Nationals Recap – Day Two
Friday saw the initial four pools reshuffled into three: the top 3 from each pool were lumped into two larger pools of six teams, while the last place teams were grouped together to battle for the basement. We had emerged on top of Pool C with the best points differential among the 3 teams at 2-1, followed by Hammerhead and MHUC. We joined the top three teams from Pool B: Here to Pickup, an improbable group of players (not sure exactly what portion were actual pickups) who had eked out 3rd in the pool over the hometown squad, Rip Tide; Rip from Montreal, who had finished 2nd; and the top Ontario team, Bombing Madd Fatties, who had cruised to a 3-0 record on day one. We would play those three teams in that order, and our results from MHUC and Hammerhead would be carrier over to determine our pool finish.
Game 4: Looking for that killer instinct. We opened up strong against Here to Pickup, scoring several unanswered points. They were probably the weakest team we had faced at the tournament (unsurprising as they were ranked 15th going in). I believe we had 5 or 6 points before they scored… ending what was a realistic shot at a shutout. We scored a few more to take half 8-1. Pretty satisfied with the lead, we came out flat after half and let them pick up a few more points here or there… at one point I think they went on a 3 or 4 point run. Our substantial lead was being cut into and we didn’t seem to have the drive to just end it… we were looking to the hard cap to end the game for us. Eventually we did manage to score the 15th point and end the game, but nearly at hard cap. Final score was 15-8. We had only tied the second half. Not as humiliating as our loss to MHUC, but it certainly served as a reminder – we need to take all teams seriously and finish them when we have the chance. Little time to linger on that, though – the next game would start shortly.
Game 5: Another must-win. Our second game was against Rip, the second team from Montreal. I recalled last year we had played them and destroyed them 15-1. But I was expecting they’d be stronger this year. They had finished 3rd at Quebec regionals – ahead of MHUC – and were seeded 7th. Hard to know what to expect, but we did know this was a big game – we’d need it to ensure a spot in quarters, as we couldn’t count on a win versus BMF, nor could we count on squeaking into quarters with a 2-3 record (the win against the lowest team is dropped from the record) like we did last year. Knowing this, we came out motivated and again took an early lead. With the last game fresh in our minds, we were determined not to let them back into the game – especially since they were a better team and could be dangerous with some momentum. We surged to a 10-1 lead before trading out to win 13-4. I had one of my better games scoring three memorable points – toeing the line to stay in the endzone while grabbin a pass that never crossed the goal line; pulling down a wayward pass that was intended for one of our women cutting at the front of the endzone; and a diving grab of a quickly falling hammer just inches off the ground. I also recall getting skied by a receiver a few inches shorter than me for one of their only points… not a bad game on the whole though.
Game 6: Game of the tournament (so far). Following a bye we would face our toughest opponent yet - second-seeded Bombing Madd Fatties for Toronto. They had been having a solid year so far, winning a few tournaments and were nearly undefeated against all other qualifying teams, the only exception being a narrow 15-13 loss against Camelot in a previous tourney final. This would not be an easy game. The first point would set the tone, in a way I did not expect. Cutting deep, I was thrown a pass that went up the sideline and out of bounds, curving back in but perhaps slightly underthrown. While running up the line trying to take the disc at the earliest point while still in bounds, my defender cut underneath and out of bounds, swiped at the disc but merely tipped it, and I was able to catch the wobbly disc just outside the endzone and then throw from a score. As I was being congratulated, a player on their team (not on the field for the point) started arguing – the defender was out of bounds, thus the disc was out, no point. I knew for a fact that a defensive touch in itself would not make the disc out of bounds, and argued back emphatically (talking about it later, my teammates told me they’ve never seen me that fired up). When he didn’t just drop it, I shot back: “No! That’s a point. I’m getting the rule book! That’s a point!” and sprinted across the field to my bag for my rule book. Apparently he let it go at that point. Some of the more experienced players assured me that that was just this guy’s way of playing – trying to get under our skin. This would be made more than apparent later.
Following this first point the Fatties ended up scoring on offence, then getting a break for a 2-1 lead. We countered with a 2-point run to take a 3-2 lead ourselves. It was clear this would be a dogfight. Sometime arounf the middle of the first half (tied at 3s or 4s, I think), one of our handlers sent a huck to one of our women cutting long; the disc hung a bit short and she went up for it but was fouled on the reception attempt. The girl covering her emphatically contested the foul, though it looked quite legitimate from the rest of our vantage points. There was some heated discussion which was quickly joined by the player who I had argued with over the first point. Despite the fact he was 50 yards away from the foul he seemed quite determined it was a bogus call, and let us know loudly. “I hope your mother’s proud of you!” he called to our fouled player as a parting shot before the disc finally went back to thrower and play restarted. We ended up scoring the point and taking the lead again. We maintained a slim lead until taking half 8-6.
