USA Ultimate

Ultimate teams from across the Midwest blew into Ames, Iowa, today to kick off the first day of the 2015 High School Central Championships. The morning cleared off into a beautiful day which added to the enjoyment of the first-class match ups, providing great fun for spectators and athletes alike. Play kicked off at 9 a.m. for a full day of action. What follows are some highlights from the boys’ division.

Round 1

Edina (D2) vs. Geneva (D4)

Geneva started strong, but after going up 3-2, Edina scored five straight to take half at 8-2. Adam Vial (#21) of Geneva caught some good hucks, but Edina’s defense prevented a lot of movement. Drew Otterlei (#81) of Edina threw a good huck to Matt Whear (#3) who had a nice layout for a goal. Sam Hammar (#32) of Edina scored the winning point, putting the final score at 13-5.

Hopkins (B1) vs. Naperville Central (B3)

Hopkins led through the entire first half, partly due to their man-on-man defense and partly due to their offensive assists. Hopkins’ Will Cohen (#5) stole the show during the first half with a multiple assists and two goals. Toward the end of the game, Naperville was forced to switch to a zone defense. The change of strategy didn’t faze Hopkins as they continued to pull away and finished the game 13-4.

Pool C had a bye.

Center Grove (D1) vs. St. Cloud Cathedral (D3)

The game started out close, with a lot of back and forth. St. Cloud Cathedral Griffin threw good, tight throws and played an effective vertical stack. The very athletic Aiden Brew (#22) of Griffin found his sixth gear to catch a deep huck thrown by Grant Marlof (#17), tying the game at 6-6. Center Grove eventually took half with the score at 7-6. Zach Padgett (#51) of Center Grove used his height to sky several Griffin players. Conner Henderson (#14) of Center Grove threw a great huck to win the game; final score: 12-8.

Round 2

Robbinsdale-Armstrong (A2) vs. James Madison Memorial (A3)

After the first pull of the game, Armstrong’s Adam Herzuck (#44) caught a quick score. But after that, James Madison Memorial pulled ahead. Rami Paust (#00) proved to be the star of the game, scoring six out of nine of James Madison’s points. Toward the end of the game, Armstrong was able to catch up, and both teams battled to the time cap, with a final score of 9-8 in favor of James Madison Memorial.

Pool B had a bye.

Ames Parallel (C2) vs. Minneapolis South Squall (C3)

Minneapolis South started by running zone which earned them an early advantage and slowed down the Ames offense. But Ames didn’t give up; Peter Miller (#33) toed the line to account for one of his four goals on the game. The team caught up to Minneapolis South with the help of a Bryan Hall (#7) catch off a great huck from Jack Swanson (#1). Ames tied the game at 5s, but although Minneapolis South wasn’t favored to win, they went on another run to go up 8-5 and ended up winning 9 – 11.

Center Grove (D1) vs. Geneva (D4)

Center Grove carried momentum over from their first-round game, and it showed in their 13-4 victory. They relied on patient defense and overall consistency throughout the game.

Round 3

Neuqua Valley A (A1) vs. James Madison Memorial (A3)

The skilled handlers of Neuqua Valley-A did a good job resetting the disc and moving it down the field. The team also showed defensive prowess, relying on Jake Marrapode (#16). James Madison Memorial had an active sideline which helped keep the team’s morale high. James Madison worked the disc up the field well, but once they got close to the end zone, at times had trouble converting. Neuqua Valley-A’s Thomas Passaro (#27) caught a deep huck to close out the game with a final score of 13 – 3.

Hopkins (B1) vs. Neuqua Valley B (B4)

This game had teams with great enthusiasm and sportsmanship. The athletic and experienced Hopkins took an early 3-0 lead. Despite Neuqua Valley’s tight defense, Hopkins dominated and finished the game with a final score of 13 – 1.

Holy Family Catholic (C1) vs. Minneapolis South Squall (C3)

This was the most exciting game of the third round, coming down to hard cap just after half.  There were multiple lead changes in the first half, but eventually, Revolution took it 8-7. Hard cap went on during the point after half with South Squall playing offense upwind. There were bids left and right and two huge Ds in the end zone against the usually dominant Jordan Monnin (#30), to keep the game alive for Minneapolis South. South was knocking on the door, when a spectacular greatest attempt was blocked by a bidding defender. Eventually, Holy Family Catholic punched in the only second-half goal of the game to win 9-7. Cole Wallin (#8) for South had sick skies and layout bids throughout, despite a torn meniscus. Holy Family Catholic’s Evan Bissonnette (#89) used his lanky frame to defend in-cuts and get hand blocks on the mark.

Pool D had a bye.

