Mixed Division Coverage - Day Two

By Neva Cherniavsky

Round 1: There were lots of marquee matchups today, but the close ones weren't supposed to happen until Round 2. Donner Party came out complacent against B+ and paid for it; B+ jumped out to a 5-0 lead. B+ plays very good defense, with hard marks and lots of layouts. However, they turn it over a lot. Some turns are on hucks and some are simply bad choices. Donner wasn't taking advantage though. They were forcing unnecessary throws and some key players were dropping the disc. Finally the Party started to pull it together and stop turning; also, they had some big grabs on monster hucks. Donner went on an eight point run to take half 8-5. At half time, B+ made a vow to turn it up on D again. They brought it to 8-7, Donner scores for 9-7, and B+ brings it to 11-10 on a beautiful layout catch by #1 Sarah Smith. Smith strikes again on the next point with a point block on a Donner huck, but B+ doesn't convert. The defending champs then go on a little run to 13-11. The game is capped at 14. B+ scores another to make it interesting but Donner finishes on a huck to #39 Scotty Conway and the game is over.

Bad Larry and Holes and Poles didn't look to be a competitive game at half, with the score 8-2 in favor of the southern team. But Bad Larry comes out of half with a mean 4 person cup, and H&P has a lot of trouble working it. Larry plays the field position game, hucking it and putting on a zone and H&P doesn't respond in kind, turning it on their endline. Bad Larry goes on a 6-1 run to make it 9-8. Holes and Poles finally realizes that they need to rely on field position as well in the high wind. They start hucking it. H&P has a lot of height, with their women especially a lot taller than their opponents. Their offense also runs smoother than Larry's, with Brian Harriford (#12) key. And it was the H&P zone that got them the lead at half. By turning back to those factors, H&P was able to dominate the rest of the game.

Flicks of Fury and Red Fish Blue Fish was a matchup of friends - many FoF players have competed on RFBF in the past, and the teams know each other better than anyone. The high wind is delicious to them both. FoF has an advantage in their best guys versus RFBF, and this made the game close in the beginning. But RFBF is much deeper than FoF, with a number of solid men and women handlers. Towards the middle of the game, FoF starts looking tired, and their long throws are no longer connecting. RFBF runs away with the win.

Finally, Hang Time makes everything look easy. They rely on the huck game from the beginning and Drive Thru Liquor keeps turning it right outside their own endzone. Hang Time has no trouble and is done playing well before any other team.

Round 2: Donner Party versus Hang Time is the matchup of the round. Watching Donner so far, they seem weaker than in past years and beatable; but they come out strong against Hang Time and quickly lead 5-2. Donner's defense looks fired up and ready to go. They played an aggressive straight up mark to stop Hang Time's huck game. And Donner's hucks were connecting nicely. DP has some key players (like Scotty Conway, #39), but overall they are strong across the board.

Hang Time, on the other hand, has a bona fide superstar in Tom Etchison (#32). Not only that, all their men are quite athletic and tall. Hang Time starts playing a zone on Donner Party and, more importantly, starts bringing down hucks of their own. Donner is less willing than Hang Time to play the field position game. Hang Time just starts rolling along and goes on an 9-0 run to make it 11-5. There are a few more Donner scores, but Hang Time eventually closes the door.

The B+-Drive Thru Liquor game looked like it could be close. The teams were both hucking and playing Z, and were knotted at 4s. Then DTL started coming down with more of those hucks. DTL has some nice defense and B+ couldn't seem to get up for this game after the Donner loss. DTL wins going away.

The Holes and Poles versus Red Fish Blue Fish game is close early, as RFBF gets a break and goes up 4-2, then H&P comes back to tie it at 6s. RFBF is great in the wind and keeps putting it up long. H&P works carefully through their zone to keep it tight. The hucks really begin connecting for RFBF and Holes and Poles is unable to stop the run. Red Fish Blue Fish comes away with the win.

Bad Larry and Flicks of Fury plays the longest and closest game of the round. It is a huck fest, or as one Flicks of Fury player said, "a turnover fest." Both teams are hucking and playing D, though for Flicks of Fury the hucks are connecting more. FoF also loves the zone and wind. Bad Larry plays impressively, with #4 James Beeby coming up with nice Ds. One Fof player remarks, "The most exciting play so far is a 75-yard upwind hammer. It wasn't complete or anything, but it helped our karma." Another FoF score and he says, "See? Our karma is up!" Tight to the end, FoF used their great-throwing men and not so much their women, and came away with the win.

Round 3: Do or die for these teams. The winners go to quarters, the losers to consolation. B+ takes on Halibut in a matchup of young versus young/old. Nearly all of B+ is under 25; many key players for Halibut are also in that range, but a good number are retired open and women's players. B+ connects on their long game early and jumps out to a 5-2 lead. Halibut calls time out to reset and goes up 6-5. B+ is athletic but makes a lot of mistakes, especially on questionable throws. Matt Schmucker (#16) and Dave Kallin (#19) are all over the place for Halibut, D and O. Halibut takes a 10-7 lead on ugly points marred by a lot of calls. B+ is angry at the call game and requests an observer. Meanwhile, they fire up. There's lots of energy on the sideline. Halibut's players look tired. The younger studs have been in practically every point; the press of a hard day is showing on the older players. B+ brings it back, shouting "One more!" on every point. Each score fires them up more, and they make it 11-10. At 12-11 the cap goes on, and B+ makes the D and punches in each score for a final of 14-11.

Next door, Blah plays Bad Larry. Bad Larry shows promise early against Blah's zone, and the teams trade. #10 Michael Droske on Blah makes a nice grab to stop the trading and go up 5-3. After that, Blah's zone makes a difference. Bad Larry tries to huck over the zone but fails. The score is 7-3 when things start going Bad Larry's way. Blah makes a couple of turns in their own territory for easy Larry scores. But then Blah clamps down. Their enormous sideline is psyched and loud about it. Blah just keeps working it well, their depth helping at this late hour. The final isn't close, with Blah winning 13-8.

After two days, Hang Time and Red Fish Blue Fish are dominant. Everyone else isn't quite at the same level. Donner continues to intimidate, though they look vulnerable. Holes and Poles is a good bet for semis. Flicks of Fury looks quite comfortable in the wind. B+, DTL, and Blah are all dangerous quarters opponents.

Interesting notes: Three of four in Pool A made quarters (sorry, Chinstrap). And for the doubters, this does not appear to be an off year for the Mid-Atlantic (that is, Capital section).

All ideas expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the UPA