USA Ultimate

Saturday’s action began with a cool morning, but with temperatures in the 80s promised by the end of the day, both the weather and the action on the field quickly heated up. Related Links: Event website Boys' Division Scoreboard Girls' Division Scoreboard #hswesterns

Pool A

Pool A had strong competitors in their two highest-ranked teams, Roosevelt (#6) and Lakeside (#1). Roosevelt opened the day against upstart Ingraham. Roosevelt’s two quick early scores and their strong defense assured them of their first win (9-5). Their second game was an easier affair against 12th-ranked Garfield, whom Roosevelt defeated 12-2.  Their third game of the day was a hard-fought match against Summit, but once again, the Roosevelt Rough Riders came out on top, 10-7. That put them at 3-0 going into the final game of the day against top-ranked Lakeside.

Lakeside got a little extra sleep in the morning thanks to a first-round bye.  Their first three games of the day were all easy victories, defeating Ingraham, Summit and Garfield all with 13-2 margins. So Pool A’s most anticipated game came at 4:45 p.m. in the late afternoon sun where both 3-0 teams, Lakeside and Roosevelt, competed for the top spot in their pool. Despite the build-up, the game turned out to be a 13-3 landslide in favor of Lakeside. Perhaps their late start and easy victories helped them store enough energy for a late-day surge. Top-seeded Lakeside will start their day tomorrow against Berkeley in the quarterfinals.

Pool B

The initial rankings in Pool B also proved accurate as the top-seeded teams, Franklin (#2) and Nathan Hale (#5), topped the standings at the end of the day. Franklin had two easy victories leading up to their head-to-head match against Nathan Hale at 1:00 p.m. Franklin defeated South Eugene and Cleveland, both by the same 13-2 margin. Nathan Hale had a bit more difficulty than their opponent on the road to their head-to-head match with Franklin. Nathan Hale first beat Cleveland 11-5 and then South Eugene 11-3.  The margins of victory were wide, but the Raiders from Nathan Hale had to work hard for their early victories, and it may have cost them in the match against Franklin. Nathan Hale was consistently able to move the disc down the field, but untimely turnovers followed by Franklin quick strikes led to a 9-5 Franklin victory. South Eugene grabbed their first win of the day in the final time slot, using nice handler movement from Emma Shortt and Raina Kamrat to defeat Cleveland 9-6. Although the Cleveland Lady Eagles went 0-3 in pool play, they demonstrated tremendous spirit with their deafening cheers and resilient play.

Pool C

Play in Pool C began with a rivalry game between two local teams, Crescent Valley and Corvallis. The Crescent Valley Raiders kept it close, but thanks to the efficient Spartan offense, Corvallis came out on top, 10-7. The Northwest School started off the morning with a game against California Roll who, despite the 4-13 final score, played with fire and positivity. This trend of passionate ultimate continued as the day went on and earned the Berkeley High School team a victory against Crescent Valley in their final game, 9-6.  The Crescent Valley Raiders, despite their strong effort against California Roll and the Northwest School, lost all three pool play games. The highlight of Pool C action hit along with the bright afternoon sun, making the match up between third-seeded Northwest School and fourth-seeded Corvallis seem even more heated. The rematch of last year’s Westerns finals had the aura of another tightly contested Sunday game. Back and forth to the end, it was déjà vu for all those who were in attendance last year, as the Northwest School took the game 11-10 on a thrilling double-game point. The Northwest ladies finished the day 3-0, thanks in part to a strong team performance and the impressive deep throws of Josephine Gillet. Corvallis went 2-1 in pool play and will face Nathan Hale in tomorrow’s quarterfinal round.

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