Round 4

Neuqua Valley A (A1) vs. Robbinsdale-Armstrong (A2)

Neuqua Valley-A brought the momentum from their last win and played strongly. Jake Marrapode (#16) was a powerhouse for Neuqua Valley again, touching the disc frequently and using his impressive reading ability to sky countless players. Robbinsdale-Armstrong had trouble moving the disc up field to start the game but quickly got more comfortable. In the end, it wasn’t enough. Final score: 7-3 Neuqua Valley.

St. Cloud Cathedral (D3) vs. Geneva (D4)

Strong play in this match up made for some intense moments and thrilling exchanges, but at the end of the match, St. Cloud brought it home in a decisive win 10-6.

Hopkins (B1) vs. St. Paul Charter (B2)

The wind picked up during the fourth round and did neither team any favors, but it didn’t keep them from hucking. St. Paul scored the first point, but one of the most memorable plays of the game came in the form of a beautiful upwind huck to Hopkins’ Will Cohen (#5). Hopkins played well both on both sides of the disc and closed out the game 13-4.

Naperville Central (B3) vs. Neuqua Valley-B (B4)

Even if the score doesn’t say it, this game was constantly going back and forth, with many turnovers from both teams. The wind did not necessarily play to Neuqua Valley-B’s strengths, but they fought hard and slowly pulled away from Naperville Central. Naperville put their non-starters in after half time and scored a point right away without any errors or turnovers, their first point of the game. The final score was 9-2 Neuqua Valley-B.

Holy Family Catholic (C1) vs. Ames Parallel (C2)

Impressive skill and intense plays were the hallmark of this match up. Bryan Hall (#7) and Peter Miller (#33) stood out for Ames. Again, Holy Family Catholic’s Jordan Monnin (#30) dominated, both handling and cutting, throughout the game. Ames’ Ben Joerger (#23) played strong defense against Monnin, finally giving him a battle, but Holy Family Catholic still came away with the win, 11-8.

Center Grove (D1) vs. Edina (D2)

This was an intense game from the beginning with both teams showing effective handling and cutting. Despite the strong wind, neither team let it affect their play. Both teams showed enthusiasm and were very vocal throughout the game. Edina’s Evan Ogren (#7) often had his hands on the disc, helping Edina pull away before eventually closing out the game 10-4.

Round 5

Following a re-seed of the pools, play got even tighter in round five. This is how the last round of the day shook out as the teams battled for seeding heading into Sunday’s championship bracket.

Neuqua Valley-A (A1) vs. Holy Family Catholic (C1)

This game was a little slow to start but, with all the talent on the field, it quickly picked up. A Jordan Monnin (#30) huck to James Morris (#11) put Holy Family Catholic ahead 2-1. Both teams played tough defense, which kept the game close, with the teams trading points. Neuqua Valley tied the game at 5-5 with the help of some serious layout grabs. They managed to nab the winning point on a huck from Ben Sabourin (#12) to Reid Martin (#13) making the final score 8-7.

Minneapolis South Squall (C2) vs. Robbinsdale-Armstrong (A3)

Initially, the wind caused some difficulties for both teams, but they adjusted nicely and both utilized zone defenses, allowing handlers like South Squall’s Cole Wallin (#8) to show off some good throws which helped his team take the lead. Robbinsdale-Armstrong didn’t give up; Tom Duret (#9) showed some creative handling skills of his own, but Minneapolis South came out on top with a final score of 10-5.

Center Grove (D2) vs. St. Paul Charter (B3)

St. Paul Charter moved the disc up-field smoothly, despite the wind, which gave them an early lead. The team played zone against Center Grove and made it difficult for Center Grove’s offense to find holes in the cup. St. Paul Charter’s James Kiser (#69) made a good catch to put his team ahead, 4-2, but Center Grove fought back and tied up the score. After several lead changes, Center Grove eventually pulled through, with Zach Padgett (#51) hucking to Connor Halloran (#10) for the winning goal. The final score was 10-9, Center Grove.

James Madison Memorial (A2) vs. Ames (C3)

This game was a constant back and forth, with the wind causing turnovers for both James Madison Memorial and Ames. The game started out close, but Memorial slowly began to pull away and took half with a 7-4 lead. After halftime, Memorial’s Ben Kishter (#5) reeled in a Callahan against Parallel, which may have been the final straw. Ames didn’t give up, but James Madison Memorial rode their lead to a win 10-6.

Neuqua Valley-B (B2) vs. St. Cloud Cathedral (D3)

Cathedral came out quickly opening up a 2-0 lead, which then became a 3-3 tie. The wind was a huge factor, creating many turnovers and long points. When the hard cap horn blew, the score was 8-7 Neuqua Valley-B. Cathedral quickly scored to tie the game at 8s and force a double-game point. But Neuqua Valley-B eventually claimed the game 9-8 using short passes to work the disc downfield.

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