Perfect games in cornhole are vanishingly rare because doubles strategy typically forces messy decision trees: you’re not just racing to 21, you’re solving board states in real time—deciding whether to lay a blocker, push, roll, or airmail through traffic. To make every single shot under broadcast pressure requires pristine mechanics and even better decision-making from both teammates.

That’s what stood out about Richards’ 36-straight. It wasn’t a sterile, wide-open board; it was a doubles final with constant tactical choices. Richards’ groove—rhythm set at the back of the board, quiet footwork, compact release—produced a conveyor belt of clean slides and confident airmails. The ACL’s own recap posts and clips hammered home the feat: “perfect 36 for 36.”

A notable context piece: earlier that same event, Josh Holland authored a perfect 24-bag game in a semifinal—proof that the level of shot-making at Final Chase was off the charts. It created the feeling that we were watching a once-in-a-season convergence of form, focus, and nerve.

Turning Points and How the Momentum Built

In televised doubles, momentum often flips on two or three swing frames—an airmail drag that clears a clogged lane, a high-risk push that cleans up two points instead of giving them back. While Richards’ scoreline reads like a procession, there were still inflection points that made the perfection remarkable:

  • Early control through tempo. Richards set the tone by hitting first-bag slides cleanly and quickly, establishing the pace and forcing opponents to chase. That tempo advantage showed up on TV: he looked unhurried while the other side had to think through traffic. The ACL’s broadcast snippets circulating after the match emphasize his metronomic cadence—every rep identical, every release on time.

  • Mid-game problem solving. Perfect doesn’t mean easy. A couple of frames presented classic doubles puzzles—small front-edge blocks and half-inch “speed traps” near the hole. Richards answered with confident airmails and soft-hand pushes that nudged friendly bags over the lip without gifting backboards to his opponents.

  • Finishing under the brightest lights. The last handful of bags are where hands shake. Instead, Richards closed like a closer: same stance, same breath, same release. The league later celebrated the final bag—and how fast it disappeared—underscoring the ice-cold finish to a spotless card.

Lopez Jr.’s Role in the Masterpiece

A perfect board from one player in doubles still relies on the partner to manage traffic and game state. Philip Lopez Jr. did exactly that, toggling between smart blocks to set up advantage frames and clears that prevented the other side from dictating angles. Lopez Jr.’s player bio and season recaps from cornhole media repeatedly link him to this Final Chase title and the 36-for-36 game—he was the steady second voice in the huddle that let Richards stay fully in rhythm.

Why this Match Resonated

  • A record-setting bar. Industry coverage around the event noted that Richards’ 36 straight surpassed prior high-water marks that fans talked about (31 had been cited before). Even if you ignore the number and just watch the tape, it’s obvious: this was a different tier of execution.

  • Rookie year, all-time moment. Richards’ 2022 run is widely regarded as one of the greatest rookie seasons we’ve seen—stacking titles across formats. The Final Chase perfect game became the defining highlight on that reel.

  • Big stage, bigger composure. It wasn’t a side court at a minor. This was a nationally televised championship window, with the ACL blasting the clip across its official channels the moment it ended. That visibility is why so many fans—casual and die-hard—point to this match when they talk about modern cornhole’s ceiling.

The Aftermath

The win locked in Richards & Lopez Jr. as Final Chase Pro Doubles champions—something the ACL reiterated on its social channels in the immediate aftermath—and it fueled the broader conversation that Richards was building a Player-of-the-Year caliber resume. The title itself is beyond dispute; the perfection is immortalized in the league’s own highlight packages and posts.

If you want to relive it, start with the ACL’s clip packages and posts that call out the “36 for 36,” then pair that with season-long highlight reels that contextualize how dominant Richards was in 2022. The juxtaposition of raw execution and moment-to-moment decision-making in that Final Chase final explains why so many fans still call it one of the sport’s signature games.