USA Ultimate

2010 USA Ultimate Club Championships
Open Division - Day 2

 
By: Jonathan Neeley, special to usaultimate.org
 
While it was not much of a factor until Round 3 yesterday, the wind would make its presence known from the beginning and throughout Day 2. An upwind/downwind certainly called for sharpness from Ironside, a team that was really not tested in pool play. Facing Sockeye in power pools, they were up against a stable of strong wind throwers that includes Ben Wiggins, Dave Bestock, Tim Gehret, and Adam Holt, and while Sockeye has undergone a number of personnel changes since they last dominated at Nationals, the team’s strong use of available talent has kept it competitive among perennial powerhouses.
 
Early in the game, Ironside showed why it is the 1 seed, as the difference between the two teams was their ability to make plays on the margins. Where Sockeye was forced into turnovers because they could not find open dumps, Ironside found Brandon Malacek as the bail-out and hucked to an open Will Neff for an upwind break. Where Holt could not hang onto the disc after a spectacular layout catch on a downwind huck from Wiggins, George Stubbs put just enough touch for Neff and Colin Mahoney to run onto the disc. And where each team ran an effective zone defense with a cup that did a good job of trapping the disc on the downwind sideline, Ironside was just a bit more patient against Sockeye’s transition to man defense, opting to dump and swing in search of the wide open man rather than fire quick shots to receivers streaking toward the endzone.
 
Throughout the game, Ironside was able to go up another break every couple points, giving the feeling that while they weren’t putting huge runs together, they were certainly in control. Boston weathered two monstrous skying blocks by zone deep Matt Rehder and a Seattle defensive offense that moved the disc well. What really made the difference was that after Sockeye switched into man coverage, Ironside recognized how open they were underneath due to the threat of Neff or Mahoney taking off. Also, zone handlers Matt Rebholz and Josh Markette were extremely steady on upwind points, doing well to keep the disc in the middle of the field and remaining calm and collected even as the stall count grew higher.
 
Ironside showed more of the same against Doublewide, using a well-coordinated defense to force a number of miscues from the Texas offense that seemed to decide the game early. Brodie Smith sat himself out, and Doublewide lines really opened up after Ironside took half 8-3 en route to an easy victory.
 
Of course, Doublewide could afford to mail it in against Ironside because their spot in the Quarterfinals was already secure. While Ironside and Sockeye squared off, Doublewide beat a PoNY team whose offensive style worked quite well against Doublewide’s zone but whose defense could not generate the turnovers or convert the breaks necessary to stay in the game. PoNY attacked Doublewide by crashing through the back of the cup early and often, with Jody Avirgan looking to quickly find a hole after the movement. However, after turnovers and on defensive points, PoNY really could not keep up with Doublewide’s deep game.
 
A few fields over, Revolver’s first game was a bit more difficult. Furious George’s Oscar Pottinger remarked before the game that while Revolver was clearly the favorite, he was confident in his team’s ability to handle the wind, and while Revolver played an upwind zone that was just as effective as Ironside’s, handlers Mauro Ortiz and youngster John Norris made their teammate look smart. While Revolver worked very hard to trap the disc on the downwind side, Ortiz broke the mark over and over again while Norris remained calm under increasing pressure while throwing no-look backhands that gained crucial yards.
 
Late in the game, Revolver was able to pull away. Beau Kittredge had two crucial layout blocks, and the speed of Revolver’s defenders was too much for Furious to cover once they turned the disc over.
 
This was a big factor in Revolver’s win over Chain Lightning. While many expected a crowd-pleasing rematch of the 2009 Finals, Revolver came out of the gate firing on all cylinders en route to a blowout. Revolver broke early, and after Chain failed to convert a chance to break back, they rattled off several in a row. Wherever Chain turned, a Revolver defender was waiting: Jon Hester made an early layout block outside of Chain’s endzone , Tyler Grant outplayed Kiran Thomas in the deep lanes, and Ashlin Joye played strong handler defense on a Chain team that struggled to reset the disc. At half, it was 8-3, and similar to Doublewide, Chain opened up their lines because they had secured a pre-Quarters game. Revolver, on the other hand, kept bringing the pressure as the team was intent on sending the message that they were excited to play the team that beat them last year.
 