Second half picked up with the same intense play as the first. We fought hard and through a lot of contact – resulting in may fouls and other stoppages – to protect our meagre lead. Time was quickly winding down, no doubt a factor of the number of calls, and the game was capped at 11. Just a few more points for the win. Late in the game, and with stakes rising, the intensity that had been building finally reached a boiling point following a few more calls. It started when one of their players intercepted one of our passes, and the dropped it – it certainly looked intentional to us – before landing. Should be a double turn, we argues, but they ended up keeping possession. They picked up the disc and hucked for a score – no, wait, travel, they did not play it from where it went out following the ‘drop’. Back to thrower and a do-over, this time a turnover. We worked it up the line and hucked… intercepted… but there was a foul on the throw. The player who intercepted the pass was none other than the hothead who had been jawing at us all game. Upon hearing the foul call he turned around and in a show of frustration whipped the disc back to thrower as hard as he could. His aim was off however and the disc shot into the stands, hitting my wife in the head as she was bent down looking for something in her bag. Naturally, we were pissed. Our captain went over to talk to the hothead. However his request to talk to him was met with an emphatic “Fuck you!” then turned to walk away. Our captain was fed up at this point and gave the guy a stiff two-handed shove in the back. Fortunately things quickly settled without escalating further, but it was clear the teams would not end the game on good terms. Now it’s personal! We eventually returned to the game and scored a huge point for a 10-8 lead. Next point could win it. The next point, however, would be a marathon with hard defence by both teams, many turnovers, and two of our players leaving the field with minor injuries. At some point the hard cap horn went on but no one seemed to notice or care. We were still fighting hard for the point. Eventually BMF worked it up and sent a big break throw into the endzone to my mark, who scored… I had barely enough energy to cover the force side. BMF stormed the field, but it didn’t matter… the game was effectively over once the hard cap horn had gone. 10-9, Chaos wins.
It was a huge victory and despite our 3rd seed, looked like a pretty big upset. Moreover, it meant we finished first in the pool and would have the 2nd seed overall (Camelot was still undefeated) for playoffs. We would be taking on the 7th seed to get into semis. And after that, who knows? Right now, we could beat anybody.
Game 4: Looking for that killer instinct. We opened up strong against Here to Pickup, scoring several unanswered points. They were probably the weakest team we had faced at the tournament (unsurprising as they were ranked 15th going in). I believe we had 5 or 6 points before they scored… ending what was a realistic shot at a shutout. We scored a few more to take half 8-1. Pretty satisfied with the lead, we came out flat after half and let them pick up a few more points here or there… at one point I think they went on a 3 or 4 point run. Our substantial lead was being cut into and we didn’t seem to have the drive to just end it… we were looking to the hard cap to end the game for us. Eventually we did manage to score the 15th point and end the game, but nearly at hard cap. Final score was 15-8. We had only tied the second half. Not as humiliating as our loss to MHUC, but it certainly served as a reminder – we need to take all teams seriously and finish them when we have the chance. Little time to linger on that, though – the next game would start shortly.
Game 5: Another must-win. Our second game was against Rip, the second team from Montreal. I recalled last year we had played them and destroyed them 15-1. But I was expecting they’d be stronger this year. They had finished 3rd at Quebec regionals – ahead of MHUC – and were seeded 7th. Hard to know what to expect, but we did know this was a big game – we’d need it to ensure a spot in quarters, as we couldn’t count on a win versus BMF, nor could we count on squeaking into quarters with a 2-3 record (the win against the lowest team is dropped from the record) like we did last year. Knowing this, we came out motivated and again took an early lead. With the last game fresh in our minds, we were determined not to let them back into the game – especially since they were a better team and could be dangerous with some momentum. We surged to a 10-1 lead before trading out to win 13-4. I had one of my better games scoring three memorable points – toeing the line to stay in the endzone while grabbin a pass that never crossed the goal line; pulling down a wayward pass that was intended for one of our women cutting at the front of the endzone; and a diving grab of a quickly falling hammer just inches off the ground. I also recall getting skied by a receiver a few inches shorter than me for one of their only points… not a bad game on the whole though.
