2013 National Championships - Men's Recap - Day 2
Peter Doyle
Posted: October 19, 2013 04:21 PM
So goes the saying in Texas: if you don’t like the weather, wait a minute. Whereas Thursday we had perfect ultimate weather—sunny blue skies and low 70s—Friday was chilly, under an overcast sky that brought light rain throughout the day and one lightning delay in the beginning of the second round of pre-quarters. The first group of pre-quarters ended as predicted, with each of the top four teams advancing into the quarterfinals. The vice grip of Revolver’s defense generated a swift 15-6 win over Vancouver Furious George. Revolver's game of 100-percent retention on every possession was in full motion as they swung the disc through their handlers, often losing 10 yards or more to gain 20 on their next throw. San Francisco was not without a few minor errors, including a botched throw in the end zone from Mac Taylor, but luckily the talents of Eric Greenwood lent to a dirty sky for the score. Looking into the next two days, expect substantial contributions from Revolver’s Ryo Kawaoka, who was a standout defensive player Friday, both generating the turn and punching it into the end zone on nearly every break point.
Johnny Bravo’s win over Florida United was equally as predictable. Early in the game, it was obvious that Bravo had the favor, but Florida stayed in the mix and put up two points, bringing the score to 5-2 Bravo. Upon completion of Florida’s second goal Bravo’s coach made it loud and clear that he was not okay with a drawn-out victory over a lesser team. With renewed focus, Bravo extended their lead to seven points and closed out the game at 15-6.
The two other match ups in first group of pre-quarters did not have the wide point-spread seen in the Revolver and Bravo games, but both higher seeds advanced. At the onset of Doublewide’s game against GOAT, it looked like we would see a point gap akin to those of Bravo and Revolver. Early hucks from Kurt Gibson, Alex Thorne and Jeff Loskorn and unforced errors from GOAT brought us to halftime 8-4. The crowd expected Doublewide to walk into quarters at this point, which they did, but a few Doublewide errors allowed GOAT to stay in the game, concluding 14-11 Doublewide.
The biggest excitement in the first pre-quarters group was Sub Zero versus Ring of Fire. This was a battle of inches. While Sub Zero maintained the lead the entire game, there would be back-to-back breaks on both sides making it look as if Ring was right on the cusp of overtaking Sub Zero. Observers had higher intervention rates in every game today since elimination was at risk for everyone. This game, however, was very chippy. Some of the biggest defensive plays of the tournament so far came out of Ring’s Paul Weeks and Ken Porter whose head-level layout grab had the crowd in a roar. Despite these plays, the Sub Zero handlers and up-field athleticism of Pat Jensen and Ben Feldmen proved too much for Ring. After Raleigh brought the score to 12-11 with repeat breaks, Sub Zero walked away from there, winning 14-11.
The second group of pre-quarters teams was debated as providing the easier path to the semifinals. Sockeye played their worst game of the tournament against Santa Barbara Condors in pre-quarters, and the Condors may have played their best. Regardless of the different levels of focus and effort in the game, Sockeye knew they would be advancing and just had to bide their time. Lofty hucks that would be dangerous in other games are not so dangerous with receivers like Adam Simon who can come out above three defenders. However, those are not gambles they would take in the quarterfinal round. Defeating the Condors 14-10, Sockeye walked into the quarters.
Truck Stop and Chain Lightning looked to be an exceptional game to watch. Truck was poised at 3-1, ready to upset Chain and advance into quarters, but the teams stayed tight, making similar defensive and offensive plays. The score stayed close, from 3-3 to 8-8 to 12-12, before Chain squeaked out the one-point victory over Truck Stop 14-13. While excellent points were seen from Truck Stop’s Alan Kolick, Jonathan Neeley and Brent Bellinger, the game was sloppy, with unforced errors plaguing both teams.
13-9 Ironside over Madcow. This win is not unexpected, but the Ironside of pre-quarters did not look like the Ironside that ruined Doublewide the day before. Three-turnover points were not unseen from Ironside, but they obviously generated the turn and gained enough separation for a four-point win. Madcow’s number Alex Cooper was at a level above his teammates in this game and the biggest reason Ironside didn’t close the game 15-5. Ironside’s handlers just didn’t have the groove they are often expected to have. At 6-5, a dicey low throw to Ironside’s Peter Prial ended with him being accidentally kicked in the face by his defender. Regardless what transpired, Ironside was in control the entire game and moved into quarters with the largest point cushion in their group.
The last pre-quarter round was the most action packed and highly skilled. Two teams incredibly similar in skill and game play matched up in PoNY v. Machine. Though the score looked tight the entire time, Machine looked bigger and stronger. The PoNY handlers and the impossibly consistent Jack Marsh advanced the disc up the field in each offensive set but couldn’t generate breaks when on defense. Machine offensive handler Bob Liu was an unmatched presence on the field, and receiver A.J. Nelson made it the showcase field’s end zone a playground. PoNY took their first lead of the game at 12-11 after a nasty punishing sky from Albert Alarcon. Unfortunately for them, the size and fire power coming out of Chicago Machine was just too much, and the Chi-town company took their quarterfinals spot winning 13-12.