The most hard-fought game of power pool play was between Furious and Southpaw. While many expected Furious to beat the less experienced in a game that would decide who got a Quarterfinals birth and who would have to play pre-Quarters, Southpaw played as though they had been there before. With Furious up 5-4, Joel Wooten baited a huck that he was able to chase down and layout block. Southpaw then called a huck play from the endzone that led to a score, and soon took half on a huck from Art Shull to Cornell teammate Alex Kadesch.
 
Southpaw’s endurance really showed in this game, as Furious’s top players were stuck between trying to keep the team in the game offensively while having to guard the seemingly tireless Leon Chou, Nick Purifico, and Sean Murray. Masahiro Matsuno seemed less in sync with his teammates than he did yesterday. Twice today, he overthrew Pottinger in situations that looked as though a Buzz Bullets teammate would continue cutting deep while Pottinger elected to cut underneath. In the second half, Southpaw was able to pull away, forcing Furious into the pre-Quarters game.
 
In the lower pools, Truck Stop was intent on making life difficult for itself, allowing a lead that included scores of 9-5 and 13-10 to turn into a 15-13 Johnny Bravo victory. Luckily for them, their five point win over Streetgang yesterday gave them the largest margin of victory over a common opponent in the three-way tie atop the pool, so they earned the right to play PoNY in pre-Quarters. Elsewhere, Madison Club made things exciting by overcoming an 11-14 deficit against Tanasi to win 16-14, and Ring of Fire moved up to play Furious after a game against Tanasi that was closer than some forecasted it to be.
 
As expected, the pre-Quarters games were the most intense of the day. PoNY, Truck Stop, Furious George, and Ring of Fire had all shown flashes of brilliance throughout the weekend, and with the season on the line, nobody was going home without a fight. Just before the Furious game, Ring’s Ken Porter commented that his team had yet to play to its potential all weekend. Clearly, he felt a personal need to do something about that, as on the second point of the game he ignited the crowd with the most jaw-dropping play of the tournament: a shoulder-high layout block in which he covered what seemed like 40 yards on the ground and 10 in the air. As he caught a huck for the score on the other end, Ring went up 3-1 and began a run to dominate the first half.
 
In the PoNY v. Truck Stop game, two breaks was the largest lead that would be had all day. While Truck Stop drew first blood, PoNY was able to capitalize on a dropped dump by Truck captain Kevin Moldenhauer along with a Truck throwaway on the endzone line to take a two goal lead that it would ride out until half. PoNY relied heavily on Wisconsin alumni Dan Heijman and Jack Marsh, who got open consistently while also conserving the disc. On the Truck Stop side, second year players Alan Kolick, Jeff Wodatch, Daniel Kantor, and Sean Keegan stepped up big, providing the team with sparks by ripping down big skies in traffic and finding the endzone with their throws. Truck Stop’s biggest standout, however, was Ironside import Adam Sigelman. Earning two timely layout blocks and applying pressure with a number of bids that just missed, Sigelman provided a veteran presence for Truck Stop that clearly put them over the hump. After Truck Stop brought the score to 14-13, Sigelman hit Keegan with an around backhand that sealed Truck Stop’s first appearance in the Quarterfinals since 2007.
 
Next door, Furious seemed to feel the heat after playing two games against higher-seeded opponents while Ring had a relatively easy time climbing up to pre-Quarters. While they were able to bring the score to 14-12 and threatened to break again after a big sky block by Mark Seraglia, a miscommunication on a huck gave Ring of Fire the disc. Captain Jared Inselmann proceeded to take over, throwing a number of backhand breaks to advance the disc and eventually hit newcomer Thomas Sayre-McCord for the upwind score and the right to play Ironside in Quarterfinals for the third year in a row.
 
From this moment on, everything counts. Ironside, Ring of Fire, Chain Lightning, Sockeye, Revolver, Truck Stop, Doublewide, and Southpaw have all made it to the final eight. For some, this moment was motivated by an offseason haunted by the taste of coming oh-so-close. For others, the formation of a new team or the addition of a few key pick-ups let them know that they could get to this point. And for all, a win means you get to keep playing while a loss means “see you next season.” Quarterfinals start at 9:30, and they’re going to be a lot of fun. 

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While working to provide nightly write-ups for USA Ultimate, Jonathan Neeley is also doing freelance reporting on the Open Division. Follow him on Twitter (@87til) or at 87tilinfinity.wordpress.com