Game 6: Game of the tournament (so far). Following a bye we would face our toughest opponent yet - second-seeded Bombing Madd Fatties for Toronto. They had been having a solid year so far, winning a few tournaments and were nearly undefeated against all other qualifying teams, the only exception being a narrow 15-13 loss against Camelot in a previous tourney final. This would not be an easy game. The first point would set the tone, in a way I did not expect. Cutting deep, I was thrown a pass that went up the sideline and out of bounds, curving back in but perhaps slightly underthrown. While running up the line trying to take the disc at the earliest point while still in bounds, my defender cut underneath and out of bounds, swiped at the disc but merely tipped it, and I was able to catch the wobbly disc just outside the endzone and then throw from a score. As I was being congratulated, a player on their team (not on the field for the point) started arguing – the defender was out of bounds, thus the disc was out, no point. I knew for a fact that a defensive touch in itself would not make the disc out of bounds, and argued back emphatically (talking about it later, my teammates told me they’ve never seen me that fired up). When he didn’t just drop it, I shot back: “No! That’s a point. I’m getting the rule book! That’s a point!” and sprinted across the field to my bag for my rule book. Apparently he let it go at that point. Some of the more experienced players assured me that that was just this guy’s way of playing – trying to get under our skin. This would be made more than apparent later.
Following this first point the Fatties ended up scoring on offence, then getting a break for a 2-1 lead. We countered with a 2-point run to take a 3-2 lead ourselves. It was clear this would be a dogfight. Sometime arounf the middle of the first half (tied at 3s or 4s, I think), one of our handlers sent a huck to one of our women cutting long; the disc hung a bit short and she went up for it but was fouled on the reception attempt. The girl covering her emphatically contested the foul, though it looked quite legitimate from the rest of our vantage points. There was some heated discussion which was quickly joined by the player who I had argued with over the first point. Despite the fact he was 50 yards away from the foul he seemed quite determined it was a bogus call, and let us know loudly. “I hope your mother’s proud of you!” he called to our fouled player as a parting shot before the disc finally went back to thrower and play restarted. We ended up scoring the point and taking the lead again. We maintained a slim lead until taking half 8-6.
Second half picked up with the same intense play as the first. We fought hard and through a lot of contact – resulting in may fouls and other stoppages – to protect our meagre lead. Time was quickly winding down, no doubt a factor of the number of calls, and the game was capped at 11. Just a few more points for the win. Late in the game, and with stakes rising, the intensity that had been building finally reached a boiling point following a few more calls. It started when one of their players intercepted one of our passes, and the dropped it – it certainly looked intentional to us – before landing. Should be a double turn, we argues, but they ended up keeping possession. They picked up the disc and hucked for a score – no, wait, travel, they did not play it from where it went out following the ‘drop’. Back to thrower and a do-over, this time a turnover. We worked it up the line and hucked… intercepted… but there was a foul on the throw. The player who intercepted the pass was none other than the hothead who had been jawing at us all game. Upon hearing the foul call he turned around and in a show of frustration whipped the disc back to thrower as hard as he could. His aim was off however and the disc shot into the stands, hitting my wife in the head as she was bent down looking for something in her bag. Naturally, we were pissed. Our captain went over to talk to the hothead. However his request to talk to him was met with an emphatic “Fuck you!” then turned to walk away. Our captain was fed up at this point and gave the guy a stiff two-handed shove in the back. Fortunately things quickly settled without escalating further, but it was clear the teams would not end the game on good terms. Now it’s personal! We eventually returned to the game and scored a huge point for a 10-8 lead. Next point could win it. The next point, however, would be a marathon with hard defence by both teams, many turnovers, and two of our players leaving the field with minor injuries. At some point the hard cap horn went on but no one seemed to notice or care. We were still fighting hard for the point. Eventually BMF worked it up and sent a big break throw into the endzone to my mark, who scored… I had barely enough energy to cover the force side. BMF stormed the field, but it didn’t matter… the game was effectively over once the hard cap horn had gone. 10-9, Chaos wins.
It was a huge victory and despite our 3rd seed, looked like a pretty big upset. Moreover, it meant we finished first in the pool and would have the 2nd seed overall (Camelot was still undefeated) for playoffs. We would be taking on the 7th seed to get into semis. And after that, who knows? Right now, we could beat anybody.
posted by Druski at 12:12 a.m.
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