Moving into the quarterfinals, we found top-seeded Revolver pitted against the scrappiest team in the tournament, Sub Zero. As the numbers tell us, Revolver has moved onto the semifinals. However, as a prelude to 2014, if Sub Zero retains its core from this year and possibly adds one or two other strong contributors, a Revolver over Sub Zero quarterfinals might not be the case next year. Sub Zero’s 22-year-old Carleton standout Simon Montague is the main reason Sub Zero found themselves in the quarterfinals round. Throughout the weekend, he touched the disc on every other throw each time he was on the field. If Carleton continues to feed elite talent into the Sub Zero program, they will be in championship contention for many years to come. Despite the deserved praise for Sub Zero, Revolver maintained complete control from the first point until the last. As with any team out here, they were not without error. For instance, in the first half, Revolver’s Andrew Hagen made a huge behind-the-back skying D, only to prematurely dish a backhand from his knee that caught wind, sailed and was pulled down by Sub Zero. But a quick turn on the swing from Sub allowed Hagen another chance, one he used to huck to Beau Kittredge for the score. Revolver maintained the lead, but Sub traded points with them, showing that if Revolver didn’t create early separation there might have been a tremendous upset going into Saturday. Nevertheless, Revolver ran with their lead and closed out Friday with a 14-10 win over Sub Zero.
In a contest that looked bleak for Chain Lightning, their match up against Boston Ironside ended as predicted. The Atlanta team had little response for Will Neff who played this best up-field game of the tournament. Chain routinely found themselves cut short in the back field and were forced to put discs downfield in hopes of finding a receiver to pull it down. The Chain receivers often found themselves batting three Ironside defenders in the air and rarely came down with the disc. At 9-5, with Chain never looking like it was possible to pull ahead, neither team looked anxious to play it out for a different result.
Sockeye v. Ironside is going to be a game for the ages on Saturday. The Seattle dominance over Machine in the quarterfinals was an eye-opening surprise given we saw a wider point margin between Sockeye and Chicago than we did over tournament last seed Condors. With both the best Spirit and best play from Sockeye, Adam "Chicken" Simon was an offensive and defensive monster with enormous layout Ds, skies and cutting up-field. Sockeye went up two points to start, and Machine would never find the momentum to tip the scale in their favor. At 3-2, Machine called a timeout coming out and reopened with a score generated from an athletic Neal Phelps. The resulting tie between Machine and Sockeye would never be seen again as Seattle ran away with the game from there taking half 8-4 and rolled toward Sockeye victory from there. Glimmers of hope were seen from Machine in plays like Bob Liu’s layout poach d at 12-7 Sockeye, but the defensive team from Seattle gave up few points, ending in a 15-9 victory and step toward the Championship title.
In the most anticipated quarter finals matchup, the raw power of Denver’s Johnny Bravo ended in advancement to semifinals over the 2012 National Champions Doublewide. Dealing a significant blow to the Doublewide roster, Will Driscoll was in tennis shoes after pulling his hamstring early in Doublewides game against GOAT in the first round of Friday. With the size and speed of Bravo’s Jimmy Mickle having few answers on the Doublewide roster, the absence of Driscoll created opportunity for Bravo that ended with a 15-13 final over the Austin-based team. Leading off with two defensive breaks, Bravo appeared in command of the game, but Doublewide has a history of coming back with a crippling defensive conversion that pulls out victories from an early deficit. Unfortunately for them, this was not one of those times. After climbing back and bringing the game within one at 6-5 Bravo, Dalton Smith had a beautiful put to Kurt Gibson in the end zone, but a muffed catch by Gibson ended with Bravo extending their lead 7-5. For the break and half, a high pass in the end zone from Doublewide gave Bravo the opportunity to crush a full-field huck to take the first half 8-5. The second half of the game saw a different level of defensive pressure from both teams, most notably a blazing athletic d from Doublewide rookie Dan Emmons over intended receiver Jimmy Mickle. After this play, Doublewide found back to back scores from Gibson to Smith brining the game to 13-14 with Doublewide in a position to take the game to universe point. Doublewide generated the turn necessary to score and make this a reality, but the pressure defense of Bravo pinned Dalton Smith on the line and with no help up-field, Smith attempted a bail-out throw to Gibson on a high stall count. The resulting turn was immediately picked up by Nick Lance and shot to Micke for the score and win.
With the top four teams decided, we’re that much closer to crowning our 2013 Champions. Sockeye and Ironside will inevitably have a very tight game, but the variable comes from Revolver, who has largely been untested in this tournament. Bravo’s massive plays and unbridled athleticism could cause problems for the San Francisco team. Games begin at 5:30 Saturday, we’re all looking forward to seeing who emerges.
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