2012 HS Northeasterns Open: Day 1 Recap
Gene Buonaccorsi
Posted: May 13, 2012 07:35 AM
Devens, MA - The sun was shining and there was not a cloud in the sky this morning as 16 High School open teams converged on Fort Devens. The level of play was high throughout the day as players battled it out to try to earn a bid to Sunday’s championship bracket.
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Event Schedule
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Going against the wind
One of the dominating factors of the day was the 15mph wind that the teams worked against. Many teams showed their zone looks and the handlers got a chance to show their stuff. Pool A saw Amherst showed off their 1-3-3 throughout pool play and made it very difficult for teams to work up the field. Seniors Wes Chow and Jordy Diamond were confident with the disc all day for the Canes. Fieldston looked strong in their win over Watchung Hills, working the disc both up and down wind. Radnor had a strong finish against Fieldston, breaking them to end the game, but the cap had gone on to early for the comeback. In Pool D a number of players shined despite the conditions. Kevin Rzepka and Alex Schmitt anchored Longmeadow’s offensive attack and Sacha Keiser of Columbia showed his ability to huck consistently. The level of parity in Pool D is a testament to the strength of each teams offensive attack.
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Fighting towards the top
Don’t let their record today fool you -- Falmouth High School was exciting to watch in their Regional high school debut. Their four man cup led by Senior Hudson Carr was impressive. The CHS vs. Falmouth match-up was an athletic game highlighted by a great deep grab by Falmouth’s Thomas Edmonds. Sharon High School was also a pleasure to watch today playing well above their 12th seed. Their upset over Columbia in the first round was largely thanks to a balanced offensive approach where the disc was spread around among a number of players. In their game against Longmeadow Junior Dylan Best was very consistent with the disc, constantly jump-starting their fast moving offense. For Longmeadow Ben Gagne-Maynard gave Sharon trouble cutting downfield and helped his team to a 13-9 victory.
Close Calls
Some of the most exciting games of the day were in Pool B, where multiple games came down to the wire. In the first round of the day Xavier and Pennsbury went head to head in a tight one. Seniors Sean Mott and Will Hoehne ran the show for the Pennsbury Falcons, with both displaying impressive athleticism. For Xavier a number of speedy deep receivers allowed the handlers to complete deep shots almost at will. Although Xavier led early, a big layout D by Sean Mott while up 9-8 allowed Pennsbury to go up 10-8. The hard cap went on with the score at 10-10 and Pennsbury capitalized on a D by Tyler Steely to take the win. St. Johnsbury also brought their all against Pennsbury, forcing a second universe point game. Senior Connor Dannis of St. Johnsbury displayed both excellent pulls and strong deep defense throughout the game. Coach Josh Seamon kept the St. Johnsbury team fired up as the game came to the end, but another strong finish by Pennsbury gave them a 9-8 win. Over in Pool C the Hampton vs. John Jay game was hotly contested throughout. John Jay worked hard in their zone but Graeme Kernick and Scott Trimble effectively found gaps in the cup to get the disc moving for Hampton. Trimble made an exciting defensive play for a callahan to go up 6-4, and Hampton would hold that lead till the game’s end. For John Jay Jared Robinson was threatening downfield all game, timing his cuts well for the handlers.
Strong Play by the #1 Seeds
As predicted, Amherst came out strong today and had teams on their heels from the first pull. Sitting atop Pool C, Needham played with confidence and fire behind Captains Jordan Kaufman and Ben Sadok. Despite facing a West Windsor Plainsboro team that was dedicated to poaching the lanes and disrupting the flow, Needham adjusted well by patiently finding the open man. In their last game of the day Needham went on an impressive run to win over Hampton, breaking it open from a score of 5-4 all the way to a 13-4 win. Mt. Lebanon also looked dangerous today behind the throw of Cheng Su and the athletic defense of Brian Morgenlander. Their cup zone forced opposing throwers into tough situations and their aggressive offense struck fast once they got the turn. Their game against Pennsbury was hotly contested, with both teams giving it all they had to win the pool. Although Mt. Lebanon eventually fell by a score of 11-9, their play in the earlier rounds was dominant. CHS came back from their early loss to Sharon and won out to stay atop the pool. James Brier was impressive with the disc in their later games and Dorian Capps used his 6’5" frame to make deep catches for CHS.
Crossovers
In the late day crossovers teams played to earn a spot in the Sunday championship bracket. Though Radnor went down early to Sharon, some nice defense by Senior Kevin Tang earned them a break to stay close. Though the game stayed close, Sharon eked out a 1 point victory. In the Hampton vs. Xavier game, Xavier again used the deep game to their advantage but calm patient offense led by Scott Trimble’s break throws helped Hampton keep it even. Hampton came back in the second half to win it 11-9 John Jay kept their intensity high into the final round, taking an early lead on the smaller Mt. Lebanon squad. Tim Konetchy was the rock of the John Jay offense as they finished with a 13-4 victory. Longmeadow and Fieldston faced off in the final play in game. Longmeadow went up earlier and never let down, taking a bid to the championship bracket with a 12-7 victory.
Looking forward to more exciting action tomorrow!
Day 1 Photos by
UltiPhotos.com